Regular exercise can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease by as much as a quarter, in part by lowering stress, according to a new study.
The research revealed that exercising helped to reduce stress-related brain activity, which is associated with the development of cardiovascular diseases.
The study of more than 50,000 people found that those who met workout recommendations of 150 minutes a week had a 23 percent lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease than those not meeting these recommendations.
And those with stress-related conditions such as depression exhibited the most benefits from exercising.
Experts say the study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, demonstrates how physical activity can lead to beneficial effects in the brain.
To assess the mechanisms underlying the psychological and cardiovascular disease benefits of physical activity, the researchers analyzed the medical records and other information of 50,359 participants from the Mass General Brigham Biobank who completed a physical activity survey.
A subset of 774 participants underwent brain imaging tests and had measurements of stress-related brain activity taken.
The study, led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital, found that over an average follow-up of ten years, 12.9 percent of participants developed cardiovascular disease.
Those who met physical activity recommendations had a risk of developing cardiovascular disease nearly a quarter lower (23 percent) than those not meeting the same recommendations—and they also tended to have lower stress-related brain activity.
The researchers found that reductions in stress-associated brain activity were notably driven by gains in function in the prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain involved in executive functions such as decision-making and impulse control.
They found the cardiovascular benefit of exercise was also twice as strong in participants who have depression (and higher stress-related brain activity).
Dr. Ahmed Tawakol, a cardiologist at the Cardiovascular Imaging Research Center at the hospital, and senior author of the study, hopes clinicians will use the research to persuade more patients to get moving as a way to reduce stress or depression.
URGE Those You Love to Get Off the Couch–By Sharing on Social Media…
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY – Week of April 20, 2024
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
I suspect two notable phenomena will coalesce in your sphere sometime soon. The first is a surplus supply of luck. I’m not sure why, but the fates will be sending surges of good karma your way. The second phenomenon is this: You might not be entirely alert for the potential luck flowing in your direction, and it may not leap out and grab you. That could be a problem. Fortunately, you are reading this oracle, which means you are getting a heads-up about the looming opportunity. Now that you realize you must be vigilant for the serendipitous blessings, I’m confident you will spot them and claim them
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
You will be wise to summon extra love and rapport as you ruminate on your vivid upcoming decisions. Wouldn’t you like to bask in the helpful influences of smart allies who respect you? How nurturing would it feel to receive healing encouragement and warm appreciation? I suggest you convene a conference of trusted advisors, good listeners, sunny mentors, wisdom keepers, and spirit guides. Maybe even convene a series of such gatherings. Now is an excellent time to call in all your favors and get the most inspirational support possible as you navigate your way to the next chapter of your life story.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
If you drink alcohol, don’t operate a forklift or backhoe. If you gamble, protect yourself with safeguards and have a backup plan. If you feel called to explore altered states of consciousness, consider doing meditation, dancing, or chanting holy songs instead of ingesting drugs. If you have an itch to go hang-gliding or sky-jumping, triple-check your equipment. And if you have the urge to try to walk on the water, don a lifejacket first. But please note, dear Gemini: I am not advising you to timidly huddle in your comfort zone. On the contrary. I highly recommend you stretch your limits. Just be secure and smart as you do.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
I plotted out my usual astrological reckonings for your current destiny. Then I slipped into a meditative trance and asked the spirits to show me future scenes that correspond to my assessments. In one prominent vision, I beheld you partying heartily, navigating your avid and inquisitive way through convivial gatherings. In other scenes, I saw you engaged in lively discussions with interesting people who expanded your understanding of the meaning of life in general and the meaning of your life in particular. I conclude that intelligent revelry will be a main theme for you. Productive excitement. Pleasurable intrigue. Connections that enliven and tonify your imagination
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
The theory of synchronicity proposes that hidden patterns are woven into our lives. Though they may ordinarily be hard to detect, they can become vividly visible under certain circumstances. But we have to adjust the way we interpret reality. Here’s a clue: Be alert for three meaningful coincidences that happen within a short time and seem related to each other. I predict the emergence of at least one set of these coincidences in the coming weeks—maybe as many as four. Synchronicities are coming! You have entered the More-Than-Mere-Coincidence Zone.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Psychologists J. Clayton Lafferty and Lorraine F. Lafferty wrote a book called Perfectionism: A Sure Cure for Happiness. It’s based on their work with clients who damaged their lives “in the illusory pursuit of the unrealistic and unattainable standard of perfection.” In my observation, many of us are susceptible to this bad habit, but you Virgos tend to be the most susceptible of all. The good news is that you now have an excellent chance to loosen the grip of perfectionism. You are more receptive than usual to intuitions about how to relax your aspirations without compromising your competence. As inspiration, consider these words from author Henry James: “Excellence does not require perfection.” Leadership expert Randall Stutman adds, “If perfection is an obstacle course, excellence is a masterful dance.”
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
“Everyone is a moon and has a dark side which they never show to anybody,” wrote author Mark Twain. I agree that everyone is a moon and has a dark side. But it’s important to note that our dark sides are not inherently ugly or bad. Psychologist Carl Jung proved to me that our dark sides may contain latent, wounded, or unappreciated beauty. To be healthy, in fact, we should cultivate a vigorous relationship with our dark side. In doing so, we can draw out hidden and undeveloped assets. The coming weeks will be a favorable time for you Libras to do this.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Your current state has metaphorical resemblances to idling in your car, waiting and waiting and waiting for the red light to change. But here’s the good news: I expect the signal will turn green very soon—maybe even within minutes after you read this horoscope. Here’s more good news: Your unlucky number will stop popping up so often, and your lucky number will be a frequent visitor. I’m also happy to report that the “Please don’t touch” signs will disappear. This means you will have expanded permission to consort intimately with influences you need to consort with.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
I think it’s time to graduate from your lessons in toxic kinds of enchantment and launch a new experiment with healthy kinds of enchantment. If you agree, spend the next few days checking to see if any part of you is numb, apathetic, or unreceptive. Non-feelings like these suggest you may be under the enchantment of influences that are cramping your imagination. The next step is to go in quest of experiences, people, and situations that excite your imagination, rouse your reverence, and raise your appreciation for holy mysteries. Life will conspire benevolently on your behalf if you connect yourself with magic, marvels, and miracles.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Luther Burbank (1849–1926) was a practical artist. Using crossbreeding, he developed over 800 novel varieties of vegetables, fruits, grains, and flowers. Among his handiwork was the russet Burbank potato, a blight-resistant food designed to help Ireland recover from its Great Famine. My personal favorite was his Flaming Gold nectarine, one of the 217 fruits he devised. I propose that Burbank serve as your role model in the coming weeks. I believe you have the power to summon highly pragmatic creativity.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): L. R. McBride wrote the book The Kahuna: Versatile Mystics of Old Hawaii. He describes the role of the kahuna, who is a blend of sorcerer, scholar, and healer. At one point, a kahuna gives advice to an American tourist, saying, “You have moved too fast for too long. You have left part of yourself behind. Now you should slow down so that part of you can catch up.” I’m offering you the same advice right now, Aquarius. Here’s your homework: Dream up three fun things you can do to invite and welcome back the left-behind parts of you.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
In the course of my life, I have heard the following three statements from various people: 1. “Everything would be better between us if you would just be different from who you are.” 2. “I would like you more if you were somebody else.” 3. “Why won’t you change to be more like the person I wish you would be?” I’m sure you have heard similar pronouncements yourself, Pisces. But now here’s the good news: I don’t think you will have to endure much, if any, of such phenomena in the coming months. Why? First, because you will be more purely your authentic self than you have ever been. Second, because your allies, colleagues, and loved ones—the only people who matter, really—are likely to be extra welcoming to your genuine self.
WANT MORE? Listen to Rob’s EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES, 4-5 minute meditations on the current state of your destiny — or subscribe to his unique daily text message service at: RealAstrology.com
Andy Serkis at San Diego Comic Con 2017 - CC Gage Skidmore
60 years ago today, Andy Serkis, a very special actor, was born. Lord of the Rings fans will tell you that Gollum is of the three most important characters, and Serkis’ portrayal and vocalization of the crawling, mutated schizophrenic obsessed with recovering the ring of power, will be remembered for all time as one of cinema’s great castings. Serkis, who has a fondness for motion capture suits, also played King Kong, Caesar the Chimp in Planet of the Apes,and Baloo the Bear in the Jungle Book, and is perhaps the only actor in history more famous for playing animals than humans. WATCH him explain the hilarious inspiration for the Gollum noise… (1964)
Andy Serkis at San Diego Comic Con 2017 – CC Gage Skidmore
Serkis is also a talented director, and along with shooting a number of films by himself, contributed as the director of the second unit shooting of The Lord of the Rings, and The Hobbitwhen director Peter Jackson was working on location elsewhere. Serkis made his directorial debut with Breathe. He also directed and starred in the film, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle and the sequel to Venom, titled, Venom: Let There Be Carnage.
MORE Good News on this Day in History:
The Secchi disk, created by Italian astronomer Angelo Secchi, was first demonstrated as an inexpensive and straightforward method of measuring water clarity, using a white frisbee-sized disk–sometimes with black and white quadrants–which is still widely used to measure a lake’s transparency (1865)
Lionel Hampton, the American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader, was born (1908)
Fenway Park opened as the home of the Boston Red Sox baseball team (1912)
The Chicago Cubs played their first game at Wrigley Field, known then as Weeghman Park before William Wrigley Jr., a chewing gum manufacturer, bought the Cubs baseball team and renamed the stadium after himself (1916)
Billie Holiday recorded what is thought to be the first Civil Rights song, Strange Fruit (1939)
Apollo 16‘s lunar module landed on the moon (1972)
Annie Hall, the film that won Diane Keaton her first Oscar and also won the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director for her co-star, and the screenwriter, Woody Allen, was released (1977)
Professional basketball player Michael Jordan set an all-time record for points in an NBA playoff game with 63 against the Boston Celtics (1986)
China removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses (2001)
Happy 52nd birthday to Stephen Marley, the second-oldest and Grammy Award-winniest son of reggae legend Bob Marley and his wife Rita. Marley is an eight-time Grammy Award winner, three times as a solo artist, twice as a producer of younger brother Damian Marley’s Halfway Tree and Welcome to Jamrock albums, and a further three times as a member of his older brother Ziggy Marley’s group Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers.
Stephen Marley performing in 2007 – CC 2.0. David Koppe
The New York Times wrote on the release of Revelation Part II: “Being Bob Marley’s son has given Stephen Marley a voice with archetypal familiarity, some instant brand recognition and a cultural responsibility. On “Revelation Pt. I,” Mr. Marley stayed close to the roots reggae sound Bob Marley perfected in the 1970s with the Wailers, though his album added a few guest rappers. “Revelation Pt. II” is far less purist; it strives for both innovation and radio-friendly crossover. Mr. Marley’s aching voice suits love songs just as well as protests… and more often than not, Mr. Marley lives up to the ambition that his last name demands of him.” (1972)
153 years ago today, the ‘Ku Klux Klan Act’ became U.S. law, protecting Blacks from the abuses being committed in the Deep South.
After the Civil War, President Ulysses S. Grant conducted an aggressive—and ultimately successful—campaign against White supremacist hate groups. Thanks to the officially named Civil Rights Act of 1871—championed by two White Republican Congressmen, Benjamin Butler and Samuel Shellbarger (pictured)—Grant deployed federal soldiers to arrest Klan members, enlisted U.S. attorneys to try their cases, and organized federal judges to oversee Klan trials that convicted hundreds of the group’s members.
Under the Klan Act, federal troops, rather than state militias, were used to enforce laws, and Klansmen were prosecuted in federal court. Habeas corpus was suspended in nine counties in South Carolina, which gave the president the power to imprison people without a trial in order to enforce the constitutional rights of freed African Americans… (1871)
These efforts were so successful that the Klan was destroyed in South Carolina and decimated throughout the rest of the former Confederacy. The Klan was not to exist again until its recreation 44 years later.
And, 38 years ago today, Vladimir Horowitz, one of the world’s greatest pianists, returned to his Russian homeland, after 61 years away, to perform for an emotional audience in his hometown of Moscow. At the age of 82, Horowitz gave one of the most emotionally astonishing and riveting performances of his life. (Audio CD)
Charles Kuralt featured the historic recital on his Sunday Morning TV show, along with footage of Horowitz’s return to his native Soviet Union. To say that this concert was an emotional experience is an understatement, and a lesser pianist might have wilted under the pressure, but he seemed ecstatically inspired to be playing once again for his fellow Moscovites. (1986)
Photo by SarahStierch, CC license
Also, on this day 16 years ago, Danica Patrick won the Indy Japan 300 becoming the first female driver ever to win an IndyCar Series race. Considered to be a pioneer for women in motorsports, Patrick’s achievements allowed her to break the gender barrier in a predominately male industry and become influential for many women who have taken up a career in auto racing since then. (2008)
Happy 75th Birthday to Jessica Lange, the 13th actress in history to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting, winning an Academy Award (2), Primetime Emmy (3), and a Tony Award (for Long Day’s Journey into Night) all in one career. She is tied as the sixth most Oscar-nominated actress in history and has won 5 Golden Globes for productions like Tootsie, Frances, Blue Sky, Grey Gardens—as well as television accolades for American Horror Story.
She made her professional film debut in Dino De Laurentiis’ 1976 remake ofKing Kong, for which she also won her first Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year. Also a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Lange received three more Oscar nominations for Country, Sweet Dreams, and Music Box, before winning her third Golden Globe Award, and the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as a manic depressive housewife in Blue Sky. (1949)
And, 44 years ago today, 84-year-old George Burns, the comic entertainer who starred in the movie Oh God and won a supporting actor Oscar for his performance in The Sunshine Boys, became the oldest person to have a hit on the Billboard Hot 100 when ‘I Wish I Was 18 Again’ peaked at No.49 on the chart.
According to This Day in Music, when Burns was asked if he wished he were 18 again, he replied “I wish I was 80 again.” WATCH his interview on 60 Minutes… (1980)
Quote of the Day: “Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold.” – Zelda Fitzgerald
Photo by: Merch HÜSEY
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
In California, a renewable energy storage system will be one of the largest in the world when it comes online this summer.
The Nova Battery Bank, designed and built by Calpine, will be able to power 680,000 homes for 4 hours.
Why only 4 hours? The Nova Power Bank is envisioned as helping cope with peak demand, when Emily Precht, Calpine strategic origination manager, says millions of Californians are coming home from work, plugging in their EVs, turning on their A/C units, washing dishes, etc.
Unlike natural gas or petroleum, renewable energy cannot be used beyond the very moment it’s generated. To improve on this technology, large banks of batteries can be filled with the charge from excess solar, wind, geothermal, tidal, or whatever, and then discharged when the need is greatest, ideally protecting California from blackouts, several of which it experienced in 2020.
The 680-megawatt lithium-ion battery bank will boost California’s renewable storage, which already equals about 55% of the nation’s total capacity, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
620 megawatts will be brought online this summer, with a further 60 in the summer of 2025.
Reuters reports that such large battery projects in the hundreds of megawatts are underway in “California, Florida, Australia, the United Kingdom, and China.”
“This plant will help stabilize the grid, especially for reliability purposes,” said Precht in a press conference. “Having something that saves the power from the middle of the day (and) moves it to a higher demand period will help make the grid more resilient.”
WATCH the story below from Reuters…
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The nanogenerator devised by UQ researchers uses greenhouse gas to produce electricity - credit Dr. Zhuyuan Wang
The nanogenerator devised by UQ researchers uses greenhouse gas to produce electricity – credit Dr. Zhuyuan Wang
University of Queensland scientists had a remarkable eureka moment when they accidentally turned the most common greenhouse gas into electricity.
By using positive and negative ions of different sizes, the team created electricity from CO2, and now believes that their ‘nanogenerators’ could help improve the reputation of the simple molecule.
Now thoroughly demonized, it pays to remember that carbon dioxide contains two oxygen molecules and one carbon molecule, which rank among the most fundamental building blocks of the universe and are used in human society for thousands of processes and purposes.
Univ. of Queensland research officer Dr. Zhuyuan Wang, from the Dow Center for Sustainable Engineering Innovation, was working on a nanogenerator that ran on a process called ion transport for three years when one day, according to Brisbane Times, he saw it was consuming CO2 in the laboratory air to make electricity.
“I double-checked everything and it was working correctly so I started dreaming about changing the world using this technology,” he told the Times.
“We could make a slightly bigger device that is portable to generate electricity to power a mobile phone or a laptop computer using CO2 from the atmosphere,” he said.
In the research project, Wang and his team needed to double check it was the CO2 that was powering the nanogenerator, so they sealed it in a box and pumped CO2 into it.
The devices were just 4×6 centimeters, but the team theorized that a larger one could provide meaningful powerful supplies to office electronics.
Dr. Wang’s colleague, Xiwang Zhang, said they would continue to refine the technology through the Australian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence for Green Electrochemical Transformation of Carbon Dioxide.
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A laser scan shows the urban area that has been mapped - credit, supplied to the media by Philip Parton
A laser scan shows the urban area that has been mapped – credit, supplied to the media by Philip Parton
A monumental discovery has been made on the island nation of Tonga, where the footprint of a large urban civilization from centuries past was uncovered using cutting-edge laser technology.
Consisting of almost 10,000 earthen mounds that today are hardly noticeable, it could be one of the first cities ever constructed in the Pacific.
With the introduction of aerial laser surveying, we’ve discovered that South and Central America could support urban centers with millions of inhabitants—more than anything archaeologists and historians thought possible 15 to 20 years ago.
That sort of urbanization seems even less likely on tropical archipelagos like Tonga, but there they are, just 12 kilometres from the current capital Nuku’alofa, in the eastern district of Tongatapu.
“Earth structures were being constructed in Tongatapu around AD 300. This is 700 years earlier than previously thought,” study author and Ph.D. scholar Phillip Parton at the Australian National University, told ABC News Down Under.
“As settlements grew, they had to come up with new ways of supporting that growing population. This kind of setup—what we call low-density urbanization—sets in motion huge social and economic change,” he added.
The mounds as they look today – credit, supplied to the media by Philip Parton
Insights into population centers in the Southern Hemisphere during the European Middle Ages are changing archaeologists’ understanding of the concept of urbanism. One tends, Mr. Parton argues, to imagine compact European cities from this time period—with windy cobblestone alleys and multi-tiered housing.
This is different kind of urbanism, one which may have been a template that spread across Oceania, and which may not be the only one of its kind out there.
“I’m sure that should my colleagues choose to pursue that, this won’t be the only example of a city to be found in the Pacific. I’m sure there’s plenty waiting for us,” Mr. Parton told Pacific Beat.
Mound building is typical of traditional urbanism across the Americas, and in areas where quarryable stone is lacking, soil tends to be the prefered building material.
Whether each of the mounds represents a dwelling, or whether a dwelling was built on top of a series of mounds to elevate the floor off the ground, Parton’s work didn’t extend so far as to inform us.
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Cannabis and its derivatives have already been shown to relieve short-term chronic pain, reduce inflammation 30x more robustly than aspirin, improve symptoms of Crohn’s disease, and show some efficacy in killing lung and pancreatic cancer cells, but a recent epidemiological look at cannabis use has linked it to dramatically lower rates of cognitive decline and dementia.
A new study published in the journal Current Alzheimer Research that looked at 4,744 American adults over 45 using self-reporting methods of calculating cognitive decline found those who used cannabis recreationally had a 96% lower chance of developing what they called ‘subjective cognitive decline.’
The researchers looked at all common methods of cannabis use, including smoking, vaping, dabbing, and consuming, as well as the frequency of use, which the scientists behind the study say has never been done before.
“The reason I think this study is so great is we looked at all the different dimensions of cannabis use. The fact that we included all three is a huge contribution to the research because I do not believe such a study has been done before,” Professor Wong told Neuroscience News.
“The main takeaway is that cannabis might be protective for our cognition,” Wong added. “We do not know if non-medical cannabis leads to better cognition or the other way around if those with better cognition are more likely to use non-medical cannabis.”
The study was interesting in that it looked at symptoms or degree of cognitive decline as determined by the patient. This is a common confounding factor in later diagnoses of clinical cognitive decline, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease, but also non-neurodegenerative disorders, including depression, anxiety, failing physical health, and, in some cases, certain personality traits.
Another interesting aspect of the study was that it controlled for the use of medical-use cannabis and recreational-use cannabis. Much of the drive in America to decriminalize cannabis has been around medical-use cannabis, which is richer in CBD, or cannabidiol, a powerful plant therapeutic.
However, it was recreational-use cannabis, that is to say, cannabis cultivated not to maximize the plant’s production of CBD, but to maximize THC—the psychoactive compound in cannabis—which showed the protective effect on cognition, indicating that the psychoactive part of cannabis may be more therapeutic than previously thought.
Wong admits however that many users of recreational cannabis engage in it specifically to improve things like sleep or stress, both of which are linked to cognitive decline later in life.
As with all things scientific, more research is needed, but the study should be a fascinating drive to explore further.
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Maria Sharapova at the Australian Open - CC 3.0. Misty,
Happy 37th birthday to the Tennis ace Maria Sharapova, the only Russian, and one of only 10 women to have won the Career Grand Slam. She managed to earn a No. 1 world ranking at age 18 and spend time as the highest-paid female athlete in the world due to her considerable winnings. She’s also an Olympic silver medalist. READ a little about her story… (1987)
Quote of the Day: “The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Photo by: Abreil Studio
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
Islands in the Haida Gwaii - CC 2.0. Province of BC
Islands in the Haida Gwaii – CC 2.0. Province of BC
In a historic “first-of-its-kind” agreement the government of British Colombia has acknowledged the aboriginal ownership of 200 islands off the west coast of Canada.
The owners are the Haida nation, and rather than the Canadian government giving something to a First Nation, the agreement admits that the “Xhaaidlagha Gwaayaai” or the “islands at the end of world,” always belonged to them, a subtle yet powerful difference in the wording of First Nations negotiating.
BC Premier David Eby called the treaty “long overdue” and once signed, will clear the way for half a million hectares (1.3 million acres) of land to be managed by the Haida.
Postal service, shipping lanes, school and community services, private property rights, and local government jurisdiction, will all be unaffected by the agreement, which will essentially outline that the Haida decide what to do with the 200 or so islands and islets.
“We could be facing each other in a courtroom, we could have been fighting each other for years and years, but we chose a different path,” said Minister of Indigenous Relations of BC, Murray Rankin at the signing ceremony, who added that it took creativity and courage to “create a better world for our children.”
Indeed, making the agreement outside the courts of the formal treaty process reflects a vastly different way of negotiating than has been the norm for Canada.
“This agreement won’t only raise all boats here on Haida Gwaii – increase opportunity and prosperity for the Haida people and for the whole community and for the whole province – but it will also be an example and another way for nations – not just in British Columbia, but right across Canada – to have their title recognized,” said Eby.
In other words, by deciding this outside court, Eby and the province of BC hope to set a new standard for how such land title agreements are struck.
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Members of the boys' cross-country team at Steinbrenner High School in Lutz, Fla., on one of their regular shelter dog runs in July 2023. supplied to the media by Allison Szponar
Members of the boys’ cross-country team at Steinbrenner High School in Lutz, Fla., on one of their regular shelter dog runs in July 2023. supplied to the media by Allison Szponar
A California gym coach who was looking for ways to drum up motivation for the students on his cross-country running team as they went away for the summer break came up with a brilliant idea: pair them with shelter dogs.
It was eight years ago when GNN first reported on it, and ever since it has become a mainstay of the training program at St. Joseph High School in Santa Maria, California.
It became so much more, however, after a simple video of the kids running with the dogs went viral, causing athletic directors around the country to phone St. Joseph and ask how they organized the program.
Steinbrenner High School in Lutz, Florida, was the second school that picked up on the shelter dog runs, and others followed suit like Rock Island High School in Rock Island, Illinois; all because of the viral video that occasionally resurfaces on social media to the delight of thousands.
“It was 60 seconds of genuine, organic kindness,” St. Joseph cross country coach Luis Escobar, who filmed the video, told the Washington Post. “The world needs kindness.”
“The dogs want to go out and run; the kids love dogs, and they love running. It was a perfect marriage,” said Escobar.
Siblings Blake Peifer, 14, and Brady Peifer, 17 — both students at Steinbrenner High School with shelter dog Pantera during a run in June 2022. released to the media by Margaret Peifer.
For the original program, Escobar contacted a Santa Barbara animal shelter, which was totally on board. They ended up pairing athletes with dogs that needed to go running and giving them instructions on what to do. Most of the dogs weren’t in great shape, and so the running was capped at a mile.
In the video, this led to an iconic moment when a high schooler comes walking by the camera with a small dog named Fred, and remarks “Fred’s had it.”
As it turned out, the young man and his family decided to adopt Fred; the first of many such unions since the program’s launch, something which Escobar says is what he is most proud of.
On the other end of the country, the Humane Society of Tampa Bay has been working with Steinbrenner High for 7 years on their shelter dog run.
“Our three pillars of our cross-country team [are] gentleman, scholar, and athlete, and this really satisfies that gentleman area of caring for something that cannot care for itself,” Allison Szponar, the head coach of the team, told Fox 13 Tampa.
For the dogs, says staff member Glen Hatchel at the Society, the runs allow them to burn off loads of nervous energy, leaving them calmer and more adoptable when they get back to the shelter.
WATCH the original video below…
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Deputy Jill Constant saved a manatee - Pinellas County Sheriff's Department
Deputy Jill Constant saved a manatee – Pinellas County Sheriff’s Department
Despite weighing a tiny fraction of the creature’s massive bulk, a determined Pinellas County deputy leaped into shallow water to save a manatee struggling to breathe.
Cradling it in her arms for over an hour so it could get enough oxygen, Jill Constant saved the animal from becoming a victim of toxic red tide.
An officer from the Marine and Environmental Lands Unit, Constant has received many calls from concerned residents along the Intracoastal Waterway in southwest Florida who don’t understand subtle nuances of manatee behavior.
“It is normal for manatees to swim into culverts, or for groups to thrash around in shallow water and partially beach themselves during mating season,” Constant said.
This time though, the concerned resident had every reason for being so, and Constant didn’t waste a minute longer after arriving on scene in her boat.
“This manatee is going to die right in front of us and I’m not letting that happen! We docked the boat, I took off my equipment, and got in,” Constant said in a June 20 news release. “We stayed in the water for two hours holding its head up until it could be rescued.”
According to the release, the manatee was trying to beach itself on the rocks, unable to keep its own head above water to breathe. It was believed to be suffering from toxic exposure to red tide, an algal bloom that can cause a sickness akin to poisoning in manatees.
The irony of a terrestrial mammal leaping into the water to help an aquatic mammal breathe was that the manatee, who quickly grew agitated with Deputy Constant holding its head, began to try and drown her.
Despite fearing she would drown, the thrashing at least informed Constant that the beast was recovering its strength and would soon be able to swim itself to a cleaner, safer environment.
Florida is famous for its manatees, or sea cows, who are not shy of boats or people, and float with remarkable grace through the water feeding on seagrass. Record numbers of manatees have been swimming upriver to warmer freshwater springs to retreat from cold water.
SHARE The Heroism Of This Dedicated Deputy With Your Floridian Friends…
Texas is in the middle of the most important migratory pathway for birds moving up and down the Americas—nearly 2 billion birds, or 1 out of 3 in the US, will pass over Texas during their spring and autumn migrations.
To safeguard the over 400 species of birds that migrate through Texas, the Houston chapter of the Audubon Society and their partners in the state have been running the Lights Out! Texas campaign for two years, and they’re seeing remarkable results.
With the prestige that owning and operating a skyscraper confers, maybe it’s surprising to note that dozens of building managers have been convinced since 2022 to turn off non-essential outdoor lights.
“We issued the proclamation and they… found out, ‘oh, wow, I can do these simple things and it actually helps the birds when they’re migrating,’” Houston city hall spokesperson Sarah Osborne told KHOU 11.
“We’re seeing communities all across the state join in on this effort,” adds Anna Vallery a Conservation Specialist with the Houston Audubon.
Researchers working in Chicago and studying the effects of Lights Out campaigns and other phenomena impacting migratory birds found that reducing the reflections from exterior lighting on tall buildings worked to prevent 60% of all bird collision deaths.
Since most birds migrate at night by the light of the stars and moon, the shining lights of a city in the distance can attract them. But once lost in the photo-soup of a shining skyline like Houston or Fort Worth, they can become extremely disoriented, smash headlong into buildings whose glass is reflecting light from the city, and die.
Fort Worth is taking part in Lights Out! Texas, and the skyline looks decidedly different in this short CBS bulletin.
The Texas Audubon has all the information a resident might need to do their part, or organize municipal efforts, to help our winged brothers and sisters safely pass by.
A busy family of two working parents with kids going to school and after-school sports might scoff at the idea of spending time to ensure birds can navigate over their property safely, but at the end of the day it also saves money from reduced electricity usage.
Spring migrations last only about 70 days, from the start of March to the middle of June, with a slightly longer period during autumn migration of middle-August to the end of November.
WATCH a story below from local news…
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Quote of the Day: “Try to keep your soul young and quivering right up to old age.” – George Sand
Photo by: clappstar (CC license)
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
The Peace Palace, The Hague, seat of the ICJ - CC BY-SA 3.0
80 years ago today, the inaugural hearing of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) also called the World Court, was held at the Peace Palace in The Hague, The Netherlands. The ICJ is the highest legal authority in the sphere of international law, but despite this most prestigious position, its decisions are unenforceable without mandates from the UN to pursue them. As a result, its history has been made up of landmark decisions that have altered the conduct of nations for decades, as well as decisions that are ignored and forgotten faster than the average news bulletin. READ how it shapes international behavior… (1946)
An organization wants to take 75 of the nation’s school kids on the field trip of a lifetime; to a dozen of America’s most famous monuments and places as part of a contest to celebrate the United States’ quarter-millenarium.
The Statue of Liberty, Yellowstone National Park, the Library of Congress, and the Golden Gate Bridge are just some of the landmarks America’s school kids can see. All they have to do is answer the question “What does America mean to you?”
“America’s Field Trip puts young people at the heart of our efforts and offers an opportunity for students to receive unforgettable experiences at our nation’s landmarks,” said Rosie Rios, chair of America250, in comments to Fox News Digital.
“We want to hear from students across the country: What does America mean to YOU?” she said, adding that the chance to win includes “free travel, lodging, and access to unforgettable field trip experiences at select historical and cultural sites across the country,” for 75 students and their designated chaperons.
America250 is an entity charged by Congress with planning for the big event, and the contest/awards are funded by Bank of New York Mellon, the nation’s oldest banking institution.
The contest is open for the next 30 days for students of all grade levels, with requirements and standards changing per age group. Second-place students will receive $500.
Along with the four landmarks above, winners will visit the Smithsonian Institute, a visit to the USS Constitution, Rocky Mountain National Park, Bank of NY Mellon, and a sunset cruise to Spectacle Island.
Winners will be announced in June 2024; field trips will start in mid-July.
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Asia Davis's 4-year-old son, Nasir, holds the hockey puck that Andrew Podolak saved him from. (Asia Davis)
Asia Davis’s 4-year-old son, Nasir, holds the hockey puck that Andrew Podolak saved him from. (Asia Davis)
A fan at a Cleveland Monsters game reached over to block a puck that came screaming out of the ice towards the head of a 4-year-old boy named Nasir.
Sitting in bed that night, Nasir’s mother Asia Davis shuttered to think what would have happened if the fan hadn’t been there. She resolved to try and find the man on social media to offer another round of gratitude at least, or preferably a meal and tickets to another game.
Taking to TikTok, her video imploring the anonymous fan to contact her received more than 4 million views, and, sure enough, reached the feed of Andrew Podolak.
It was a hothouse that Thursday night when Davis, Nasir, and Podolak attended the Monsters’ game. If they won, it would send the team—the Columbus Blue Jackets’s official affiliate club for the AHL—into the playoffs.
With a minute to go, 33-year-old Davis took out her smartphone to record the hectic closing stages seconds before a player deflected a pass which came fizzing out into the crowd. Davis didn’t have time to react, whilst Nasir didn’t even see the puck. Fortunately, Podolak did, and diving from a seated position with his arms outstretched, blocked it from smacking into the boy’s head.
Davis told the Washington Post that the call was so close, ice crystals from the puck were covering Nasir’s hair.
“I owe that man lunch or dinner, another thank you,” Davis said in her video, “… because I cannot imagine my baby getting hit with that hockey puck.”
Senses numbed by adrenaline, she joked with Podolak at the time that he should be a goaltender, and asked him to pose for a photo with Nasir holding the puck which some kids in the seats behind had offered him.
Leaving the arena though, the reality of what had happened set in and she began to feel sick. Calling the team, Davis asked if they could identify the man by his seat number. While they asked for some more time to find out, she made the TikTok video which did the trick.
Later on, Podolak, Nasir, and Davis were reunited in front of news cameras at a playoff game courtesy of the Cleveland Monsters. After recounting the story to the media, the three ceremonially dropped the puck for the match before adjourning to rink-side seats to watch the game.
Davis admitted she was nervous, and so the three sat as they had done on the fateful Thursday night—with Nasir between them in case Podolak’s heroics were required again.
For his part, Nasir loved the whole experience, and sleeps with the puck that Podolak saved him from every night.
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One of the most hotly anticipated concept cars in recent history, the Aptera solar-powered car took a large step towards reality recently as the first-ever production-grade body arrived at the company’s headquarters in San Diego.
This three-wheeler is advertised as containing 34 square feet of solar paneling that actually powers the car as it drives or while it’s parked, but so many aspects are completely new in a commercial automobile designed for mass production that extra precautions and preparations are needed before it can hit the road.
“We had so much fun last week celebrating a company milestone—the arrival of Aptera’s first production body in San Diego,” the company wrote in a post on X. “Now Team Aptera is back to work finalizing the cable routing, connectors, and placement of components in preparation for our first [production-intent] builds.”
According to Elektrek, the company has ordered all the parts for its production-intent battery packs, and other non-structural components are currently being “validated” in Italy by the company’s supply partner.
The suspension, safety equipment, and drivetrain are yet to be finalized for production models. Still, the company has gone further than many before them, because the design they are currently finalizing is not meant to be an eye-raiser or science project, like some GNN has reported on.
When the PI-2 Aptera solar trike is finally ready, it will be because the company is producing 10,000 a year.
Despite looking as dramatic as any Pagani or Lamborghini, the Aptera’s tapered backside, aerodynamic body, and arched, dolphin-like undercarriage are all designed to reduce drag.
In fact, the detail paid to the reduction of drag and energy use borders on obsessive. But it’s through this ultra-efficiency that solar power, a relatively limited form of electricity generation, can actually become a useful feature for powering a car.
“We think energy should be used to turn your wheels—that starts with aerodynamics,” says Co-CEO Chris Anthony, in a video released by the company in 2021 announcing it was taking preorders.
“In a typical vehicle you use 60% of your fuel just pushing the air out of the way at highway speeds; so if you could take that aerodynamic drag down to 0, you’d instantly get 60% better fuel economy.
“Instead of having 200-300 parts to the body, [the Aptera] have four parts to the main structure, and that makes it much easier to build, track, and assemble,” says Steve Fambro, the second co-founder of the company, in the same video.
The company says the Aptera’s solar panels will deliver 40 miles of range from charging per sunny day, but the car can be plugged in like any other EV. Aptera also maintains that its vehicle will have 1,000 miles of range because of this perfect aerodynamism, low-weight, and efficient drivetrain.
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The River Wye from Symonds Yat Rook - CC 2.0. Anguskirk
The River Wye from Symonds Yat Rook – CC 2.0. Anguskirk
The fourth-longest river in the UK is declining due to farming pollution, but the government has appointed several former and current MPs to organize its rescue—armed with £35 million.
The River Wye is classified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, as well as a Special Area of Conservation, while the lower half where it runs through the Wye Valley in Wales is classified as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Nevertheless, the river is heavily polluted by agricultural runoff, and a recent assessment by Natural England found that the status of the river is “declining.” Running through Herefordshire, some 10 million chickens are reared every year in poultry operations in the area, and excess nutrients from farming along the banks have caused algae blooms that are removing oxygen and diminishing the water quality.
In March 2023, a High Court claim was brought against the UK Environment Agency by environmental charity River Action for failing to take action to protect the Wye from environmental pollution.
Though this case has yet to be settled, Jesse Norman, the Conservative MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire, took action to try and reverse the downtrend of water quality.
Home to otters, kingfishers, white-clawed crayfish, herons, and the Atlantic salmon, the Wye is recognized as critical for not only British conservation but also by the EU as valuable for the whole continent.
“The challenge is now for us all, including farmers, Welsh Water, Herefordshire Council, wildlife and environmental groups… to respond quickly and decisively to make it happen,” Norman told the BBC.
The £35 million will be given to farmers as incentives to prevent runoff, particularly of chicken manure, into the river with the planting of buffer zones: thick and diverse strips of greenery along field and farm boundaries that catch fertilizer and manure before rains can wash it into the Wye.
