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Science Discovers Sweetgrass is Natural Mosquito Repellant, Native Americans Knew All Along

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sweetgrass screenshot WCCO

Mother Nature often knows best–and when it comes to repelling mosquitoes, sweetgrass is one of its secret weapons.

This is no surprise to Native Americans, who have long used the fragrant plant to ward off insects. But now science is finally catching up.

In a recent study, researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture identified the two compounds in sweetgrass that mosquitoes don’t like: coumarin and phytol.Rooftop garden -Metro Atlanta Task Force For Homeless fb

Homeless Shelter’s 80-Bed Rooftop Garden Cultivates Fresh Food and Job Skills

Scientists used the substances to create fake blood samples to see which ones would repel the pesky bugs. They found that the samples containing the sweetgrass ingredients were just as effective as the chemical repellent, DEET.

But duration is key.

“It may work well in our bioassay for three minutes,” Dr. Charles Cantrell told the BBC, “but how does it work for three hours? These are questions that we’re going to try to answer over the next year or two.”

5 Common Kitchen Products Are the Recipe for Great Skin and Hair

Despite concerns about its toxicity to humans, DEET is still the go-to ingredient for repelling bugs. But the demand for safer products is driving scientists to look to nature and traditional folk remedies.

When it comes to getting mosquitoes to buzz off, sweetgrass is a true home remedy. It is easy to grow in your own garden or as a potted plant. A single clump can live up to five years.

(WATCH the video below or READ more at Smithsonian) – Photo: WCCO News

 

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Scientists Find Way to Turn Cancer Back Into Healthy Tissue in Lab

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Terry Turner
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Fotointeresantes, CC license

cancer-cells-cervical-Flickr-cc-fotosinteresantes

A 2015 discovery could eventually slam the brakes on cancer and shift it into reverse.

Mayo Clinic researchers in Jacksonville, Florida believe they’ve discovered a way to turn cancer cells back into healthy tissue.

The research is only lab-based for now, but the researchers are hopeful they’ve discovered a new mechanism for fighting — or even curing — cancer.

As cells get older, they’re supposed to quit dividing, but that doesn’t happen with cancer cells; they continue multiplying to form tumors. The researchers discovered a breakdown in communication within the body that allows cancer cells to continue dividing–and they’ve found a way to reprogram those cells.

RELATED: In Successful Cancer Trial, Therapy “Dissolves” Stage IV Tumor in 3 Weeks

They have identified a previously unknown link between two parts of cell growth — cell adhesion and microRNA (miRNA).

Cell adhesion holds cells together and sends information to miRNA to control their growth. When that communication breaks down, cancer cells can grow out of control.

The Mayo Clinic researchers discovered that if they pumped more miRNA into the cells, it re-established that communication and reversed the process. Lead researcher, Dr. Panos Anastasiadis, said it’s like applying “the brakes” to restore normal cell growth.

MORE: Meet the Chicago Teen Who May Cure Colon Cancer

“It’s a significant step forward in understanding how certain cells in our body know when to grow, and when to stop,” Henry Scowcroft, Cancer Research UK’s senior science information manager told the Telegraph. He, and the Mayo Clinic researchers, say there is still a lot of work to be done before they’ll know if their discovery can work in actual cancer patients.

The research findings were published in the journal Nature Cell Biology.

(READ more at the Telegraph) — Photo: fotosinteresantes, CC

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4 Adorable Pups With Heartwarming Stories for National Dog Day

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pajama dogs the blue boys instagram

In honor of National Dog Day, a day designed to help raise awareness for the dogs of the world that still need to be rescued and adopted, we’ve pulled together a few adorable pups who will make you “Awww” out loud.

Founded in 2004 by animal advocate Colleen Paige, Dog Day has been supported by Jimmy Fallon, Paula Abdul, Willie Nelson, and even former U.S. President George W. Bush, whose dog, Barney the Scottish terrier, has starred in a series of videos.

Aside from being lovable, the National Dog Day Foundation reminds us that dogs put their lives on the line every day for their law enforcement partners, and selflessly help blind companions and those who are disabled every day.

If you have the means, consider adopting a dog this year—outfitting them in pajamas is optional.

You may not be able to actually pet these four furry guys, but we would like you to e-meet them…

This Shelter Dog Was Rescued by the Coast Guard

Mark-and-Charlie dog Pets for Patriots BlogFeeling the effects of empty-nest syndrome, Mark and his wife adopted a young Lhasa Apso named Charlie through the non-profit, Pets for Patriots.

Charlie had multiple disabilities, a low-grade heart murmur and epilepsy, which made the shelter dog extremely hard-to-adopt.

In spite of Charlie’s physical challenges, with guidance from a Pets for Patriots veterinary partner, Mark and his wife have been giving the one-year-old pup as much physical activity as he can handle.

“He’s very adorable and puts a smile on my heart,” Mark says.

These Cuddly Sleepover Dogs Have Their Own Instagram Following:

The Pajama-clad Blue Boys’ are English Staffordshire Bull Terriers From Brisbane, Australia

Goodnight friends ❤️????❤️

A photo posted by D A R R E N & P H I L L I P (@the_blueboys) on

 

This Dog Escaped Euthanasia and “Ran the Lunchroom”

Chieftain was a 10-year-old, 90-pound German Shepherd with severe separation anxiety when he arrived at Best Friends Animal Society in Utah, the nation’s largest no-kill sanctuary. His anxiety was so bad that a trainer suggested he be euthanized, but the folks at Best Friends had other plans for him.

Chieftain Lunch_Best Friends Animal SocietyChieftain’s favorite place turned out to be the staff lunchroom. He got to hang out there with his caregivers a few times each week, and, to distract him from the food, they offered him something he would come to love even more — tennis balls. Instead of begging people for their lunches, Chieftain would make them laugh by chasing the ball around the room. All the while, his caregivers worked tirelessly to find him a home where he would feel safe.

As it turned out, the very first application that came in after he was ready to be adopted, ended up being the best home possible. Leslie Ames runs the Basset Rescue of Montana out of her home, so she’s always around, and happened to be looking specifically for a large, senior German Shepherd. Chieftain now enjoys hiking and running around on two acres of land, and keeps watch by the horse gate when Leslie feeds them every day.

Photos: The Blueboys Instagram, Pets for Patriots, Best Friends Animal Society

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Woman Reads to Shelter Dogs to Ease Their Loneliness—And Her Own

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Sheila Key
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Dog Reader 1 Reddit user puglife123 aka Kathleen Costello

It all started because she missed her own dog.

After 14 years with her beloved Welsh corgi, Sandy Barbabella was at a loss when he died last year—terribly lonely, yet not quite ready for a new four-legger in her life.

So the mother of four and grandmother of six decided to volunteer at the local animal shelter in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and spend some quality time with furry friends who, like her, were missing their buddies.

Her dog, Angus, had loved being read to, so she brought along a book.Friday Night Lights Kitten Nursery Best Friends Animal Society

Clear Your Schedule: Baby Kitten Cuddling is a Real Volunteer Job

It’s now been 18 months since Barbabella first began settling into her chair beside the kennels every Tuesday at the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society. Shelter workers say it really calms down the dogs, but Barbabella says it does more good for her than it does for the dogs.

Dog Reader 2 Amy CrawfordBarbabella was unaware that photos of herself reading to dogs were spreading on the internet until the media started calling. A fellow shelter volunteer was so touched by the sight of her reading ‘Biscuit and the Little Pup’ to an old pit bull that she snapped a photo (above) and posted it on Reddit.

“She was so patient with the dogs—I watched her read to several—and they just loved being petted by her,” Kathleen Costello told TODAY.

Inspired by Barbabella’s style of volunteering, the shelter has announced that a read-a-thon is being organized for September.

The plan is to get kids involved, reading to the animals, with the added benefit of reading practice for the two-leggers, along with plenty of friendly companionship for the four-leggers.

(READ more at TODAY) — Photos: Kathleen Costello; (left) Amy Crawford, West. PA Humane Society

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Rare Sumatran Rhino From US Zoo Moves to Asia to Save His Species

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Terry Turner
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Sumatran Rhino2 cc Tobyotter

A rhino from the Cincinnati Zoo is officially on a mission to Southeast Asia to save his entire species.

Harapan, an 1,800 pound Sumatran Rhino, will leave sometime this fall for a sanctuary in Indonesia dedicated to saving the Sumatrans, a species declared extinct in Malaysia just this month. Currently, only 100 Sumatran Rhinos remain in the world.Harapan Sumatran Rhino released Cincinatti Zoo

RELATED: Prince Harry Grows A Beard, Hunts Down Rhino Poachers in Africa

“We believe there is still time to save them and we are by no means giving up that fight now,” Dr. Terri Roth, Director of the Zoo’s Center for Conservation & Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW) said at a press conference.

The Cincinnati Zoo has had a Sumatran Rhino breeding program for 25 years, the only place in the world that has successfully bred the endangered species since 1889.

Harapan (pictured above, right) is the only Sumatran Rhino on public view anywhere in the world outside Southeast Asia.

He’ll join his brother, Andalas, at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary where there are three possible mates waiting for him.

Harapan was the third rhino born at the zoo and with his departure the breeding program will come to an end in Cincinnati, but zookeepers say their research and the rhino will aid the breeding effort in Indonesia.

(READ more in the Washington Post)  Photos: (top) Tobyotter, CC; (right) Cincinnati Zoo

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Awww: Total Number of Endangered Pandas Just Grew By One (UPDATE)

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Terry Turner
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panda-twins-released-Smithsonian

[Update] We reported earlier today, “Panda fans got a double-dose of cute Saturday with the birth of rare twin cubs at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC.” However, we got an update this evening that the smallest panda has died.

Panda mothers will not nurse a pair of twins, so the zoo’s staff had been trying to swap the cubs out every few hours so that the mother is only taking care of one at a time. But mama had strongly resisted giving up her larger cub today. The routine of bottle-feeding the other, while keeping it warm in an incubator, was supposed to increase the “survivability” of both cubs, but did not succeed.

panda-triplets-release-Guangzhou-s_Chimelong_Safari_Park

World’s First Surviving Panda Triplets Thrive in China

Zookeepers weren’t even aware that Panda mom Mei Xiang was pregnant until four days before she gave birth, but this is only the third time in history that a giant panda has given birth to twins in the U.S.

Mei Xiang is also mother to two other living cubs born at the National Zoo–Tai Shan, a male born in 2005, and Bao Bao, who turned two years old on Sunday.panda cub plays in snow-500px-NatlZoovideo

Panda Cub Plays in the Snow for the First Time (WATCH)

It’ll still be three or four weeks until the survivor’s gender is announced and, following Chinese custom, it won’t be named until it is 100 days old.

(WATCH the WJLA News video)  Photos: Smithsonian Institution’s National Zoo – Story tip from Julia Freriches

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Huge Hole in Road is Left Unrepaired, So Neighbors Add a Fish Pond

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Terry Turner
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Pothole becomes fish pond screenshot WJBK

When you hit a bump in the road, you can give up – or you can build a fishpond.

Fed up with waiting for city hall to respond to complaints about a massive trench dug and left in their Detroit street, neighbors turned the maintenance lapse into a fishing hole.

A Michigan gas utility had ripped up the road and dug the 15-by-four foot wide hole three years ago, and never filled it in. Then, a city water line started leaking, filling it with water two feet deep.welcome-to-cleveland-roof-sign-in-Milwaukee-googlemaps

Hilarious Rooftop Sign Confuses Airline Passengers Flying into Milwaukee

When complaints yielded little help, neighbors took matters into their own hands, stocking the pit with carp, bluegill, and goldfish then breaking out the fishing rods in a humorous protest.

The city is now finally looking into the water leak and the road may soon be repaired.

Until then, residents say they’ll enjoy the only neighborhood fishing hole on the east side of Detroit.

(WATCH the WJBK News video) — Photo: WJBK video

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A Capital One Representative Makes My Daughter’s Day

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Kalen Raynor
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I sit here in awe as I write this post. A few days ago I called Capital One to get a new debit card since it stopped working in certain machines. As I talked to a nice lady in Virginia who helped overnight me a new card, my daughter was trying to put her Yankee charm bracelet on.

Kaya loved this bracelet and for some reason, the charm fell off. I couldn’t fix it and she started to cry while I was on the phone.

The lady on the phone asked how old Kaya was and said she had a daughter around the same age and she knows how upsetting something like that could be. She said she would try to hurry up so I can get off the phone.

I got my card in the mail and all was normal until today when I got a package from the lady at Capital One. She sent a Charm Bracelet kit and the note below. This was the nicest gesture a stranger has done for me in a really long time.bob and ellen wallace-wedding-submitted

Banking On Kindness: How One Phone Rep Went Above And Beyond The Call

It makes me happy to think there are still wonderful people in this world, even though all we hear is the negative. This is a special thank you to Jocelyn from Capital One who I do not know and I may never know. You put a bright smile on my daughters face today.

capital-one-note-submitted

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How to Keep a Whale from Choking: Do What He Did (WATCH)

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Terry Turner
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whale-fisherman-help-weather-channel-video

When a whale found himself choking on trash, he approached some nearby boaters in Australia’s Sydney Harbor to ask for help.

The whale, who had a plastic bag and fishing line stuck near its mouth, swam alongside the boats, flapping its flippers on their hulls as the people aboard tried to help by removing the obstruction.

A young fisherman, Ivan Iskenderian, finally snatched the bag during one of the passes, letting the whale breathe a sigh of relief.white-humpback-whale-New-Zealand-Dept-of-Conservation-750px

Rare White Whale Spotted as Sightings Hit Record High in NZ (WATCH)

It was even grateful enough to hang around and pose for some selfies with its rescuers.

(WATCH the 7 News Australia video below) – Photo: Ron Kovacs video

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New Best-selling Book Designed to Put Children to Sleep in Minutes

By
Terry Turner
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the-rabbit-who-wants-to-fall-asleep cover Amazon

Weary parents are rejoicing. The book topping the best seller list at Amazon.com is no longer Harper Lee’s new book, but a self-published tale about a rabbit who wants to fall asleep.

“The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep” is a children’s book written by a Swedish psychologist who has harnessed simple techniques through the written word to send kids off to dreamland–and it works.

The book includes cues for parents to yawn, use a slow, calm voice in places and emphasize certain words to lull their children into sleep.Dr Suess What Kind of Pet Screenshot PBS News

Brand New Book by Dr. Seuss–Was Lost–Now Published 55 Years Later

“It helps the child to focus and makes them a part of the story so that they fall asleep along with the rabbit,” author Carl-Johan Forssen Ehrlin told the Telegraph.

Ehrlin spent three years getting all the elements in the right order in the 26-page paperback, and the reviews from parents have been impressive.

“Bedtime just went from taking 2-3 hours to taking 12 mins,” one parent wrote on Amazon. “We made it to the middle of page 2.”Tree-book-tree-Screengrab (1)

Children’s Book Grows Into a Tree When You Plant It

Forssen Ehrlin’s sleepy time tome is the first self-published book ever to top the Amazon charts, and has already been translated into seven languages.

(READ more at the Telegraph) — Photo: Amazon

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Recycling The Love: She’s Delivering Leftover Wedding Flowers To The Elderly

By
Terry Turner
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Shawn Chamberlain screenshot 2 Full Bloom

An Idaho floral designer is putting wedding flowers back to work after the ceremony — something she calls “recycling the love.”

Shawn Chamberlain is celebrating her third year of taking donated nuptial blooms and repurposing them as bouquets for patients in hospices, nursing homes, assisted living facilities.

MORE Kindness: Great-Grandma Delivers Bag Lunches to Feed 200 Needy Kids Every Day

It all started one day while she was caring for wildflowers outside of a hospice and saw a young mother through a window. Chamberlain bundled up a quick bouquet and handed it off to a nurse, asking that she take it to the woman to let her know someone was thinking of her.

Thinking of You screenshot Full BloomSo far, her “Full Bloom” project has delivered hundreds of flower arrangements–all anonymously.

She works with brides and their florists or wedding planners to pick up the donations after the ceremony, and recently scored 27 bouquets at a time from a single wedding.

RELATED: Flower Stories Are Always in Bloom on Good News Network

“That’s 27 patients that are going to have a little sunshine by their beds,” Chamberlain said. “It takes the decorations of a ‘great party’ and turns them into something special again for someone new.”

(WATCH the video below) Photo: Full Bloom video — Story tip from Laetitia De Nys

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Teen’s Simple Question Saves a Man’s Life, Baby Is Named After Him

By
Terry Turner
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Jamie Harrington facebook Peter Varga Humans of Dublin

When a teen set out to buy a sports drink, he never expected he’d end up saving someone’s life.

On his walk to the store in Dublin, Ireland, Jamie Harrington noticed a man sitting on the edge of a bridge, crying. He talked the man into coming down and sat with him for another 45 minutes, listening to his problems and consoling him.origami sisters create for charity

Young Sisters Raise $650,000 Folding Origami to Build Wells Across World

Jamie convinced the unnamed man to check into a hospital and called an ambulance for him.

They exchanged phone numbers and sometime later, the man texted Jamie to tell him his girlfriend was pregnant with a boy, and they were naming the baby Jamie.

The man said that Jamie’s first words to him, “Are you okay?” ring in his head everyday, because those words saved him.Coast Guard swimmer completes triathlon-distance swim to rescue 4

Coast Guardsman Swims a Mile in Dark and Rough Seas to Save Fishermen

“I can’t really understand how these few words could save his life,” Jamie told the Humans of Dublin Facebook page, “But he told me, ‘Imagine if nobody ever asked you those words.’”

(READ more at The Journal) — Photo: Peter Varga, Humans of Dublin Facebook page

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This Celebrity Just Granted His 500th Make-A-Wish for Sick Children

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rocco john cena 500th make a wish youtube

Twenty-three World Heavyweight Championships aren’t nearly as impressive as holding the record for most wishes granted through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Last week, wrestling champ John Cena granted his 500th wish to Rocco Lanzer, an eight-year-old boy who has been battling leukemia.

WWE wrestler answers wish for a boy - TODAY show“He’s nice and strong and inspirational,” Rocco said before Cena surprised him on the Today Show. “He reminds kids to never give up.”

Cena took a seat next to Rocco on the couch and presented him with a championship belt and tickets to his next show.

John Cena granted his first wish in 2004, and kids across the country have been requesting to meet him ever since.Beyonce sings with blind Aussie girl

Beyoncé Grants Girl’s Dying Wish at Concert (WATCH)

Cena is the most requested celebrity Wish granter for the organization, which began fulfilling wishes for young cancer patients three decades ago.

The WWE superstar also was named the second most charitable athlete in the world by DoSomething.org. The top spot went to Real Madrid European football do-gooder Cristiano Ronaldo, with Serena Williams, Neymar, LeBron James and Ronda Rousey also named as most charitable on the 2015 list released this month.

(WATCH the video below from WWE)

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Thousands Volunteer To Become Firefighters In Washington State

By
Terry Turner
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Wildfires Twitter Washington DNR

When leaders in Washington state asked for volunteers to help fight wildfires, they weren’t expecting this.

After the call went out on Friday, more than 3,000 people signed up—in the first day.Lawyer Alex Thomason 2 with fire truck screenshot KHQ

Lawyer Bought His Own Fire Truck and is Fighting Wildfires to Help Community

“We appreciate your enthusiasm to serve, (and) have been overwhelmed by the strong response,” the Department of Natural Resources posted on its website.

At least 200 of the volunteers are equipment operators, many with their own backhoes and bulldozers able to cut fire lines.

DNR leaders are going through the list to see what qualifications the volunteers have.

The call for volunteers is still out, but only people with wildfire training and proper physical conditioning should sign up.

(Learn more from AP, via KCPQ News)  Photo: Washington DNR

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Solar-Powered ‘Mayflower’ to Cross Ocean 400 Years After Pilgrim Voyage

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Sheila Key
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MayflowerAutonomousResearchShip 1 640 Shuttleworth Design released

You could call it Mayflower 2.0.

If all goes as planned, this high-tech, solar-and-wind-powered ship will follow the same route its pioneering namesake took, ‘from Plymouth to Plymouth,’ exactly 400 years earlier.

MayflowerAutonomousResearchShip 3 Shuttleworth Design releasedBut instead of Pilgrims—or passengers of any kind— a small fleet of passenger drones will be the ones “steering” the ship in the year 2020.

The vessel, nicknamed MARS—the Mayflower Autonomous Research Ship—is a joint venture of engineers at three UK entities: Plymouth University, autonomous-craft specialists MSubs, and yacht designers Shuttleworth Design.

If they succeed—and if nobody beats them to it—MARS will become the first surface vessel to complete an unmanned transatlantic voyage.Heart-shaped-solar-plant-released-Conergy-Australia-crpd-750pxs

Solar Panels in the Shape of a Heart Will Show Love for the Planet

“MARS will operate as a research platform, conducting numerous scientific experiments during the course of its voyage,” explained Professor Kevin Jones, the University’s Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering, as Plymouth announced the Mayflower venture.

MayflowerAutonomousResearchShip 2crop Shuttleworth Design released“It will be a test bed for new navigation software and alternative forms of power, incorporating huge advancements in solar, wave and sail technology.”

Still in its design phase (photos are artist’s renderings of some early ideas), the MARS craft is expected to take 2½ years to build and another year to test—with no word yet on how long the designers think the actual voyage will take.

Unmanned vehicles have crossed the ocean before– in the air and underwater– but never on the waves.

(READ more at Popular Science)

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Why A Grown Woman Is Using KidzSprinkles To Get Her Vitamins

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Good News Network
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kidzshakes cute kids Facebook

Until I was seven years old, the only vegetable my parents could get me to eat was liquefied sweet potatoes out of a baby food jar.

Oh, and if my dad wanted me to take my Flintstone chewable vitamins, he would have to sit there and literally cheer for me while I downed them.

Fast forward 19 years, and I’m all about eating healthier, all by myself, like a big girl. In the process, I have been giving a lot of weird superfood items a whirl. I put Spurilina on my eggs (Sam I Am was right, I do not like green eggs and ham, either). I put Spinach and Kale in a blender. I put two scoops of chalky protein powder in my water.

kidzshakes pool shot

I was told that many multi-vitamin brands out there contained unnatural ingredients—especially the gummy ones—so I stopped taking those, too.

One day, not so long ago, I learned about a lovely, pastel-colored package containing Kidzsprinkles and Kidzshakes. They’re gluten-free, sugar-free, lactose-free, GMO free, and casein-free (excuse me while I Google what casein is) and each serving contains a boost of probiotics, vitamins, minerals, digestive enzymes, and omega-3’s.

“But, are they also good for adults? Do grown-ups eat them?” I asked shamelessly.

“They sure do,” said the Kidzsprinkles lady, who sent a package for us to review.

But, how does a chocolate peanut butter shake deliver the nutrition of leafy greens and and fruits?

Armed with a shaker of flavorless “sprinkle powder” and some strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate shake mix I got ready to drink a load of Calcium, Magnesium, and Vitamins A, B, C, D, at a very low-calorie count.

I’ve been splashing one or two flavorless shakes to my eggs, salad, Indian food, you name it, and watching the probiotics and digestive enzymes rain down onto my food. Instant upgrade. Plus, I don’t even need my boyfriend to cheer me on as I ingest those vitamins.

kidzshakes vanilla submitted

Price-wise, the sprinkles (sold on Amazon) are pretty much in line with a bottle of a vitamins. The shake powders come in giant $44 vats, so it’s a commitment…but I imagine parents throw all sorts of money at lesser things.

Bottom line: if you have a kid, you need to get on this.

If you’re an adult without a kid, and you’re able to swallow your pride—and some Manganese—give it a try.

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In Largest Medical Study of Near-Death Experiences, Awareness Lasts Beyond Brain Waves

By
Terry Turner
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An international study of near death experiences shows nearly two-in-five people resuscitated from cardiac arrest experienced awareness for several minutes after their brains stopped functioning.

The research suggests the light at the end of the tunnel that some people believe is the afterlife may be, more importantly, an extended second chance at this lifetime.

The brain normally shuts down completely, about 30 seconds after the heart stops, but multiple studies by a team of researchers called AWARE (AWareness during REsuscitation) are pushing that time frame, suggesting people can be resuscitated much later than previously thought.

Scientists at the University of Southhampton spent four years studying cardiac arrest cases in the UK, North America, and Europe. They interviewed 140 of the 300 survivors in their study and found 39% of them had similar experiences.

People recounted seeing bright lights, being dragged through water or separated from their bodies. Others said they felt their senses sharpened during the experience.

In their latest study, the researchers heard several recollections like those of a patient who described in great detail how a hospital team resuscitated his heart three minutes after “death.”

CHECK Out: App Finds CPR-Trained Folks Nearby Before Expert Help Arrives

“The man described everything that had happened in the room, but importantly, he heard two bleeps from a machine that makes a noise at three minute intervals,” said Dr. Sam Parnia, a former research fellow at Southampton University who led the study said.

The fact that the man could hear the very specific beeping and describe the hospital’s procedures in detail showed Dr. Parnia the man was aware of his surroundings during resuscitation – long after he should have been clinically dead.

Dr. Parnia and his team also hide items in hospital rooms of their subjects that would be visible from above. If patients talked about “floating above the room” but not seeing the items, the team records that as a false memory.

GREAT Kid: 10 Year-old Girl Saves a Life Three Hours After Learning CPR

This was the third study by Dr. Parnia, or his team, into near-death experiences. Their research isn’t looking for proof of an afterlife, but, in part, how blood flow to the brain is affected during resuscitation and how to reverse the effects of clinical death. Other studies by the team have looked at post traumatic stress among patients resuscitated long after their hearts stopped beating.

Skeptics of an afterlife, such as Christopher French, a psychology professor at the University of London calls near death experiences like the one Parnia studies, “complex hallucinatory experiences.” Parnia prefers to argue that death is a more “fluid” concept, happening gradually rather than at a specific moment. He argued that, in at least some cases, death is a “potentially reversible process,” and hopes the studies will encourage more research into the field.

The study was published in the journal Resuscitation. (Photo by CaptPiper, CC)

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College French Students Make Their Own Storybooks for Poor Kids in Haiti

By
Sonja Schulken
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HaitianKidsReceivingBooks FaceBook screen shot4

When a group of Virginia college students decided to take French class, they probably didn’t imagine they’d become children’s book authors–but they devoted their hearts to the task once they knew who the books were for.

To better hone their French skills, students at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland were asked to do some creative writing and come up with illustrations for children’s books.

HaitianKidsReceivingBooks Facebook screen shot2

“To be able to use the language skills I learned in order to help children improve their literacy was a great motivation for me to do my best,” student author Tracie Mooneyham wrote in her college newsletter.

Professor Jennifer Shotwell’s students wrote and illustrated a total of 90 stories for the project, which she calls “Little French Books.”

The books were sent to underprivileged children in Haiti whose families and school libraries couldn’t afford them.

Now, these literature-loving children can read about dinosaurs, turtle adventures and princesses who dream of being knights.mailbox-recycling.jpg

Mailman Sees Boy Reading Junk Mail for Lack of Books; He Has Books Now!

“I am thrilled at the reception to my book, and I hope its themes and lessons resonate with the children who read it,” says Teal Reynolds, author and illustrator of La Princesse Isabella. “Princesse Isabella wants to become a knight in her father’s kingdom, but she is forbidden because of her gender. Even though she faces adversity along the way, she learns self-reliance, grit, and what it will take to achieve her dreams.”

Shotwell sent student-made books to Haiti for the first time last year, but the books—made with paper covers and without laminated pages—have the potential to deteriorate quickly while being handled by eager readers.

This year, Shotwell hoped to be able to send more durable books overseas, so she started a Kickstarter campaign that raised more than $2,200 towards printing the books in hardcover.

The result? One of a kind, hardbound treasures now in the hands of 600 Haitian kids.

That’s one labor of love with a storybook ending.

(WATCH a video below) – Photos courtesy of Jennifer Shotwell

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Nobody Wanted This Dog Because Of Her Looks–’Til One Family Came Along

By
Good News Network
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Lisa Lucky the Dog Humane Society Jackie MacMillan Submitted

Little Lisa, a ten-week old Westie/Chihuahua mix puppy, arrived at the Humane Society of Silicon Valley looking like she’d seen better days.

Despite her physical scars and aesthetic setbacks, she was a happy pup, full of love and playful energy.

The folks at the Humane Society nursed her back to health and got her ready to meet the right family. All Lisa had to do was wait for that family to come along.

Lisa Lucky the Dog With Family Humane Society Jackie MacMillan SubmittedThen, Christine Doblar and her daughters arrived as part of a “Clear the Shelters” event.

The family had recently lost their beloved family Chihuahua, and their other dog, a 6-year-old chocolate lab named Pelé, was lonely.cute dog couch AllPaws facebook

Check Out More Awesome Dog Stories From Good News Network

Lisa—now known as Lucky—greeted each family member with excited gusto.

“We sat on the floor with the volunteer and Lucky greeted my daughters, husband and I with her wiggly self and kisses galore. We all melted. We visited with a few more dogs, but kept talking about Lucky,” Doblar told Good News Network.

The family left shortly thereafter to run an errand, but Doblar’s daughters were so worried that someone else would claim her that mom had to turn the car around and scoop her up.

The pup is loving her new home, and isn’t the least bit self-conscious about her looks.

“She is happy and playful, then willing to nap on the lap of any family member. She is getting closer to Pelé, who was shy at first. Lucky has taken to sleeping in his huge bed, displacing him,” Doblar said. “We don’t feel we have done anything heroic in adopting her, but we are touched by all the love sent her way by genuine animal lovers, everywhere.”

Photos: Jackie MacMillan/ Humane Society

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Lawyer Bought His Own Fire Truck and is Out Fighting Wildfires

By
Terry Turner
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Lawyer Alex Thomason 2 with fire truck screenshot KHQ

At the height of wildfire season, a Washington state lawyer bought a vintage fire truck to protect his home. Two days later, he was out saving other people’s houses.

After Alex Thomason purchased the truck, he took a brief, four-hour course on fighting fires. He then used a Facebook community to find like-minded folks and they all rolled out to fight the wildfires burning through the Pacific Northwest.Firefighters FB Saskachewan Govt

Store Manager Camps in Parking Lot To Serve Meals to Battling Firefighters

“My wife thinks I’m crazy,” Thomason told KHQ News.

Clifford the Fire Truck screenshot KHQOther people in Okanogan County, Washington, might think he’s a hero. The lawyer and his amateur fire crew have fought to keep wildfires away from homes and dug fire lines to contain the blazes.

The video below shows Thomason and his crew with “Clifford,” (pictured left) his firetruck, beating back a blaze from an elderly person’s home, after the owner had fled the approaching flames.

(WATCH the KHQ News video) Photos: KHQ video

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