Quote of the Day: “A good beginning makes a good end.” – Louis L’Amour
Image by: Dale de Vera
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
1,492 years ago today, Emperor Justinian I of Byzantium, did Europe’s posterity a great favor and ordered the compiling of all Roman juridical writings from the beginning of the Empire into 50 books. Preserved to this day thanks to monastic manuscripts and called the Digest or Pandects, it is simply one of Humanity’s most extraordinary legal extant legal texts because of both its immensity and totality. READ more about the Digest… (533)
Hope and opportunity are blossoming on the South Side of Chicago where a man and his wife have used flowers to help poor communities turn over a new leaf.
Running two nonprofits, Southside Blooms and Chicago Eco House, Quilen Blackwell and his wife Hannah Bonham are helping at-risk youth find opportunity while simultaneously cutting into the billions Americans spend every year importing cut flowers from the tropics.
Blackwell’s work earned him the CNN Hero of the Year Award at the 19th edition of the honor, organized by the cable news outlet with support from corporate sponsors. The award came with a $100,000 prize to support the Blackwell’s work.
Southside Blooms turns vacant lots on Chicago’s South Side into eco-friendly flower farms, employing local young people to grow, harvest, arrange, and sell flowers at his group’s nonprofit flower shop.
Why flowers? When Blackwell, a Wisconsin native, moved to Chicago to attend ministry school following a stint in the Peace Corps, he ended up in Englewood—that most notorious of burbs where some 40% of residents live in poverty.
An initial attempt at a social enterprise growing fruit and vegetables ran afoul of regulation, and came with challenges like dealing with toxins and metals in the soil while trying to secure purified water for irrigation. Back at the drawing board, Blackwell happened upon an eye-opening statistic: that more than 70% of cut flowers bought in the US are imported.
An example of how incredibly efficient the global economy can be, Blackwell believed that flowers might be the answer to reconnecting Englewood youth to nature, while simultaneously growing something meaningful in between boarded-up shops, condemned buildings, and empty lots.
“I said, ‘Wait a minute. Why are we importing flowers from other countries when we have all this land, all of this youth?” Blackwell narrated in an interview to CNN. “Maybe flowers are the answer.’”
By 2021, Chicago Eco House had already turned 6 vacant South Side lots into solar-powered farms, with the resulting flowers sold through Southside Blooms.
“This is my life,” Blackwell told Citizen Watch US at the time. “My wife is involved, my kids are involved, my wife Hannah is our lead florist. So after we harvest our flowers, they get processed at our flower shop and then we sell ’em all across the city.”
MORE STORIES LIKE THIS: Virginia Pals Save Flowers From the Landfill, Redeploying Them to Bring Joy
“A lot of the most beautiful flowers we grow do very well in adverse conditions, and that’s just like the people here.”
Southside Blooms currently employs 25 young people, CNN reported, primarily between the ages of 16 and 25, and will open a second location on the city’s west side this spring.
PREVIOUS CNN HEROES: CNN Hero: Man Helps Barbers Fill Their Shops with Books to Help Kids Find Excitement in Reading
“As long as they’re getting all of the ingredients they need to be successful, there’s nothing that they can’t do,” he said. “Our young people are blossoming and blooming every single day.”
Like any great leader, what Blackwell was keen to communicate holding the CNN Hero Award in his arms, was the strength and character of his team: his wife, and the young men and women who make the project possible.
WATCH Blackwell in action below…
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Around the size of a postage stamp and thinner than a credit card, a wireless implant that “speaks” to the brain could help restore lost senses.
The device uses light to send information directly to the brain, bypassing the body’s natural sensory pathways in what scientists are hailing as a “leap” for neurobiology and bioelectronics.
The technology has immense potential for several therapeutic applications, according to a study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
The research team say these include providing sensory feedback for prosthetic limbs, delivering artificial stimuli for future vision or hearing prostheses, modulating pain perception without opioids or systemic drugs, enhancing rehabilitation after stroke or serious injury, and controlling robotic limbs with the brain.
In experiments, the publishing scientists—based at Northwestern University in Illinois—used the device’s tiny, patterned bursts of light to activate specific groups of neurons deep inside the brains of mice.
Even without touch, sight, or sound involved, the rodents received information to make decisions and successfully completed behavioral tasks. The mice quickly learned to interpret the patterns as meaningful signals, which they could recognize and use.
“Our brains are constantly turning electrical activity into experiences, and this technology gives us a way to tap into that process directly,” said Northwestern neurobiologist Professor Yevgenia Kozorovitskiy, who led the experimental work. “This platform lets us create entirely new signals and see how the brain learns to use them.”
It brings us just a little bit closer to restoring lost senses after injuries or disease while offering a window into the basic principles that allow us to perceive the world.”
The new study builds on previous work by Northwestern scientists in which they introduced the first fully implantable, programmable, wireless, battery-free device capable of controlling neurons with light.
The previous study used a single micro-LED probe to influence social behavior in mice, while the new study takes the research a step further by enabling richer, more flexible communication with the brain.
ALSO CHECK OUT: Incredible Internal Cochlear Implants on the Way as Massachusetts Engineers Overcame All Obstacles
“Developing this device required rethinking how to deliver patterned stimulation to the brain in a format that is both minimally invasive and fully implantable,” said Northwestern bioelectronics pioneer Professor John Rogers.
Going beyond the ability to activate and deactivate a single region of neurons, the new device features a programmable array of up to 64 micro-LEDs. With real-time control over each LED, scientists can send complex sequences to the brain that may resemble the distributed activity that occurs during natural sensations.
The research team explained that because real sensory experiences activate distributed cortical networks—not tiny, localized groups of neurons—the multi-region design mimics more natural patterns of brain activity.
MORE STORIES LIKE THIS: A Combination Implant and Augmented Reality Glasses Restores Reading Vision to Blind Eyes
“The number of patterns we can generate with various combinations of LEDs, frequency, intensity, and temporal sequence, is nearly infinite,” said study first author Dr. Mingzheng Wu.
Now that the team has shown the brain can interpret patterned stimulation as meaningful signals, they plan to test more complex patterns and explore how many distinct patterns the brain can learn.
SHARE This Impressive Advancement In Theoretical Bio-Electric Interfaces…
In South Sudan, on the banks of the Nile, a flood of rare destructive power swept an already water-stressed city into poverty before acting as the catalyst for a transformative humanitarian success.
Development funding from the Netherlands and South Korea has made a big difference in the city of Bor, where tens of thousands of people used to have to walk several miles to borehole wells alongside the banks of the White Nile.
The water that was drawn up in yellow plastic jerry cans was filthy, often carrying disease, and was time-consuming to bring home.
Now, the Bor water treatment facility has given tens of thousands of of residents clean, reliable water through a 33-mile pipe network. The network supplies 28 community water kiosks, 704 households, 7 schools, and a hospital, totaling around 98,000 people.
It also takes a qualified team to maintain and administer—a much-needed opportunity for those who took the time to receive an education. Electricians, pump mechanics, plumbers and lab technicians not only maintain the service lines and machinery, they also test the water and service the connections to houses.
Accountants and commercial managers prepare the bills, statements, and consumption reports for the local consumers and the tax man. It costs about 3 cents to fill a water can from one of the kiosks, and about 80 cents per cubic yard of water delivered to the tap.
In 2020, Bor was hit by a particularly massive version of the Nile’s famous flood, displacing 380,000 people. It substantially degraded the already modest water supply. Disease festered, and thousands of labor/study hours were lost retrieving water from other places.
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“In 2020, the major flood emergency really eroded the infrastructure, including the water-supply system, and that left the community hugely vulnerable to waterborne diseases,” Thewodros Mulugeta, UNICEF’s chief of water, sanitation, and hygiene in South Sudan, told the Guardian, whose reporters visited the town.
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“So the initial phase of the project started as a humanitarian, critical emergency response. Then there was a strategic shift to finding long-term, durable solutions to the water supply.”
This transformational project, that allows farmers to irrigate year-round and children to stay in class rather than return home to fetch water, cost a measly $5.4 million, or around $55.10 per person, a return which in the often bloated and inefficient aid sector would be considered an absolutely sterling result.
FLOOD Social Media With This Good Aid News From South Sudan…
INTERPOL recently executed the largest-ever edition of its annual series of coordinated of raids to dismantle criminal shipments and networks of trafficked and poached wildlife.
Called Operation Thunder, some 30,000 live animals were seized in 4,620 raids across 134 countries, 30% more than last year.
INTERPOL identified 1,100 suspects and issued 69 notices of criminal activity to participating nations’ police forces.
Operation Thunder took place between September 15th and October 15th. It included law enforcement agencies like national police, customs, border security, and forestry and wildlife authorities.
In terms of live animals awaiting transfer or sale into illegal captivity, the operation rescued 6,160 birds, 2,040 terrapins, 1,150 reptiles, 208 primates, 49 pangolins, 10 big cats, and some 19,000 other species, including more infrequently trafficked mammals, fish, amphibians, and a notably larger number of arthropods (insects, arachnids, etc.)
Far larger in number and tonnage was the animal parts and derivates that were seized, such as shark fins, pangolin scales, elephant ivory, tortoise shell, and more.
Encouragingly though, in the largest-ever police bust of wildlife trafficking, merely 7 rhino horns were found amid over 100,000 seized objects, suggesting rhino poaching control is seeing success.
Indeed, large charismatic animals and their body parts are less often found in these annual raids than they used to me. At the same time, increases in exotic arthropods, as well as timber, show the flexibility of poachers. 14,000 tons of illegally logged tree timber were confiscated across the participating nations. This is believed to be as much as one-third of the entire illegal timber market.
STOPPING WILDLIFE CRIME:
Months of preparation for Operation Thunder 2025 centered on the exchange of information, the sharing of actionable intelligence and the coordination of cross-border investigations among participating countries and regions, INTERPOL and the World Customs Organization.
Beyond the immediate arrests and seizures, the intelligence gathered during what is the 9th edition of Operation Thunder will help map global criminal networks. These insights will enable law enforcement agencies worldwide to refine their strategies, anticipate emerging criminal tactics and disrupt illicit supply chain activity, ensuring a sustained and effective response to transnational wildlife crime.
INTERPOL did not give estimates on the total valuation of the seizures, but the trafficked goods from just Tanzania exceeded half a million US dollars, suggesting that criminal networks would have lost 7, even 8-figure amounts in illicit revenues.
SHARE This Major Blow To Poachers And Their Clients With Your Friends…
Quote of the Day: “Mountains are Earth’s undecaying monuments.” – Nathaniel Hawthorne
Image by: Jerry Zhang
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
70 years ago today, American country star Johnny Cash released the single “Folsom Prison Blues.” The song combines elements from two popular folk styles that Cash used often in his songwriting, and was ranked 51 on Rolling Stone Magazine’s 100 Greatest Country Songs. Cash was serving in the military in Germany when he came up with the iconic line “I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die,” and admitted later he was trying to come up with the single most repugnant reason for murder he could think of. READ more about the famous song… (1955)
It all started with a Corgi in a backpack in a crowded subway car.
Bryan Reisberg noticed that his dog Maxine had a way of cheering people up, bringing some light into their lives during their daily commutes underground. Serious faces became smiles. Stress faded. Heavy loads got lighter.
It’s hard not to be happy when there’s a Corgi staring at you from inside a backpack.
Before long, Reisberg, a New York City resident, started posting videos of his urban adventures with Maxine on social media. Soon, his dog won over everyone on the web too, growing into a viral sensation with millions of views.
“She was known as ‘the dog in the backpack’ all over the world,” Bryan told the Washington Post. “It was crazy and totally unexpected.”
He ended up quitting his job to create a dog backpack brand, Little Chonk— and a friend encouraged Bryan to see if he could maybe help some homeless shelter dogs too.
So, he met with people at Best Friends Animal Society, and together, they came up with an idea. Every week, Bryan picks up a shelter dog and takes it into the city in a backpack that has an “Adopt Me” label attached to it.
He shoots videos with the dogs and adds his professional polish to turn the abandoned pets, many of whom have been in shelters for months, into social media superstars. At last count, his content had surpassed 75 million views.
“It’s such a morale boost for our team,” said Julie Castle, CEO of the Best Friends Animal Society. “When Bryan comes in and uses his channels to influence adoption, he’s a hero to these dogs and to our staff.”
11 dogs have been featured so far, with every one of them getting adopted, except for one plagued by an ongoing medical problem. But what’s even more impressive is that adoptions at the shelter have increased substantially. Castle said about 100 more dogs have been adopted than this same time last year. And the backpack is likely the reason why.
One of his recent videos on Instagram featured Bertha, a 6-year-old bulky white dog that rode piggyback, adding some 65-pounds to Bryan’s backpack.
Bertha strolled through Queens, rode on the subway, gave plenty of slobbery kisses, and seemed to capture hearts across both New York City and the internet.
“Well this lovely video should have potential adopters lined up around the block for Bertha,” one Instagram commenter wrote.
“What a beauty!” another person wrote. “Bertha, your happily ever after is coming.”
Indeed, Reisberg’s magic didn’t take long—and he shared the good news soon afterward:
MISS BERTHA WAS JUST ADOPTED BY A LOVELY FAMILY ON LONG ISLAND WITH A NICE BIG HOUSE!!!
“Perfect way to get the word out about the beautiful souls that are all alone and need love,” Instagram commenter azulbelles wrote, punctuating her response with pawprints.
“Your best friend is waiting for you and you don’t even realize it.”
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“I cry happy love tears every time you do one of these amazing posts!” wrote shiloh muther runner. “My heart gets so warm!”
KEEP BERTHA AND HER FRIENDS RUNNING ACROSS the INTERNET By Sharing This on Your Social Media Feed…
The first successful human implant of a 3D-printed cornea made from human eye cells cultured in a laboratory has restored a patient’s sight.
The North Carolina-based company that developed the cornea described the procedure as a ‘world first’—and a major milestone toward its goal of alleviating the lack of available donor tissue and long wait-times for people seeking transplants.
According to Precise Bio, its robotic bio-fabrication approach could potentially turn a single donated cornea into hundreds of lab-grown grafts, at a time when there’s currently only one available for an estimated 70 patients who need one to see.
“This achievement marks a turning point for regenerative ophthalmology—a moment of real hope for millions living with corneal blindness,” Aryeh Batt, Precise Bio’s co-founder and CEO, said in a statement.
“For the first time, a corneal implant manufactured entirely in the lab from cultured human corneal cells, rather than direct donor tissue, has been successfully implanted in a patient.”
The company said the transplant was performed Oct. 29 in one eye of a patient who was considered legally blind.
“This is a game changer. We’ve witnessed a cornea created in the lab, from living human cells, bring sight back to a human being,” said Dr. Michael Mimouni, director of the cornea unit at Rambam Medical Center in Israel, who performed the procedure.
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“It was an unforgettable moment—a glimpse into a future where no one will have to live in darkness because of a shortage of donor tissue.”
Dubbed PB-001, the implant is designed to match the optical clarity, transparency and bio-mechanical properties of a native cornea. Previously tested in animal models, the company said its graft is capable of integrating with a patient’s own tissue.
The outer layer of the eye—covering the iris and pupil—can end up clouding a person’s vision following injuries, infections, scarring and other conditions. PB-001 is currently being tested in a single-arm phase 1 trial in Israel, which aims to enroll between 10 and 15 participants with excess fluid buildups in the cornea due to dysfunction within its inner cell layers.
Precise Bio said it plans to announce top-line results from the study in the second half of 2026, tracking six-month efficacy outcomes.
SIGHT RESTORED WITH STEM CELLS: Sight Restored to People Blinded in Eye Accidents Using New Stem Cell Treatment
The corneas are designed to be compatible with current surgery hardware and workflows. Shipped under long-term cryopreservation, it is delivered preloaded on standard delivery devices and unrolls during implantation to form a natural corneal shape.
“PB-001 has the potential to offer a new, standardized solution to one of ophthalmology’s most urgent needs—reliable, safe, and effective corneal replacement,” said Anthony Atala, M.D., co-founder of Precise Bio and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
“The ability to produce patient-ready tissue on demand could lead the way towards reshaping transplant medicine as we know it.”
(Edited from original article by Conor Hale)
The Queens Zoo released a short, heart-warming video this week featuring two young Andean bears having fun with a tree branch.
The video captured by a guest at the zoo shows the moment the bears found a limb and discovered how to turn it into a playful see-saw.
The pair includes Coya a female bear almost two years old (right), and Ransisku, a male almost four years old (left).
“As young bears, Coya and Ransisku are curious about everything in their environment,” said Mike Allen, Director of the Queens Zoo.
“While this particular interaction with the branch is unique and fun to watch, it’s very much in line with their natural instinct to explore, climb, and test their surroundings.”
“They’re learning about their habitat—and each other—every day.” (See the video below…)
Also known as spectacled bears for the distinctive white or cream-colored markings around their eyes, Andean bears are the only bear species native to South America.
Adults typically measure 5-6 feet long, and since they are highly arboreal, they rely on trees for nesting, foraging, resting—and playing, apparently.
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In the wild, you can find this bear species frolicking in the Tropical Andes mountains across Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
SHARE THE HILARIOUS PLAYGROUND ANTICS With Friends on Social Media…
The emotional moment an 11-year-old girl broke the news to her father that she’s getting a heart transplant was captured on video.
“Daddy, I’m getting a heart!”
Ava was born in 2014 with several heart defects, and was just six days old when she had her first open heart surgery.
Last year when she was ten, a sinus infection escalated, pushing her into heart failure—so she was put on the transplant list.
Ava spent more than 200 days waiting for an organ donor at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital in Ohio.
But in March 2025, her mom, Jamie, received the news that Ava would be getting a new heart.
Ava immediately wanted to call her dad, Sean, who was at home with his younger daughter.
“I was so excited and couldn’t believe it was actually happening,” Ava recalled later.
The heart transplant took place that month, performed by pediatric and congenital heart surgeon Dr. Hani Najm.
And, Ava was able to return home after eight months in the hospital.
“Hearing Ava say those words, ‘I’m getting a heart’, was overwhelming.
“After everything she’d been through, we were finally one step closer to coming home for good.”
WATCH the heartwarming moment below…
SHARE THE GOOD NEWS With Organ Donors on Social Media…
Quote of the Day: “No one has ever loved anyone the way everyone wants to be loved.” – Mignon McLaughlin
Image by: Oziel Gómez
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
46 years ago today, The Clash released their third studio album London Calling. The double album, certified platinum in the US, received widespread acclaim and sold over five million copies worldwide. With this LP, the band expanded into styles beyond punk, including reggae, rockabilly, ska, New Orleans R&B, pop, lounge jazz, and hard rock—and reflected themes like unemployment, racial conflict, drug use, and the responsibilities of adulthood. WATCH Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Dave Grohl, and Stevie van Zandt perform the title track, live at the Grammy Awards in a 2003 Joe Strummer tribute… (1979)
Incredible images captured by an amateur astrophotographer show a bizarre red ring, 143-miles wide, floating in the sky.
Valter Binotto not only managed to capture the otherworldly sight over his hometown of Possagno, amazingly, it’s the second time he has recorded the rings from his location in northern Italy, nestled in the foothills of Monte Grappa.
The doughnut-shaped red rings are known as ELVES, an upper-atmospheric lightning event sometimes caught in long-exposure images above distant thunderstorms. (ELVES stands for Emissions of Light and Very Low Frequency due to Electromagnetic Pulse Sources).
They’re a type of ‘transient luminous event’ which occurs in the lower ionosphere, dozens of miles above the Earth, directly above powerful lightning storms.
Valter Binotto says he’s spent almost a decade tracking such high-altitude displays and secured his first ELVES image in 2023 above a storm 177 miles from his home (285 km).
“It took almost three years before I managed to capture another one,” said Valter.
He spotted it last month on November 17 from his home.
This time, it was triggered by a negative lightning strike of 303 kA, according to SWNS news. The lightning occurred above the Cinque Terre in Liguria, 186 miles (300 km) away from his location—with a calculated diameter measuring 200 km (124 miles).
“Another great thrill!
“Less than a week later, I captured a third. The thunderstorm was over the Adriatic Sea this time, in front of the Marche regional coast, 380 km (236 miles) from my home.
“This third event was different from the previous ones because, in addition to the ELVES, the lightning also produced a beautiful sprite.”
Sprites are sparkly, red, firework-like phenomena created by extremely powerful lightning between the ground and the edge of space.
Even better, he grabbed a photo (above) that contained both of the luminous events in the same frame—which he believes could be a first.
“When I saw it on the display, the emotion was overwhelming—I couldn’t believe my eyes, I was witnessing something unique, never seen before.”
He reported that the positive lightning had a power of 387 kA. And, thanks to the star field, he was able to calculate its position to be 52 miles high (85 km), measuring 143 miles wide (230 km).
WANT MORE? Watch An Astrophotographer Capture Giant Red ‘Jellyfish Sprites’ on Colorado Mountain
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When his 2-year-old daughter Majesty fell into the foster care system, a U.S. Navy veteran faced a significant barrier in his fight to assert custody: He didn’t have a permanent address.
At that point, Tim had gotten his life back on track after a struggle with substance use. He’d built up nearly two years of sustained recovery in a Missouri residential treatment program—but his group living arrangement in that program wasn’t designed for children nor did it meet family court requirements.
“I just remember thinking: ‘How can I rescue my daughter?’”
Luckily, a tiny blue home became available at Veterans Community Project (VCP), a nonprofit village that features several slightly larger family units to house couples or help residents regain parental rights of their children.
A program manager at Tim’s rehab group home who was familiar with VCP made the connection and, in a matter of days, Tim was able to move into his own home in the village. Soon after, he got full custody and moved to a family unit complete with a bunk bed fit for a toddler.
“Majesty loved the place,” he recalled. “She would run around dressed like princess Elsa. Everyone there doted on her.”
In the meantime, Tim focused on building them a future together. Over their year and a half living in the Village, he put in the work to become a licensed drug counselor. In his first day on the job, he found himself in a courtroom sitting in the box next to the judge, thinking, “I never thought I’d be on that other side, you know, considering who I used to be.”
In the early 2000s, he’d struggled with the military-to-civilian transition—and reminders of childhood trauma—after serving three and a half years in the Navy. What followed was a two-decade stretch of substance issues during which he became one of the more than 30,000 Veterans sleeping on streets.
“I was lost,” he said. “I lived under bridges. Slept in abandoned cars. It’s hard to explain how exhausting it is to just survive.”
But then came his turning point: An awakening moment in which he rediscovered his faith and accepted that he needed help, saying, “The opposite of addiction is connection—and that’s what I found.” At the rehab center, he remembers feeling “like Scrooge in a Christmas Carol”, experiencing a love he’d never before felt—first, from others praying with him, and then, within himself.
It was the second pivotal moment in his life in which he credits an element of divine intervention. The first was his decision to enlist in the military: “So, get this: I had a dream in which God told me I should become a journalist in the Navy.” He explains it with a laugh, yet he’s also dead serious.
Although he wasn’t particularly spiritual or patriotic at the time, he interpreted the dream as a calling toward his future—and away from his troubled youth. So, he walked into a recruiting office, scored extraordinarily well on the ASVAB test, and joined the Navy in a journalistic public affairs role.
MORE GOOD HOUSING NEWS:
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Today as a drug counselor, Tim draws on those communication skills as well as aspects from the rougher chapters of his life. In his office, near the city hall in Kansas City, he meets with his clients with a tattoo above his eyebrows that reads “Killa City.” It’s a relic of a different time, but he also says that it gives him a bit of clout. “I’m very relatable,” he quipped.
He recently experienced a profound moment when appearing at a presentation for dozens of past clients: “I don’t think I realized how many lives I’d affected until I’d walked into that room to 40 or 50 people grinning and yelling ‘Tim!’”
Back home, there’s a 7-year-old daughter who’s now thriving in second grade, and simply calls him ‘dad’.
Majesty and her father love exploring together. Cooking together. Drawing together. Reading together. Being together.
“She’s bright, she’s loving, she’s got a wonderful imagination,” said Tim.
He says that’s all possible because, at 40 years old, he moved into a place of his own at Veterans Community Project—a fresh start with, notably, a current address. VCP, he said, surrounded him with love and provided him with a plan. And it worked.
GREAT JOB: Kansas City Gives Jobs to its Most Vulnerable Residents—And Housing Soon Followed
“I’m just so very thankful to have Majesty in my life,” he smiled.
Learn VCP’s six tiny home villages across the US by visiting their website at VCP.org.
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A robotics specialist in physical therapy has unveiled the world’s first shoe that can reduce frictional forces and adapt to uneven surfaces, ensuring a smooth walking experience for the elderly and those dealing with multiple sclerosis and stroke rehabilitation.
The breakthrough technology was developed by Dr. Tyler Susko, an engineering professor at the University of California who realized his machine design skills could aid everyday people with mobility disorders.
His new company, Cadense, is the first to sell modern adaptive footwear using ‘variable friction technology’ to help individuals walk more safely, confidently, and independently.
An estimated 40 million Americans live with some form of functional disability, caused by conditions ranging from MS, and Parkinson’s to ‘drop-foot’ and post-stroke mobility challenges.
“Cadense bridges the gap between medical necessity and modern style—combining patented gait-improving outsole technology with fashion-forward design,” said Dr. Susko, who holds a PhD in engineering from MIT and now teaches at UC Santa Barbara.
Cadense worked directly with MS, stroke, and cerebral palsy patients to engineer the ‘Variable Friction’ outsole to smooth gait irregularities, reduce tripping, and support safer ambulation.
A Prevention Magazine review called Cadense’s Original Women’s Adaptive Shoe a “literal lifesaver” for those with walking difficulties, citing smoother strides and improved confidence. Users echo those results.
“Sidewalks in my town are uneven with huge tripping zones,” said Jess Cantwell, who lives with secondary progressive MS. “Cadense shoes help me get around. They give me independence in a place that isn’t built for people with mobility challenges.”
Jess also shared a video demonstrating why Cadense improved her daily mobility. (Watch it below…)
Cindy, who was diagnosed with MS in 2016 said, “On bad days I can shuffle-walk, but Cadense lets me slide-walk over obstacles. They’re a true game-changer.”
A Parkinson’s patient named Glenn has also had incredible results. “I can count four or five times now where I would have tripped, but Cadense helped me recover. My gait is slow and shuffling, and I have tremors, but these shoes genuinely help.”
Dr. Susko’s passion began in high school after volunteering at a school for children with intellectual and physical disabilities. His doctoral work at MIT in rehabilitation robotics, although fulfilling, made him realize that large robotic systems don’t scale to everyday life. So, Cadense was founded to deliver clinical-grade mobility, without the machinery.
MORE ADAPTIVE BREAKTHROUGHS:
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Beyond shoes and sandals and just in time for Christmas, the latest offering on the Cadense website is a plush-lined suede slipper that the company says “glides when you want them to and grips when you need them to—whether you’re padding across hardwood floors or stepping outside for fresh air.”
True to its name, the company is fulfilling its empowering mission to improve the cadence of life for everyone. (See the results below…)
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Our partner Rob Brezsny, who has a new book out, Astrology Is Real: Revelations from My Life as an Oracle, provides his weekly wisdom to enlighten our thinking and motivate our mood. Rob’s Free Will Astrology, is a syndicated weekly column appearing in over a hundred publications. He is also the author of Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How All of Creation Is Conspiring To Shower You with Blessings. (A free preview of the book is available here.)
Here is your weekly horoscope…
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY – Week of December 13, 2025
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Leonardo da Vinci painted his iconic Mona Lisa on a thin panel of poplar wood, which naturally expands and contracts with changes in humidity. Over the centuries, this movement has caused a crack and measurable warping. One side of the classic opus is bending a bit more than the other. Let’s use this as a metaphor for you, Sagittarius. I suspect that a fine quality you are known for and proud of is changing shape. This should be liberating, not worrisome. If even the Mona Lisa can’t remain static, why should you? I say: Let your masterwork age. Just manage the process with grace and generosity. The central beauty may be changing, but it’s still beautiful.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
“Apoptosis” is a word referring to programmed cell death. It’s a process by which your aging, damaged, or obsolete cells deliberately destroy themselves for the benefit of your organism as a whole. This “cellular suicide” is carefully regulated and crucial for development, maintenance, and protection against diseases. About 50-70 billion cells die in you every day, sacrificing themselves so you can live better. Let’s use this healthy process as a psychospiritual metaphor. What aspects of your behavior and belief system need to die off right now so as to promote your total well-being?
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Which parts of your foundations are built to strengthen with age? Which are showing cracks? The coming months will be an excellent time to reinforce basic structures so they will serve you well into the future. Don’t just patch problems. Rebuild and renovate using the very best ingredients. Your enduring legacy will depend on this work, so choose materials that strengthen as they mature rather than crumble. Nothing’s permanent in life, but some things are sturdier and more lasting than others.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Along the Danube River in Europe, migrating storks return each spring to rebuild massive nests atop church steeples, roofs, and trees. New generations often reuse previous bases, adding additional twigs, grass, roots, and even human-made stuff like cloth and plastics. Some of these structures have lasted for centuries and weigh half a ton. Let’s make this a prime metaphor for you in the coming months, Pisces. I see your role as an innovator who improves and enhances good traditions. You will bring your personal genius to established beauty and value. You will blend your futuristic vision with ancestral steadiness, bridging tomorrow with yesterday.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Home is a building you live in. It’s also a metaphor for the inner world you carry within you. Is it an expansive and luminous place filled with windows that look out onto vast vistas? Or is it cramped, dark, and in disrepair, a psychic space where it’s hard to feel comfortable? Does it have a floor plan you love and made yourself? Or was it designed according to other people’s expectations? It may be neither of those extremes, of course. My hope is that this horoscope will prod you to renovate aspects of your soul’s architecture. The coming months will be an excellent time for this sacred work.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
During the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1872, workers made an uncanny discovery: They could detect approaching storms by observing vibrations in the bridge’s cables. The massive metal structure was an inadvertent meteorological instrument. I’m predicting that your intuition will operate with comparable sensitivity in the coming months, Taurus. You will have a striking capacity to notice subtle signals in your environment. What others regard as background noise will reveal rich clues to you. Hot tip: Be extra alert for nuanced professional opportunities and social realignments. Like the bridge workers, you will be attuned to early signs of changing conditions.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Sloths are so energy-efficient they can survive on 160 calories per day: the equivalent of an apple. They’ve mastered the art of thriving on minimal intake by moving deliberately and digesting thoroughly. Life is inviting you to learn from sloths, Gemini. The coming weeks will be a good time to take an inventory of your energy strategies. Are you burning fuel frantically, or are you extracting maximum nourishment from what you already possess? However you answer that question, I urge you to experiment with being more efficient—but without depriving yourself. Try measuring your productivity not by speed and flash but by the diligence of your extraction. Dig deep and be thorough. Your nervous system and bank account will thank you.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
The Danish concept of arbejdsglæde refers to the happiness and satisfaction derived from work. It’s the joy found in labor itself, not just in its financial rewards and prestige. It’s about exulting in the self-transformations you generate as you do your job. Now is an excellent time to claim this joy more than ever, Cancerian. Meditate with relish on all the character-building and soul-growth opportunities your work offers you and will continue to provide.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
In the deep Pacific Ocean, fields of giant tube worms thrive in total darkness around hydrothermal vents, converting toxic chemicals into life-sustaining energy. These weirdly resilient creatures challenge our assumptions about which environments can support growth. I suspect your innovative approach to gathering resources in the coming months will display their adaptability. Situations that others find inhospitable or unmanageable will be intriguing opportunities for you. For best results, you should ruminate on how limitations could actually protect and nurture your development. You may discover that conventional sustenance isn’t your only option.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
For a long time, scientists didn’t understand why humans have an organ called the appendix. Most thought it was useless. But it turns out that the appendix is more active than anyone knew. Among other functions, it’s a safe haven for beneficial gut bacteria. If a health crisis disrupts our microbiome, this unsung hero repopulates our intestines with the helpful microbes we need. What was once considered irrelevant is actually a backup drive. With that in mind as a metaphor, here’s my question, Virgo: How many other parts of your world may be playing long games and performing unnoticed services that you haven’t understood yet? Investigate that possibility!
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
In the coming months, you’ll be asked to wield your Libran specialties more than ever. Your allies and inner circle will need you to provide wise counsel and lucid analysis. For everyone’s sake, I hope you balance compassion with clarity and generosity with discernment. Certain collaborations will need corrective measures but shouldn’t be abandoned. Your gift will lie in finding equilibrium that honors everyone’s dignity. When in doubt, ask: “What would restore harmony rather than merely appear polite?” True diplomacy is soulful, not superficial. Bonus: The equilibrium you achieve could resonate far beyond your immediate circle.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
The Hubble Space Telescope is a school bus-sized space observatory orbiting 320 miles above the Earth. There, it observes the universe free from atmospheric distortion. Its instruments and detectors need to be recalibrated continuously. Daily monitors, weekly checks, and yearly updates keep the telescope’s tech sharp as it ages. I believe it’s a good time for you Scorpios to do your own recalibrations. Subtle misalignments between your intentions and actions can now be corrected. Your basic vision and plans are sound; the adjustments required are minor. For best results, have maximum fun as you fine-tune your fundamentals.
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Happy Birthday to beloved entertainer Dick Van Dyke, who turns 100 years old today. Known for his beaming smile, physical dexterity, impeccable comic timing, and unforgettable screen roles, the actor, comedian, writer, singer, dancer, and producer starred in films such as Bye Bye Birdie, Mary Poppins, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang—and on television in The Dick Van Dyke Show. Last year, Coldplay released a music video of frontman Chris Martin playing a tune off their then-new album, to which Van Dyke dances and sings along. ‘All My Love’ extends for 7 minutes, and includes interviews with the great entertainer about his life as well. WATCH the video and read more… (1925)
