Quote of the Day: “The most exciting, challenging, and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself.” – Carrie Bradshaw (TV character)
Photo by: Keegan Houser
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?
An 8-year-old Maryland girl and her dad have made history with an album that’s the musical equivalent of sunshine.
Aura V. and her father, whose recording name is Fyütch, won a Grammy this month for Best Children’s Music Album for their LP Harmony.
The triumph makes Aura the youngest Grammy winner in the organization’s history, eclipsing Blue Ivy, who won an award at 9.
“It is an honor to be here today,” Aura said in her acceptance speech on national television. “I was not expecting us to go this far.”
Indeed, Aura and Fyütch’s musical journey has traversed a number of generations. Aura’s great-grandfather played trumpet in the Army band. Her grandfather played saxophone and even contributed his talents to the album.
Fyütch joined a band as a teenager, and after college worked as an arts teacher. But one day, he got frustrated with the lack of educational music for his students. That problem became an inspiration for his own musical career—and the duo’s videos eventually went viral.
“I just started making stuff and putting it up on YouTube and showing it in my classes,” Fyütch told the Washington Post. “I didn’t realize there was such a need. Teachers were searching for content like that.”
Soon afterward, Fyütch became a father and started working as a musician. Aura began attending his shows and became bold enough to appear on stage. They first collaborated on a song when Aura was 4 years old—a track titled “I Am a Cool.”
Then, the duo worked together on the Harmony LP—with song titles like I Am Love, I Am Light and My Daddy—and they won the Grammy Award.
“In 2017, she burst on the scene,” Fyütch raps on My Daddy. “When I held you in my arms, my firstborn, my whole world. I don’t care how old you get, you still daddy’s girl…”
The rest of the songs follow a similar pattern, equal parts uplifting and empowering. The whole album is a perfect blend of dad and daughter, with a hopeful, harmonious message that seems ideally suited for these turbulent times.
“Now more than ever, we need positive vibes in our music, in our culture, in our media,” Fyütch told WMAR. “I see the purpose in it, and the beautiful part is that we get to do it together.”
Similar sentiments of peace and love can be found all throughout the Harmony album, especially on the title track. After a couple choruses featuring dad and daughter, Aura V. takes over.
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The lyrics are an inspiring vision for the future—and she can now sing them with the confidence that comes with being the youngest Grammy winner ever.
“Peace, positivity, love, and empathy
This is the recipe for life in harmony…
Can you imagine what this place would be
When our differences work collectively?”
HELP OTHERS HEAR AURA’S MUSICAL MESSAGE By Sharing This to Your Social Media Feed…
Over the past two years, the city of McKinney, Texas, has significantly improved cardiac arrest survival rates through a coordinated effort between its fire and police departments—and, now, its citizens.
Two years ago, if your heart stopped in McKinney, your chances of surviving were just 10 percent, the same as many U.S. cities. Today, that survival rate has skyrocketed to 47 percent—thanks to an unprecedented partnership between the McKinney Fire Department and McKinney Police Department.
Officials say the program is modeled in part after practices used in Seattle and, so far, McKinney’s success rate has risen way above the national average of 30 percent, and closing in on Seattle’s leading survival rate of 50%.
The city, 30 miles north of Dallas, is now expanding that lifesaving work to residents by placing automated external defibrillators (AEDs) directly into neighborhoods, with the goal of reducing response time citywide.
The initiative will make McKinney one of the nation’s first “4-Minute Cities” where an automated external defibrillator is never more than four minutes away from any cardiac event.
The city’s transformation began when Fire Battalion Chief Ben Jones launched the cardiac program by sending a team to train at the Resuscitation Academy in Seattle in late 2024. They returned with a plan to replicate key components of their “chain of survival”: rapid recognition, immediate CPR, fast AED access, and quick transport.
Every minute a cardiac arrest victim waits for care cuts survival by 10 percent. McKinney installed more than 80 AEDs in every patrol, traffic, and neighborhood police vehicle.
Friendly competition between fire and police teams has fueled a life-saving culture shift. In the past year, nine McKinney residents have been revived in time.
Now, McKinney will expand cardiac response by deploying 200 AEDs in a new Neighborhood Heroes campaign. Residents across the city will be enabled to serve as a first responder in the event of a cardiac emergency in their community.
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Some McKinney police officers were initially skeptical but became true believers after saving lives themselves.
“It’s a really interesting shift in mindset for police officers, and they bought into it,” Fire Chief Paul Dow told WFAA-TV.
“We want to have these AEDs everywhere in the community,” explained Jones, whose fire department will train eligible participants.
The American Heart Association has selected the McKinney Fire Department’s “4-Minute City” model to represent its Heart Health Month campaign this month, highlighting the city’s leadership in community-based resuscitation.
TELL YOUR CITY TO DO THE SAME–By Sharing The News on Social Media…
A new video from the Scottish Highlands shows a wild stag walking right up to a hiker, getting so close that his breath fogged up the stunned man’s camera lens.
The ‘magical’ moment was captured by Craig who journeys around Scotland in a motorhome and documents his travels as the Roaming Thistle on social media.
A week ago Saturday, Craig was walking in Glencoe with his camera when he saw a male red deer, the iconic symbol of Scotland’s untamed landscapes, and moved in slowly to shoot a video.
“I expected nothing more than a quiet moment observing wildlife,” said Craig, who bought the motorhome to explore Scotland and create memories with his family.
“The stag calmly approached, completely unbothered, and gently brushed up against the camera lens.
“As he breathed on it, the lens briefly steamed up, which somehow made the moment feel even more magical before he quietly moved on again.”
The traveler said he felt a mix of disbelief and privilege after the interaction.
“Encounters like that are incredibly rare, and it felt genuinely special to witness such calm, natural behavior from a wild animal.”
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Known as the Highland stag, the male red deer (Cervus elaphus scoticus) is Britain’s largest land mammal, renowned for their massive branching antlers that can span 45 inches (more than a meter).
“It was one of those moments that stays with you, not because it was dramatic, but because it was quiet, intimate, and entirely on the stag’s terms.”
“This is proof that the most majestic residents of the Highlands are also the most curious!”
SHARE THE MAJESTIC MOMENT With Animal Lovers on Social Media…
Two original illustrations for Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book that were lost for over a century have been discovered.
The watercolors had been hanging unrecognized on the walls of a London family home for decades.
The rediscovery increases the number of known surviving originals to just six out of an original set of 16.
The four other surviving illustrations are now split between private collections, the Natural History Museum, and the National Trust.
The first watercolor by Edward Detmold depicts Mowgli with Bagheera, the black panther. The second was painted by Edward’s twin, Charles Maurice Detmold, depicting Cold Lairs, the home of the ‘Monkey People’ or Bandar-log.
London auctioneers Roseberys will offer both works for sale on March 10, believing they will fetch $20,000 each.
The revelation has astounded the owners of the two paintings, who are remaining anonymous.
“These drawings were never treated as ‘important’ works in our family – they were simply part of our home,” they explained.
“Finding out that they restore a missing piece of the visual history of Kipling’s The Jungle Book has been completely unexpected.”
The watercolors were created in 1903 for the deluxe portfolio, Sixteen Illustrations of Subjects from Kipling’s ‘The Jungle Book’, which was commissioned by book publisher Macmillan & Co in 1902.
Reportedly limited to 500 copies, the portfolio was published separately from the book itself, which had been published nine years earlier in 1894.
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The original Jungle Book collected stories that Kipling had previously published in magazines, and it included illustrations from the author’s father, among other artists.
Later, the first standard printed edition of The Jungle Book incorporating the Detmold illustrations was first published by Macmillan in 1908. It contained the 16 plates, as well as a frontispiece illustrated by the Detmold twins.
But, the 1903 portfolios are now extremely rare because their 16 large plates were often removed for framing individually. One complete copy is held by the U.S. Library of Congress.
“To be able to bid for two of the six known surviving original watercolors is a vanishingly rare opportunity,” said Lara L’vov-Basirov, of the Roseberys auction house.”
“Especially, if you consider how rare the printed versions of these illustrations are because they were treated as works of art and framed, breaking up the portfolios in the process.”
“It is difficult to convey just how big their impact was when the portfolio was first published, making headline reviews on both sides of the Atlantic—and the Guardian reviewer singling out both of the individual watercolors we have here for particular praise.”
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The Detmold watercolors, appearing on the market for the first time, were published when the twin artistic prodigies were just 20—and it proved to be their final joint venture, as Charles Maurice tragically took his own life at age 25.
SHARE THE AMAZING DISCOVERY With Book Lovers on Social Media…
Quote of the Day: “Heartbreak is unpreventable. It’s the natural outcome of caring for people and things over which we have no control.” – David Whyte, poet
Photo by: Andrew Welch
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?
80 years ago today, some simple workplace encouragement material was posted on the wall of several Westinghouse Electric factories in Pittsburgh, PA, which became the famous “We Can Do It,” poster. One of the most iconic images in the history of American war propaganda, it was actually meant mainly to increase productivity among existing workers, and is often confused with the Rosie the Riveter series. The badge on the “We Can Do It!” worker’s collar identifies her as a Westinghouse Electric plant floor employee; the pictured red, white, and blue clothing was a subtle call to patriotism, one of the frequent tactics of corporate war production committees. BUT READ what she was actually encouraging… (1942)
A spray-on powder that instantly seals life-threatening wounds could save thousands of lives, say scientists.
The new substance can help prevent excessive bleeding which is the leading cause of death due to injuries in war, according to a study.
The fast-acting powder that stops bleeding in just one second was developed by South Korean scientists who say it can also be applied in emergency hospital procedures.
The research team at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Daejeon, which included an Army Major, created the powder that rapidly forms a strong hydrogel barrier when sprayed directly onto a bullet wound.
The team designed the technology with real combat conditions in mind, and the direct involvement of an Army Major helped ensure its practical readiness.
Major Kyusoon Park, who is also a PhD candidate and served as a study co-author, said the substance not only allows “instant hardening” under extreme conditions like combat or disasters but also delivers high usability and storage stability.
“Until now, patch-type hemostatic agents widely used in medical fields have had limitations due to their flat structure and sensitivity to temperature and humidity.”
They cannot withstand pressure applied to the wound. Also, current powders that stop blood flow have limited functionality by physically absorbing blood to form a barrier, according to the study published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.
“The new AGCL powder reacts with cations, such as calcium in the blood, to turn into a gel state in one second, instantly sealing the wound,” said study co-leader Professor Steve Park.
“Furthermore, by forming a three-dimensional structure inside the powder, it can absorb blood amounting to more than seven times its own weight.”
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“It shows superior sealing performance compared to commercial hemostatic agents—with a high adhesive strength and a level of pressure that can withstand being pressed strongly by hand.”
AGCL powder is composed entirely of naturally derived materials with an antibacterial effect of 99.9%.
It has a structure that combines biocompatible natural materials such as alginate and gellan gum—that react with calcium for fast gelation and physical sealing—and chitosan, which bonds with blood components to enhance chemical and biological hemostasis.
“In animal experiments, excellent tissue-regeneration effects, such as rapid wound recovery and promotion of blood vessel and collagen regeneration, were confirmed,” explained Prof. Park.
“In surgical liver injury experiments, the amount of bleeding and hemostasis time were significantly reduced compared to commercial methods.”
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“It also maintains its performance for two years, even in room temperature and high humidity environments, possessing the advantage of being ready for immediate use in harsh environments.
“Although this is an advanced new material technology developed with national defense purposes in mind,” said Major Park, “it has great potential for emergency medicine, disaster sites, developing countries, and medically underserved areas.”
“I started the research with a sense of mission to save even one more soldier—but I also hope this technology will be used as a life-saving technology in private medical fields.”
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While other places go all-out on decorations at Christmas and Halloween, one village called Lover pretty much owns Valentine’s Day.
Dubbed the world’s most romantic village, it has drawn visitors from across the UK to send Valentine’s Day cards with a special postmark.
Thousands of cards are sent from Lover every February to recipients across the world—with the romantically-stamped postmark reaching hearts on every continent, even Antarctica.
Traveling all the way from Surrey to the Wiltshire hamlet, Lindy Nock stayed in town just long enough to purchase a postcard, have it stamped, and mail it to a loved one in Denmark.
“I saw it on Instagram and I couldn’t make it last year,” said the 54-year-old, “so I thought I would come here and send a card to my pen pal friend in Denmark.
“The fact they celebrate Valentine’s day, being called Lover, is fantastic.”
Residents take the annual celebration very seriously, decorating their houses and businesses with red and pink hearts.
The annual postal rush used to be run from the village Post Office, but it got so big that, ten years ago, residents formed the Lover Community Trust and volunteers have helped send more than 10,000 love letters.
You don’t have to visit to get the postmark now. Anyone can send a card from Lover in the lead up to February 14th by ordering it online.
Since 2016, dozens of volunteers have processed the cards in the lead up to Valentine’s Day, and also run the Darling cafe to cater to all the annual visitors.
They even get orders from China, which have to use specially arranged Mandarin characters so printed addresses can be read.
All the money paid for cards and souvenirs goes back into supporting the community, and it has already helped fund a major renovation of the Old School building, which now serves as a community center.
Nick Gibbs, from the trust, called it the ‘world’s most romantic village’, but the store also features cards suitable for mailing to friends.
“We are trying to promote Valentine’s day as a way of sending a little love to everyone,” said the 78-year-old. “The card with the most significant journey this year was to Japan last week.”
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One of the volunteers, Debbie Harper, runs the Darling Cafe and is usually in the kitchen, so doesn’t get a chance to help with all the mailings.
“But, I bought a card for my husband and I got to put the stamp on. I love playing post office!”
One couple in their 70s, Janet and Bob Halliday, help decorate the village every year.
“It is going from strength to strength. When we first started it was just the cards. Now we’ve got jewelry, cards and linens that say, ‘Lots of love from Lover’, said Bob.
“It is a very gregarious village and it’s nice being involved.”
Next year is the 50th anniversary of the Lover Valentine Post, and locals have decided to make a tapestry that traces the roots of February 14th. The project will be influenced by the 14th Century writer Geoffrey Chaucer, who was largely credited with creating the association between Valentine’s Day and romantic love.
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At the moment they’re researching the storyline and deciding what depictions to design. Eventually, they’ll work to figure out how to fabricate it.
Note that while many will be sending ‘love from Lover’, they need to know how to pronounce the English village when speaking in the UK—because it actually rhymes with ‘Dover’.
To get a card or gift sent through Lover Valentine Post, visit their website: www.lover.org.uk
SPREAD THE LOVE By Sharing For Valentine’s Day on Social Media…
On 9 January, large parts of Europe were brought to a standstill as Storm Goretti, a powerful winter cyclone with 110 mph winds, swept into the region from the south.
Soon after, a beachcomber found a young loggerhead turtle washed up on the Island of Jersey near the coast of France after being blown hundreds of miles off course.
The warm-water reptile was “cold stunned”—an immobile condition caused by prolonged exposure to cold water—and quickly brought to a local animal hospital.
Veterinarian Peter Haworth at New Era Hospital was able to stabilize the weak and malnourished sea turtle in a small tank—thanks to warmed seawater provided by The Jersey Oyster Company, but the juvenile turtle needed more space.
A rough voyage across the English Channel to Britain by boat could have caused undue stress for the endangered species, so Peter contacted ‘the friendly skies’ for help getting the rescued turtle a VIP airline ticket.
Named Crush, after the character in Finding Nemo, the sea turtle finally received permission from Loganair to fly as a First Class passenger on a scheduled flight to Southampton, England, where it was picked up and driven 90 miles to its long-term care facility, the SeaLife Centre in Weymouth.
“This was certainly one of the more unusual passengers we’ve welcomed on board,” said Ronnie Matheson, chief commercial officer at Loganair.
“Our teams worked closely with Peter and his colleagues to ensure that she could travel as calmly and comfortably as possible.”
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Dan Townsend, head of airside operations at Southampton Airport, said: “We’re delighted to support this special journey and play a small part in helping this young turtle get the expert care it needs.
“Our teams work closely with airline partners like Loganair to make sure unique animal movements like this one are handled safely and smoothly, and we’re proud to help facilitate its onward recovery.”
CT scans at the Jersey hospital identified a higher than usual amount of sand inside her oesophagus, but some of it was removed to prevent any future blockage—and the SeaLife Centre hopes to release her back into loggerhead habitat range this spring.
SHARE THE INSPIRING RESCUE With Turtle-Lovers on Social Media…
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 February 14, 2026
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Poet Mary Oliver asked her readers, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” This Valentine season, I propose a collaborative version of this prod: Ask those you care for to help you answer Oliver’s question, and offer to help them answer it for themselves. Now is an excellent time to act on the truth that vibrant intimacy involves the two of you inspiring each other to fulfill your highest callings. Do whatever it takes to make both of you braver and bolder as you learn more about who you are meant to be.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Can you care for stressed people without making it your duty to rescue them? Can you offer support without being taken advantage of? I hope so, Pisces. Life is inviting you to be more skilled about expressing your love without compromising your own interests. How? First, offer affection without signing up for endless service. Second, don’t let your empathy blur into entanglement. Third, monitor your urge to care so it doesn’t weaken your sovereignty. Your gift for soothing others’ struggles evokes my deep respect, but it’s most effective when it’s subtle and relaxed. Give people room to carry out their own necessary work.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
“The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them,” wrote Ernest Hemingway This Valentine season, I propose you experiment with his approach. Take a smart risk with people who have shown glimmers of reliability but whom you haven’t fully welcomed. Don’t indulge in reckless credulity, just courageous and discerning openness. Be vulnerable enough to discover what further connection might bloom if you lead with faith rather than suspicion. Your willingness to believe in someone’s better nature may help bring it forth.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Taurus singer Barbra Streisand addressed her legendary perfectionism. She said that truly interesting intimacy became available for her only after she showed her dear allies her full array of selves, not just her shiny, polished side. In alignment with astrological omens, I encourage you to experiment with the daring art of unfinished revelation. Let the people you care for witness you in the midst of becoming. Share your uncertainties, your half-formed thoughts, and your works in progress. Surprise! Your flaws may prove as endearing as your achievements.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Author Anaïs Nin wrote, “Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” I believe this understanding of camaraderie should be at the heart of most Geminis’ destinies. It’s your birthright and your potential superpower to seek connections with people who inspire you to think thoughts and feel feelings you would never summon by yourself. You have an uncanny knack for finding allies and colleagues who help you unveil and express more of your total self. Now is a good time to tap further into these blessings.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Poet David Whyte said that “heartbreak is unpreventable.” It’s “the natural outcome of caring for people and things over which we have no control.” But here’s the redemptive twist: Your capacity to feel heartbreak proves you have loved well. Your shaky aches are emblems of your courageous readiness to risk closeness and be deeply affected. So let’s celebrate your tender heart not despite its vulnerability but because of it. You should brandish your sensitivity as a superpower.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Choreographer Twyla Tharp said she fell in love with her husband partly because “he was the only person who didn’t seem impressed by me.” I will extrapolate from that to draw this conclusion: Our most valuable allies might show their most rigorous respect by seeing us clearly. This Valentine season, Leo, I invite you to test the hypothesis that being thoroughly known and understood is more crucial than being regularly praised and flattered. Enrich your connections with the perceptive souls who love you not for your highlight reel but for your raw, genuine self.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
The famously kind and caring author Anne Lamott confessed, “I thought such awful thoughts that I cannot even say them out loud because they would make Jesus want to drink gin straight out of the cat dish.” That’s a liberating insight. She revealed that even kind, caring people like her harbor messy internal chaos. This Valentine season, Virgo, I dare you to share a few of your less-than-noble thoughts with soulful characters whom you trust will love you no matter what. Let them see that your goodness coexists with your salty imperfections. Maybe you could even playfully highlight the rough and rugged parts of you for their entertainment value. What’s the goal? To deepen spirited togetherness.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
How do we eagerly and daringly merge our fortunes with another person while maintaining our sovereign selfhood? How do we cultivate interesting togetherness without suppressing or diluting our idiosyncratic beauty? In some respects, this is a heroic experiment that seems almost impossible. In other respects, it’s the best work on the planet for anyone who’s brave enough to attempt it. Luckily for you Libras, this is potentially one of your superpowers. And now is an excellent time to take your efforts to the next level of heartful grittiness.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Here’s a quote by the character Carrie Bradshaw from the TV show Sex and the City: “The most exciting, challenging, and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you that you love, that’s fabulous.” I invite you to make this a prime meditation, Scorpio. To begin, get extra inspired by your own mysterious beauty: captivated by your own depths, fascinated by your mysterious contradictions, and delighted by your urge for continual transformation. The next step is to identify allies and potential allies who appreciate the strange magnificence you treasure in yourself. Who devoutly wants you to fulfill your genuine, idiosyncratic soul’s code? Spend the coming weeks enriching your connections with these people.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
This Valentine season, I propose that you infuse your intimate life with a fun dose of playful curiosity. Visualize your beloved allies, both current and potential, as unfolding mysteries rather than solved puzzles. Ask them provocative questions you’ve never thought to ask before. Wonder aloud about their simmering dreams and evolving philosophies. (Brezsny’s Togetherness Rule #1: When you think you’ve figured someone out completely, the relationship withers.) In fact, let’s make this one of your assignments for the next five months: Heighten and nurture your nosiness about the beautiful people you love. Treat each conversation as an expedition into unexplored territory. (Brezsny’s Togetherness Rule #2: A great way to stoke their passion for you and your passion for them is to believe there’s always more to discover about each other.)
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Ecologists studying symbiosis know that successful partnerships aren’t always between similar organisms. Some bonds link the fortunes of radically different creatures, like clownfish and sea anemones or oxpeckers and buffalo. Each supplies resources or protection the other lacks, often assuring they live more successfully together than they would on their own. This is useful information for you right now. At least one of the allies you need looks nothing like you. Their genius is orthogonal to yours, or they have skills you don’t. The blend may not be comfortable, but I bet it’s the precise intelligence you need to achieve what you can’t accomplish alone.
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
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Quote of the Day: “Love is space and time measured by the heart.” – Marcel Proust (Happy Valentine’s Day!)
Photo by: Bas Glaap
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?
95 years ago today, the horror film Dracula starring Bela Lugosi was released. Adapted from the 1897 novel by Bram Stoker, it’s a tale of Count Dracula, a vampire who emigrates from Transylvania to England and preys upon the blood of living victims. WATCH his reaction to being shown a crucifix… (1931)
It was only a few months ago that Juan Leon became the proud owner of Minnesota’s newest tow truck service.
Not long after, he began to get calls about abandoned vehicles and realized there was a pattern. Whether it was parked on the side of the street or in the lot of a business, their owners were just gone.
In most if not all such cases, he would learn, they had been arrested by ICE during its Operation Metro Storm. Whether one supports the efforts of the agency to deport illegal immigrants, it left behind a big footprint—a four-wheeled one, and Leon realized he had the opportunity to make a difference in his community.
Working sometimes alone, and sometimes at the request of family members, Leo’s Towing has been returning suspects’ cars to their families at no cost for 4 months now.
“Seeing there was a need for someone to help out, help clear the streets and get the people back their vehicles. So we stepped up and started doing it,” Leon told CBS which manages an affiliate in Minnesota.
Working alongside “observers,” Leon has spent weeks arriving at the scene of an earlier arrest in order to bring the car back to any family or friends the person might have.
“Families reach out to us,” Leon said. “If the family isn’t reaching out, we’ll find a way to get inside the vehicle and we’ll bring it back to their house and put it in a safe spot.”
BUSINESSES HELPING OUT:
It costs hundreds of thousands to insure a working, hydraulic vehicle like a tow truck, which is why towing costs so much. But Leon says he can take the hit because of money he receives through private donations coming from all around the country for his compassionate work, which he added has rapidly crowded out his previous schedule.
He estimates he’s brought some 250 cars to their owners, their family members, or to a safe place where it will avoid damage.
Leon says the moments when a car is returned can be emotional, “more than sad” even, but it doesn’t dissuade him from carrying on.
WATCH the story below from CBS News…
SHARE This Inspiring Help For Those Affected By ICE’s Actions In Minnesota…
The whiskers on an elephant’s trunk are key to its “amazing” sense of touch, reveals new research.
The 1,000 hairs that cover the trunk have unusual properties that highlight where contact happens along each whisker allowing the largest land animal to grab something as small as a peanut, say scientists.
The whiskers of elephants and domestic cats have stiff bases that transition to soft rubber-like tips, different from the uniformly stiff whiskers of rats and mice and referred to as a functional gradient.
The German research team believe that the unusual stiffness gradient helps elephants know precisely where contact occurs along each of their 1,000 trunk whiskers so they can perform feats such as picking up a tortilla chip without breaking it or precisely grabbing a peanut.
Now the researchers are looking to invent new robotic sensing technologies inspired by the functional gradients they discovered in elephant and cat whiskers.
“The stiffness gradient provides a map to allow elephants to detect where contact occurs along each whisker,” said Dr. Andrew Schulz, the study team leader. “This property helps them know how close or how far their trunk is from an object… all baked into the geometry, porosity, and stiffness of the whisker.”
“Engineers call this natural phenomenon embodied intelligence. It’s pretty amazing.”
Dr. Schulz and his colleagues examined elephant trunk whiskers to understand how they are shaped, how porous they are, and how soft they are.
Micro-CT scanning allowed the researchers to measure the 3D shape of several whiskers and showed that elephant whiskers are thick and blade-like, with a flattened cross-section, a hollow base, and several long internal channels that resemble the structure of sheep horns and horse hooves, but not rat whiskers, which was their hypothesis.
The researchers explained that the porous architecture reduces the whisker’s mass and provides impact resistance, allowing elephants to eat hundreds of kilos of food every day without worrying about damage to their whiskers, which never grow back.
The discovery that elephant trunk whiskers bear a stiffness gradient initially stumped the team as they were not sure how it would affect touch sensing.
To try to figure out why, Dr. Schulz worked with colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) in Stuttgart to 3D print a scaled-up whisker with a stiff, dark base and a soft, transparent tip.
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Having this physical “whisker wand” prototype helped the research team develop their intuition for what an elephant trunk feels through its whiskers.
Dr. Schulz left the wand with his mentor Professor Katherine Kuchenbecker after a meeting, and she carried the wand in her hand as she walked through the halls of the Institute, gently hitting the columns and railings.
“I noticed that tapping the railing with different parts of the whisker wand felt distinct – soft and gentle at the tip, and sharp and strong at the base,” said Professor Kuchenbecker. “I didn’t need to look to know where the contact was happening; I could just feel it.”
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To test their hypothesis from the 3D-printed whisker wand, the research team developed a computational modelling toolkit to assess how the whisker responds to contact.
The simulations showed that the transition from a stiff base to a soft tip does indeed make it easier to feel where something is touching along the whisker, allowing the elephant to react appropriately and carefully manipulate even delicate objects, such as tortilla chips.
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The discovery has excited the research team who are working to apply the insights from nature to applications in robotics and intelligent systems.
“Bio-inspired sensors that have an artificial elephant-like stiffness gradient could give precise information with little computational cost purely by intelligent material design,” said Dr. Schulz.
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It was a day that some locals said was unlike any other they had ever seen when the party of Buddhist monks arrived barefoot on the steps of the National Cathedral, as snow still covered the ground.
“This is the moment I will remember for the rest of my life,” said the leader of the band of monks, Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara. “And I hope you do the same.”
For months, the nation has been captivated as some 19 senior monks, known as Bhikkhus, left the Hương Đạo Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, and walked 2,300 miles to the nation’s capital for the sake of peace.
These 19 men came from monasteries around the Theravada Buddhist world to partake in a long-practiced tradition to spread peace by walking long distances. The word “Vipassana” refers to a practice of meditational beathing taught by the Buddha, one which Ven. Pannakara taught at Dharma talks given along their 15-week journey.
For a country that is often espoused to be a Christian nation, the saffron-sight of the monks walking silently in bare feet along the roads captivated the city and country, and drawn millions of followers to the Walk for Peace social media pages.
As they snaked their way down Wisconsin Avenue, thousands cheered, but thousands more understood enough to explain that it was more correct to remain quiet, or to say “Sadhu!” which means “wisely done,” in Pali, the language that the Buddha spoke.
The first public stop in DC was American University’s Bender Arena, where 3,500 people watched in silence as the monks entered to speak. Later, their journey culminated in front of the National Cathedral where Washington Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde hosted an interfaith gathering to welcome their arrival.
There, Ven. Pannakara, himself rather soft-spoken, invited the thousands of onlookers to share the moment in withdrawn silence and breathing, while the cold air passed through bare tree branches, and the bells rang out overhead. To each, the Bhikkhu said, recite this mantra: “Today will be my peaceful day.”
After resting at a fire department, which had been their lot since the start of their journey, Wednesday saw them pass in front of Capitol Hill, before their final public act—an enormous gathering on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
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“In the 40 years I have lived in Washington I have NEVER experienced such beautiful, respectful and loving series of public events,” commented on resident, Nicole Krakora, in a Facebook post following the event. “Beautiful silence.”
Many noted the similarities to Martin Luther King’s speech on the same steps.
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One of the largest private land purchases for conservation in California’s Bay Area was just carried out to save a historic ranch from being turned into a sand quarry.
Before it was called Sargent Ranch, it was the sacred home of the Amah Mutsun Indian Band, and now it’s going to be protected for what one would assume to be a long, long time to come.
Located in south Santa Clara County, the ranch is about 27 miles from Monterey Bay. Here, the Palo Alto-based nonprofit Peninsula Open Space Trust, (POST) just completed the third purchase agreement that will see all but 7% of the original 6,500-acre Sargent Ranch leave the hands of developers who have sought environmental permitting for a sand and gravel quarry for a decade.
Challenged in court by environmental groups over the ranch’s historic and connective value for native species like badger, deer, mountain lions, bald eagles, and steelhead trout, the developers eventually relented and sold.
“[T]his property represents one of our region’s most ecologically and culturally significant landscapes,” said POST President Gordon Clark in a statement. “To date, we have acquired three properties in the area, protecting a total of 6,114 acres of the 6,500-acre ranch. The remaining 480 acres are under contract and we expect to conserve them in late 2026.”
“Our number one reason to conserve this land is that it’s a major win for biodiversity, safeguarding habitats and essential landscape connectivity for species that journey between the Santa Cruz Mountains, Gabilan, and Diablo Ranges.”
The Amah Mutsun band had lived in the area for presumably hundreds of years before it was the site of colonization through a Spanish mission. In the mid-1800s, the ranch’s namesake, James P. Sargent, purchased the property with his fortune from California’s Gold Rush. Under his ownership, the grounds included a railroad depot, saloon, and other infrastructure.
Since then, the property has had several owners and has been subject to various unrealized plans for development. Most recently, a group of investors called Sargent Ranch Partners LLC proposed a sand and gravel mine on the site.
The Partners first sought approval for a 403-acre, open-put gravel mine in 2015, and encountered vigorous resistance by environmental groups. The current owner made no comment on his team’s sale to POST, which has exceeded $63 million raised primarily from Silicon Valley benefactors and private donations, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
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Now that the ranch is out of the development line, it’s not clear what will happen to it. The Sentinel reports that Clark will organize some studies on the land focusing on the movements of the native animal species, while the Amah Mutsun will be brought onboard through a kind of stewardship, co-ownership agreement.
It could eventually be transferred into county hands, to join the system of some 28 parks managed by the Santa Clara parks department.
“We want to be supportive,” said Todd Lofgren, director of the department. “We are going to work with the partners and community to help create a plan everyone is excited about.”
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In his statement, Clark said the results of the field studies will determine how his group will move forward.
“POST is working closely with a variety of partners, including the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, Amah Mutsun Land Trust, Santa Clara County Parks, the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency, Valley Water, the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, and the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, among others,” he said.
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Quote of the Day: “Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.” – Niels Bohr
Photo by: Rajesh Kavasseri
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Happy 76th Birthday to Peter Gabriel, the English singer-songwriter who is one of the most influential progressive rock innovators of all time. At 17, he founded the band Genesis—and later launched a successful solo career, winning six Grammy Awards. WATCH the ground-breaking Sledgehammer video… (1950)
A woman whose new prosthetic leg was swept out to sea is “over the moon” after she found it 10 months later, it having been swept right back to the beach where she lost it.
Last April, 69-year-old Brenda Ogden lost her custom-made titanium blade-style prosthesis moments before a swim in the North Sea.
She was posing for a picture with a swimming group she was a part of when a huge wave knocked them all down and took her titanium blade back out to sea with it.
Ogden had her leg amputated below the knee five years earlier following a horrific car crash. The now-retired nurse revealed she waited for over a year to get the false leg, and had only had the blade for a week before the disaster on the beach.
“The leg was specially made to allow me to access water easily,” Ogden told England’s Southwest News Service. “I had never swum in the sea before that day and it was on my bucket list to do so.”
The prosthesis had cost her over $2,000, and her swimming group rallied around their member to look for it. Yet a search on the sand that lasted the whole day yielded nothing, and Ogden returned home distraught.
She had been an avid runner, and began to warm to the idea of swimming as a way of restarting physical activity following the crash. “I depended on the leg to be able to do water sports,” she said, adding that she “packed in” the idea after the loss.
10 months later, 38-year-old Elizabeth Forbes was walking along a beach in Hornsea, East Yorkshire, looking for fossils. Something caught her eye; not a fossil, but maybe a gas cylinder, she thought.
“I saw an unusual looking strange shape from the corner of my eye when I was walking,” Forbes said. “I was curious about what it was so I walked over and there it was trapped on top of some fallen rocks.”
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She then posted a picture of her strange find on a Facebook group called Holderness Coast Fossils, where it was identified as Brenda’s. Forbes originally left the leg where she found it, but returned around noon the next day hoping to deliver it back to Brenda at some point in the near future.
“I have a feeling Brenda thought she might never see the leg again, so I was chuffed to have found it for her and to deliver it back,” she said.
Ogden described herself as being “over the moon” after hearing it was found.
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“I have spent the last couple of months mourning the loss as I had literally lost a part of me,” she described. “I had come to terms that I might never see it again, but the fact that it has been found is just brilliant. Thank god for Lizzie.”
“I’m glad I will be able to give swimming another go now.”
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