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Strangers Send Over 60 Pairs of Tiny Shoes For a Chicken With Missing Toes–LOOK

By
Andy Corbley
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credit Meesh Davignon.

A California dog walker had the opportunity to adopt a disabled chicken, and social media loved him so much they’ve sent over 60 pairs of tiny shoes and boots.

The Malaysian Serama breed chicken lost his toes to leg scale mites, a debilitating arachnoid parasite. New owner Meech Davignon of Escondido California had to suffocate them using vaseline and cotton wool which she had to change three times a day.

Nursing him back to health, she began affectionately calling him “Nubz” after the short ends of his toes.

But this loving attention won her a most charismatic chicken, who “rules the roost” among her dogs, cats, guinea pigs, and 11 other chickens, even though he hobbled around.

Davignon realized he had trouble moving on hard surfaces, and remembered she had a pair of tiny dog slippers that her smallest pooch never used. She thought they might help Nubz.

“As he got more comfortable wearing his little shoes, I’d leave them on longer each time,” Davignon told the Washington Post. “Pretty soon, he was getting around a lot better than he did without them because they were great little mobility devices. I’d let him wear them to walk on wood chips and anything else that was rough on his feet.”

Last January, the odd couple celebrated 1 year of companionship, and Davignon celebrated by making a TikTok account for Nubz with videos of him walking about in his little slippers. It created a viral firestorm of interest in the chicken, with commenters asking if it would be okay to send Nubz more shoes.

@calliopenubz

Because it deserves more attention, just look at his little strut 😭🥰❤️ This little dude has improved so much!!! Help us share his awesomeness! Please like, comment, share, interact... we are trying to raise money for a sanctuary and every view helps us ❤️❤️❤️

♬ original sound - Calliope Nubz

“They’ve been a great blessing—it’s surreal to have so many people love my tiny little chicken,” said Davignon.

The packages began arriving by the dozen, and soon Nubz could pick between Sunday shoes, blue suede shoes, dinosaur claw boots, plush booties, sandals, and more.

She keeps them all in a dresser in her room, and every time a new pair comes in the mail she posts a video on TikTok of the chicken strutting his stuff. Davignon said his favorite pair are some dark blue boots that look somewhat like Ugs. He can move about faster than normal in them.

MORE SOCIAL MEDIA STARS: Farmer Filmed the Adorable Moment His Newborn Quails Caused a Mini Stampede in His Home

Currently, the 3-year-old bird is in physical rehab for a pair of degenerative disks in his neck, which she was able to treat with—get this—avian acupuncture, with the help of her TikTok followers.

Currently in a little wheelchair, she is sure he will be back to his plucky self before long.

SHARE The Social Media Sensation of Poultry in Boots With Your Friends… 

Deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest Drops Sharply in One Year–Fewest Acres Since 2019

By
Andy Corbley
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MAAP shows over 50% improvement in forest loss in Brazil over the last year – MAAProject.org
MAAP shows over 50% improvement in forest loss in Brazil over the last year – MAAProject.org

Deforestation across the Amazon Rainforest has fallen by 55% this year, marking the lowest amounts since 2019, and somewhat of a major victory to recently-elected leftist governments in Brazil and Colombia.

The data was provided to Reuters via the Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project, which tracks forest cover and loss across all the nations of the Amazon using the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 satellite.

The data showed a 59% drop in primary forest loss in Brazil, which promisingly runs very close to the numbers provided by Brazil’s government under Luiz Ignacio de Silva, who ran on a part-environmental platform.

Peru’s forest loss decreased by one-third, and Colombia’s by two-thirds. Many former guerillas that control parts of the forest have begun working in environmental sectors, and Reuters believes this might be part of why deforestation fell so much in Colombia.

Bolivia also saw a drop in the rate of forest loss by 60% despite battling several severe wildfires.

Among countries that experienced increased rates of forest loss, (Venezuela, Suriname, and Guyana) MAAP says this is down to natural causes like floods, mudslides, and strong winds.

MORE POSITIVE TRENDS LIKE THIS: Loss of Climate-Crucial Mangrove Forests Has Slowed to Near-Negligible Amount Worldwide, Report Hails

Some scientists believe that the Amazon Rainforest’s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide is the Earth’s greatest tool to prevent climate change. Some rainforests, such as those in Costa Rica are theorized as being net-carbon sources rather than sinks because of the poor soil and rapid decomposition of biomass, but the Amazon hasn’t been studied in this way.

MAAP believes the deforestation data will allow the Amazonian countries to have a strong negotiating position for international conservation funding at the upcoming summit for the signatures of the Paris Agreement, or COP28.

SHARE This Super Positive Trend With Your Friends… 

“The most worthwhile thing is trying to put happiness into the lives of others.” – Robert Baden-Powell

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “The most worthwhile thing is trying to put happiness into the lives of others.” – Robert Baden-Powell

Photo by: Kostiantyn Li

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?

California Teen Passes the Bar Exam at 17– Now He’s a Practicing Attorney

By
Andy Corbley
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credit - Tulare county district attorney
credit – Tulare County District Attorney

Glasses on, Peter Park has a superpower, but it isn’t spinning webs and catching thieves just like flies, it’s a brilliant brain that has seen him become the youngest attorney in California’s history.

In a legal history-making moment, the Korean American currently working at the Tulare County District Attorney’s office as a law clerk passed the rigorous California bar exam on his first attempt, making him the youngest person to ever pass the exam at age 17.

At the age of 13, in 2019, Park began high school at Oxford Academy in Cypress, CA. Simultaneously, Park enrolled in a four-year juris doctor program at Northwestern California University School of Law utilizing a state bar rule that allows students to apply to law school through the completion of College Level Proficiency Exams (CLEPS).

After graduating high school in 2021 Park focused on law school and graduated in 2023.

“It was not easy, but it was worth it. It required discipline and strategy to pass the Bar, and I made it in the end. I am extremely blessed to have discovered this path, and my hope is that more people will realize that alternative paths exist to becoming an attorney,” Park said.

MORE INSPIRING TEENS: Teens Say They Have New Proof for 2,000-Year-Old Mathematical Theorem, a Method Scholars Thought Impossible

“I aspire to become a prosecutor because I am driven by a moral obligation to uphold liberty, equality, and justice in society. I admire how prosecutors keep our community safe and bring closure to victims.”

California is considered the nation’s toughest bar exam along with Delaware. Half of all attempts fail.

SHARE This Super Teen’s Incredible Accomplishment With Your Friends… 

US Sets Policy to Seize Patents of Government-Funded Drugs if Price Deemed Too High

By
Andy Corbley
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– National Cancer Institute
– National Cancer Institute

The Biden Administration last week announced it would be seizing patents for drugs and drug manufacturing procedures developed using government money.

A draft of the new law, seen by Reuters, said that the government will consider various factors including whether a medical situation is leading to increased prices of the drug at any given time, or whether only a small section of Americans can afford it.

The new executive order is the first exercise in what is called “march-in-rights” which allows relevant government agencies to redistribute patents if they were generated under government funding. The NIH has long maintained march-in-rights, but previous directors have been unwilling to use them, fearing consequences.

“We’ll make it clear that when drug companies won’t sell taxpayer funded drugs at reasonable prices, we will be prepared to allow other companies to provide those drugs for less,” White House adviser Lael Brainard said on a press call.

But just how much taxpayer money is going toward funding drugs? A research paper from the Insitute for New Economic Thought showed that “NIH funding contributed to research associated with every new drug approved from 2010-2019, totaling $230 billion.”

The authors of the paper continue, writing “NIH funding also produced 22 thousand patents, which provided marketing exclusivity for 27 (8.6%) of the drugs approved [between] 2010-2019.”

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE TO READ: Billionaire Mark Cuban Opens Online Pharmacy To Provide Affordable Generic Drugs

How we do drug discovery and production in America has a number of fundamental flaws that have created problems in the health service industry.

It costs billions of dollars and sometimes as many as 5 to 10 years to bring a drug to market in the US, which means that only companies with massive financial muscle can do so with any regularity, and that smaller, more innovative companies can’t compete with these pharma giants.

This also means that if a company can’t recoup that loss, a single failed drug can result in massive disruptions to business. To protect themselves, pharmaceutical companies establish piles of patents on drugs and drug manufacturing procedures. Especially if the drug in question treats a rare or obscure disease, these patents essentially ensure the company has monoselective pricing regimes.

GOVERNMENT ACTION: New National Monument Spans 1 Million Sacred Acres Linking Indian Reservations to the Grand Canyon

However, if a company can convince the NIH that a particular drug should be considered a public health priority, they can be almost entirely funded by the government, as the research paper showed.

Some market participants, in this case the famous billionaire investor Mark Cuban, have attempted to remedy the issue of drug costs in America by manufacturing generic versions of patented drugs sold for common diseases.

SHARE This Responsible Government Action With Your Friends… 

Pilot Announces in a Heartwarming Reveal That Young Passenger is Now Cancer Free (Watch)

By
Andy Corbley
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credit @goodindid, taken from TikTok.
credit @goodindid, taken from TikTok.

Make-A-Wish Foundation is famous for giving kids moments they’ll never forget, even if their time is limited to remember them.

But a sneaky trick, played with the help of a cooperative airline pilot and passengers gave a child named Jacob an experience in every way equal to meeting Michael Jordan or John Cena.

A boy named Jacob was flying with his mother when the pilot suddenly chimed in on the intercom saying he was proud of the young man.

“Jacob, just before takeoff, a representative from Make-A-Wish made contact with the airline. We were informed that you no longer meet the requirements to be a Make-A-Wish candidate,” he said.

CHECK THIS OUT: Toddler Given Cancer Prognosis of 6-12 Months Defies the Odds to be Declared Cancer-Free in 8 Months

Posted on TikTok by a story feed called @bestindid, the pilot adds that Jacob would still have his wish of going to Disney (sic), but “according to your most recent exam, you have many more years to take all the trips you could ever dream of.”

At that point the pilot invites the “big man” to stand up and look behind him, where three passengers in the row behind them were holding up colored signs that read “You Are Cancer Free!”

Applause erupted as Jacob and his mother embraced in the aisle, while commenters on the video shared similar experiences, or simply said how hard they were crying.

WATCH the video below…

@bestindid Replying to @bestindid ♬ original sound - 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 🎒

SHARE This Unforgettable Moment For This Mom And Son On Social Media… 

History Enthusiasts Found a Buried 15th Century Royal Palace All on Their Own– ‘Against all odds’

By
Andy Corbley
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Collyweston Historical and Preservation Society – CHAPS
Collyweston Historical and Preservation Society – CHAPS

In a true underdog story, a group of “amateurs” used historical material to locate the buried remains of Collyweston Palace, owned by the grandmother of Henry VIII, Margaret Beaufort.

In the English shire of Northampton, a local historical society had been searching for the palace for 5 years, and located it with the help of ground-penetrating radar.

“We’re just a bunch of amateurs really, with no money, no plans, just a lot of enthusiasm and against all the odds we have unearthed this,” Chris Close, a member of the Collyweston Historical and Preservation Society, or “CHAPS” for short.

Collyweston Manor was listed as a historical site by Historic England back in 1967, but the only evidence anything was there were fish ponds and a barn. The first inkling the CHAPS volunteers had that they discovered something important was the moment their radar scans indicated buried walls and foundations of the palace.

Falling into disrepair by 1650, it was bought by the Dutch Tryon family who built another house on the site. The following excavations done by CHAPS needed the cooperation of several landowners.

CHAPS had raised £14,000 ($17,500) in local grant money for the project, and fortunately their efforts not only succeeded in locating and identifying the foundations and stone moldings of the buildings, but they attracted the attention of better-funded professionals who could help out.

MORE FINDS FROM ENGLAND’S PAST: 2,000-Year-Old Roman Road Uncovered in British Field is Like No Other–And of ‘Global Importance’

Currently in the second stage of excavations, more radar scans will be employed to ascertain what each building might have been used for while diggers carefully ensure any artifacts present are preserved for a local museum exhibit at Lady Margaret’s Chapel in Collyweston.

“We will also be able to obtain other useful information that will enable us to work out the architectural style along with other important dating evidence,” CHAPS said. “As far as we can tell, the last royal to stay at Collyweston was Elizabeth I who is recorded as holding court here on 3 August 1566.”

SHARE The Efforts Of Collyweston’s Historic And Preservation Society… 

“The pine stays green in winter—wisdom in hardship.” – Norman Douglas

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “The pine stays green in winter—wisdom in hardship.” – Norman Douglas

Photo by: Robert Thiemann

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?

Student Nurse Had to Couch Surf–But She Just Won a $5M Home in London

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Good News Network
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A 49-year-old recently had to live with friends so she could afford to continue her studies when her rent rose.

But she’s just won the keys to a stunning Chelsea townhouse worth a whopping 5 million in West London.

She’s the latest winner of a charity draw organized by Omaze—after buying a ticket for the lottery that raised 2,600,000 in the UK for the NHS (National Health Service).

Oceanne Belle’ won the 4-story home with a $10 ticket. The beautiful townhouse in the sought-after area of Kensington and Chelsea comes mortgage free, with all the tax and legal fees covered.

She studies full-time at the University of Sunderland in London, and will finish her Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Social Care in January—and she’s free to either live in the house, rent it out, or sell it and become a cash multi-millionaire.

When Omaze first tried to contact Oceanne to tell her she’d scooped the prize, she blocked the number because she didn’t recognize it.

She now says winning the house is the “best Christmas present ever”.

“It was a Friday night and I’d been writing a dissertation all day and feeling a bit down in the dumps, as it’s so stressful. I got a few calls from a number I didn’t know so I blocked it, twice!”

Then the Omaze prize team showed up at her address.

“I was greeted by the Omaze team singing funny Christmas carols. Then the next thing I knew I’d won a house and my life had changed forever.”

SWNS / Omaze

“I never win anything and had only ever entered Omaze draws twice before. I guess it’s a case of, third time lucky!

“When they told me I’d won the grand prize I was shaking,” said Oceanne, who’s studying to become a pediatric nurse. “It’s so crazy that last week I was technically ‘sofa surfing’ at a friend’s flat. It’s just unbelievable.

LOL: Public was Invited to Name the City‘s Snowplows–And They are Hilarious

OMAZE / SWNS

“I can now invite all my family over. I absolutely love cooking and can’t wait to use the kitchen – it’s an amazing feeling.

She still wants to fulfill her dream of becoming a nurse—and this win will help her to achieve that.

“I’m thrilled this Omaze draw has raised so much money for NHS Charities,” she added. “I’ve recently had a long stay in hospital, so I know firsthand how incredible the work the NHS does is. I owe my life to the NHS and wouldn’t be here today without them.”

The Chief Executive at NHS Charities Together, said, “This incredible amount of money will help us provide life-saving equipment, volunteers, and training that will save lives.”

SOFTIE CELEBRITY: Missing Pig Named Kevin Bacon Reunited with Owners After Help from Kevin Bacon

James Oakes from Omaze, said the drawing is their biggest-ever funding drive for a charity partner. GNN has previously written about their contests with celebrities like Robert Downey Jr., raising money for his charity.

One Brit who spent his life helping the disabled won a 2.5 million country home in a previous drawing. And another home is ready to win (in Somerset) for UK residents only at their website—omaze.co.uk.

SPREAD the $10 Lottery for Homes in the UK By Sharing on Social Media…

Detroit’s Newest Road Can Now Charge Electric Cars as They Drive on it

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Good News Network
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Electreon
Electreon

Detroit, Michigan celebrated a major milestone in the future of vehicle electrification, as crews finished installing the nation’s first wireless-charging public roadway last month.

Using technology from Electreon, 14th Street is now equipped with inductive-charging coils that will charge electric vehicles (EVs) equipped with receivers as they drive on the road.

The road will be used to test and perfect the Israeli company’s wireless-charging technology in a real-world environment to perfect it ahead of making it available to the public in the next few years.

“We’re excited to spearhead the development and deployment of America’s first wireless charging road,” said Dr. Stefan Tongur, Electreon vice president of business development. “This milestone stands as a testament to our collaborative efforts with the State of Michigan and the Department of Transportation (MDOT).”

The charging road, which runs between Marantette and Dalzelle streets, paves the way for addressing range limitations of EVs,

The move toward electrification was touted by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who announced the pilot initiative in September 2021 to develop the nation’s first wireless charging infrastructure on a public road, after MDOT and Electreon entered a five-year commitment to develop the electric road system (ERS).

BIG EV News: Real World Test Shows All-Electric Big Rigs Can Go Farther and Charge Faster

Road segment in Gotland Sweden – Electreon

Electreon’s wireless charging technology is based on inductive coupling between copper coils installed below the road surface and receivers installed on the underside of electric vehicles. The road only transfers its electricity using a magnetic field when a vehicle with a receiver nears the in-road charging segments.

These charging segments can transfer wireless electricity directly to the car battery when the vehicle is parked (static charging) or is driving (dynamic charging). The electric road is safe for drivers, pedestrians and wildlife. Each coil in the road is activated only when a vehicle with an approved receiver passes over the coil. This ensures that energy transfer is controlled and provided only to vehicles that require it.

MDOT and Electreon agreed to install a combined mile of inductive-charging roadway in Detroit’s historic Corktown neighborhood. The charging road runs alongside the Newlab at Michigan Central Building, home to more than 60 tech and mobility startups, allowing for the further testing and advancement of this next-generation technology.

CHECK OUT: Full Battery Charge in 15 Minutes: World’s Fastest Electric Car Charger is Launched

In 2024, MDOT will begin seeking bids to rebuild part of US-12 (Michigan Avenue), which will see additional inductive charging installed. Electreon has also installed two static inductive charging stations in front of Michigan Central Station, which will be able to charge Electreon-equipped vehicles while they are parked.

Extensive testing of the inductive charging technology will continue in early 2024. Using a Ford E-Transit electric commercial van provided by Ford Motor Co. and equipped with the Electreon receiver, staff will test the efficiency and operations of the vehicle and study potential long-term public transportation opportunities.

“Making it easier for EV users to find a reliable charging source without disrupting their commute supports both fleet operations and passenger travel,” said MDOT Director Bradley C. Wieferich.

WOAH! California Highway Just Became the First State Road Made From Recycled Plastic in the US

Electreon operates 18 projects across eight countries, including powering buses in Israel and electrifying roads in France, China, Norway, and Sweden. And, Electreon’s wireless in-road charging technology was named one of the world’s top 100 inventions for 2021 by Time Magazine.

DRIVE This Cool Story to EV Drivers By Sharing on Social Media…

Golf Lover Creates Tiger Woods Portrait—Entirely Made of 25,000 Golf Tees (Photos)

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Good News Network
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Art by Aaron Norris (SWNS pic)
Art by Aaron Norris (SWNS pic)

A golf fan has created a stunning portrait of Tiger Woods made out of 25,000 new and broken golf tees.

Aaron Norris finished the artwork last month and has already sold it for an undisclosed amount.

The 43-year-old artist says he got the idea after spotting broken tees strewn across his local course. He started picking them up, so they could become part of a future pallet.

The 6-foot x 6-foot wall art depicts one of the most famous faces in all of sports reading a putt.

“This was an idea I had been thinking about for a long time,” admits the resident of Missouri.

“Every time I played golf I would see all these broken golf tees laying on every tee box. I would always say ‘I could make something out of those’.

Missouri artist Aaron Norris created a stunning mural of Tiger Woods – SWNS

“Over the summer and fall, I started picking them up and saving them. I also had all of my neighbors who played golf saving them for me too.”

Eventually, he decided that he would create a portrait of Tiger Woods, who is tied for most lifetime PGA Tour wins.

Roughly half of the 25,000 golf tees used were collected; he spent $400 buying the other tees.

LOOK: Artist Creates Stunning Portraits Using Just Pebbles–Watch Amazing Time Lapse Video

Previous works by the artist includes a Muhammad Ali oil canvas, an Elon Musk mosaic bead portrait, and a painting of the Kelce brothers, two NFL football stars.

“I’m from the Kansas City area, and when the Royals won the World Series in 2015, I began to get a lot of sports commissions.

“Then a few years later, the Chiefs started winning Super Bowls and the commission work for sports art really started to flood in.

SWNS

But he’s never utilized actual sports equipment to create his artwork before this fascinating work.

BRICK BOSSES: Seniors Build Christmas Tree and Fireplace With Santa’s Feet Sticking Out—All Made of LEGOs

DRIVE This Creative Inspiration to Golf Fans on Social Media…

Electrical Brain Stimulation Improves Mental Processes in Alzheimer’s Patients

By
Andy Corbley
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Bret Kavanaugh
Bret Kavanaugh

Researchers found that twice-daily current stimulation sessions of around 20 minutes improved the memory and overall cognitive performance of elderly people living with Alzheimer’s disease.

The innovative technology, known as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), could also be used as a treatment to improve brain plasticity in Alzheimer’s sufferers through the formation of new neural networks, collections of neurons that fire together.

The tDCS technology is delivered via a device with two electrodes placed over specific areas of a person’s head, which transmits a constant, low-intensity electrical current.

It’s already beginning to be used across many areas of medicine, including for the treatment of depression, and a similar method was even able to zap paralyzed limbs into motion again.

The researchers from China recruited 140 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s and randomly allocated whether they would receive the two daily sessions of the active low-intensity current, or a sham version of the tDCS in a control or placebo group.

Each participant received their respective treatment five days a week, over a maximum period of six weeks.

All participants were over the age of 65 and had had the disease for more than six months, with all also having scored below 26 on the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), in which a score of less than 24 is seen as abnormal and indicative of cognitive impairment.

The currents were applied to the prefrontal cortex—the region of the brain involved in higher-order activities such as planning, decision-making, working memory, moderating social behaviors, and controlling aspects of speech and language.

The researchers then used a different scale called the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Test, which focuses on language and memory, to evaluate cognitive performance at the start of the trial, after two weeks, and again after six weeks.

The results of the study showed that after two weeks, tDCS significantly improved the cognitive function of those who received the treatment, particularly their word recall, recall of test instructions, and word recognition.

No such improvements were noticed in the group receiving the sham treatment.

The results also showed that although cortical plasticity is impaired in those with Alzheimer’s, this improved in patients after six weeks of tDCS.

MORE ALZHEIMER’S TREATMENT UPCOMING: Is This the End of Alzheimer’s? MEND Protocol of Precision Lifestyle Changes Leads to Compelling Clinical Trials

“Taken together, tDCS is a promising method for improving cognitive function with sufficient treatment,” First author Liu Xingxing, from the Zhejiang University in China.

“tDCS can significantly improve the working memory of older patients, and the stimulation changes the resting-state functional connectivity of the frontoparietal brain region,” the authors wrote. 

SHARE This With Anyone You Know Who’s Had An Alzheimer’s Diagnosis… 

“Water is the driving force of all nature.” – Leonardo da Vinci

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Water is the driving force of all nature.” – Leonardo da Vinci

Photo by: Aaron Burden

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?

Christmas Fairytale Rings out: Mourners Dance at Epic Irish Funeral for Beloved Pogues’ Singer Shane MacGowan–LOOK

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Good News Network
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Funeral-goers dance in front of wicker casket at service for 65-year-old Irish singer-songwriter Shane MacGowan.
Funeral-goers dance in front of wicker casket at service for 65-year-old Irish singer-songwriter Shane MacGowan.

Thousands of mourners lined the streets of Dublin yesterday to bid farewell to Irish hero Shane MacGowan, the punk rocker who elevated traditional Celtic music to new heights as co-founder of the band The Pogues.

After his death at age 65 from months of complications and pneumonia, his horse-drawn carriage cortege wound through two miles of the city’s streets where musicians gathered and fans joined them in singing songs like Dirty Old Town and A Pair of Brown Eyes as the procession passed by.

As the casket rolled through his hometown of Nenagh draped in the Irish flag, his 1988 hit, If I Should Fall From Grace With God, was pounding from speakers, while the crowd clapped and cheered him on his way.

“Let me go boys, let me go boys… Let me go down in the mud where the rivers all run dry.”

But it was the Irish funeral service, in a nearby church in County Tipperary, that truly demonstrated how to say goodbye to a lively character such as Shane: make it a celebration.

One highlight for the crowd gathered at the public church service was when musicians got up and sang Shane’s unforgettable Christmas song, Fairytale of New York.

Glen Hansard from the band The Frames got a standing ovation on lead vocal and guitar, while John Sheahan from The Dubliners played his tin whistle. The joyful emotions rose to such a height that friends and family escaped the rows of benches to dance in the aisles.

MacGowan singing with The Pogues at a Washington DC St. Patrick’s Day concert in 2011 – by Geri Weis-Corbley

Shane’s friend Johnny Depp, who read a prayer, called the exceptional songwriter “the maestro”, and Bono shared a message via video. Nick Cave also performed MacGowan’s moving ballad A Rainy Night in Soho at the piano.

You can watch the whole funeral below, but we’ve started the video on Fairytale of New York…

People on the streets of Dublin also rang out spontaneously with the lyrics of the poignant Christmas tale—living proof that the hard-living MacGowan will never be forgotten—especially in December…

SEND AN IRISH FAREWELL to Fans by Sharing on Social Media…

Fossil Thought for Years to be a Plant is Really a Baby Turtle–Now Nicknamed after Pokemon Character

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Good News Network
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SWNS
SWNS

A fossil thought for years to be a plant turns out to be a baby turtle—and surprised researchers have nicknamed it “Turtwig” after a Pokemon character that is half-turtle, half-plant.

From the 1950s to the 1970s, a priest named Padre Gustavo Huertas collected rocks and fossils near a town called Villa de Levya in Colombia.

Two of the specimens he found were small, round rocks patterned with lines that looked like leaves. He classified them as a type of fossilized plant.

But a new study, published in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica, researchers re-examined the “plant” fossils and found that they weren’t plants at all: they were the remains of baby turtles.

“It was truly surprising,” said Héctor Palma-Castro, a paleobotany student at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

The plants in question had been described by the priest in 2003 as Sphenophyllum colombianum. The fossils come from Early Cretaceous rocks dating back to between 113 and 132 million years ago, during the dinosaur days.

Fossils of Sphenophyllum colombianum would have been rare at that time, as the other known members of the genus Sphenophyllum died out more than 100 million years prior.

The plants’ age and locality piqued the interest of Colombian-born Dr. Fabiany Herrera, the assistant curator of fossil plants at the Field Museum in the United States, and his student, Mr. Palma-Castro.

Dr. Herrera recalled, “We went to the fossil collection at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogotá and started looking at the plants, and as soon as we photographed them, we thought, ‘this is weird.’”

At first glance, at two inches in diameter, the fossils looked like rounded nodules containing the preserved leaves of the plant Sphenophyllum. But the pair noticed key features that weren’t quite right.

Drawing of the rib and back bones, superimposed onto the fossil – SWNS

“Deciphering the shape and margin of the leaf proved challenging,” said Palma-Castro.

LOOK: Portuguese Man Accidentally Finds 82-Foot-Long Dinosaur in His Backyard

“When you look at it in detail, the lines seen on the fossils don’t look like the veins of a plant, explained Dr. Herrera. “I was positive that it was most likely bone.”

Herrera reached out to an old colleague, Edwin-Alberto Cadena, a paleontologist who focuses on turtles and other vertebrates at the Universidad del Rosario in Bogotá. He confirmed the photos definitely looked like the bony upper shell of a turtle (carapace).

When he saw the scale of the photos, Prof. Cadena said, ‘Well, this is remarkable, because this is not only a turtle, but it’s also a hatchling specimen, it’s very, very small.”

Cadena and his student, Diego Cómbita-Romero, further examined the specimens, comparing them with the shells of both fossil and modern turtles.

“When we saw the specimen for the first time I was astonished, because the fossil was missing the typical marks on the outside of a turtle’s shell,” said Cómbita-Romero. “It was a little bit concave, like a bowl.

“At that moment we realized that the visible part of the fossil was the other side of the carapace, we were looking at the part of the shell that is inside the turtle.”

DINO NEWS: New Dinosaur With Rows of Bristles On its Head Like a Toothbrush Has Been Discovered

Details in the turtle’s bones helped the researchers estimate how old it was at death. The juvenile likely died when it was less than one year old.

“This is actually really rare to find hatchlings of fossil turtles in general,” said Cadena. “When the turtles are very young, the bones in their shells are very thin, so they can be easily destroyed.”

The researchers say that the rarity of fossilized baby turtles makes their discovery an important one. “Discoveries like these are truly special.”

The features that Padre Huertas thought were leaves and stems are actually the modified rib bones and vertebrae that make up the shell.

They nicknamed the specimen ‘Turtwig,’ after a Pokémon character that’s half-turtle, half-plant.

DID YOU KNOW: Long Before Trees Overtook the Land, Our Planet Was Covered by Giant Mushrooms

“In the Pokémon universe, you encounter the concept of combining two or more elements, such as animals, machines, and plants,” said Palma-Castro. “In this case, Turtwig—the baby turtle with a leaf attached to its head.”

UNEARTH THIS STORY for Pokemon Friends By Sharing on Social Media…

Sculptor Carves Life-sized Willy Wonka Using 220 Lbs of Chocolate in London’s Trafalgar Square (LOOK)

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Willy Wonka was immortalized in a life-sized chocolate sculpture by Jen Lindsey-Clark in London's Trafalgar Square – SWNS
Chocolate Sculptor Jen Lindsey-Clark unveils Willy Wonka statue in Trafalgar Square – SWNS

Artists spent 200 hours over two weeks carving a life-sized Willy Wonka using what else but chocolate.

The 6-ft 2-inch sculpture, inspired by the eponymous character in the new movie Wonka, was unveiled this week in London’s Trafalgar Square.

Sculpted into the character’s iconic pose, featuring a hat-tip and cane, the creation was moulded and hand crafted from more than 100 liters of melted chocolate by chocolate sculptor Jen Lindsey-Clark and a small team.

Only the head uses a non-cocoa center.

“As a chocolate sculptor, this was the absolute dream commission,” said Jen, who recently created a bust of King Charles ahead of the coronation.

“Just about everyone in the world of confectionary has been inspired by the magic of Willy Wonka and Dahl’s inventive storytelling one way or another.”

Willy Wonka was immortalized in a life-sized chocolate sculpture by Jen Lindsey-Clark in London’s Trafalgar Square – SWNS

“I grew up on the books and watched the original Wilder Wonka film religiously every Easter and Christmas as a child, so to have had the chance to bring such an enduring character to life in chocolate has been such a labor of love.”

Chocolate Sculptor Jen Lindsey-Clark applies final touches to sweet sculpture inspired by Timothée Chalamet’s Willy Wonka – SWNS

The new film, which features Timothée Chalamet as Wonka and Hugh Grant as the Oompa Loompa, was released on Friday by Warner Bros, and is the latest in a respectable line of films based on Roald Dahl’s literary classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

LOOK: Artist Hides Enormous Trolls in Forests Around the World Made of Recycled Wood

It follows the life of a younger Willy Wonka, chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world. It depicts the path he took to become the iconic candy maker which several generations have come to know and love.

The sculpture has since been moved so pedestrians wouldn’t begin nibbling on the velvety masterpiece.

WATCH a video about making the sculpture…

And check out the new Wonka film trailer below..

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Your Weekly Horoscope: A ‘Free Will Astrology’ From Rob Brezsny

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Our partner Rob Brezsny, who has a new book out, Astrology Is Real: Revelations from My Life as an Oracle, provides his weekly wisdom to enlighten our thinking and motivate our mood. Rob’s Free Will Astrology, is a syndicated weekly column appearing in over a hundred publications. He is also the author of Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How All of Creation Is Conspiring To Shower You with Blessings. (A free preview of the book is available here.)

Here is your weekly horoscope…

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY – Week of December 9, 2023
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Among our most impressive superpowers is the potency to transform ourselves in alignment with our conscious intentions. For example, if you feel awkward because you made an insensitive comment to a friend, you can take action to assuage any hurt feelings you caused and thereby dissolve your awkwardness. Or let’s say you no longer want to be closely connected to people who believe their freedom is more important than everyone else’s freedom. With a clear vision and a bolt of willpower, you can do what it takes to create that shift. These are acts of true magic—as wizardly as any occult ritual. I believe you will have extra access to this superpower in the coming weeks. Homework: Identify three situations or feelings you will use your magic to change.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
The eminent Capricorn philosopher William James (1842–1910) is referred to as the “Father of American Psychology.” He was a brilliant thinker who excelled in the arts of logic and reason. Yet he had a fundamental understanding that reason and logic were not the only valid kinds of intelligence. He wrote, “Rational consciousness is but one special type of consciousness, whilst all about it, parted from it by the filmiest of screens, there lie potential forms of consciousness entirely different.” This quote appears in his book The Varieties of Religious Experience. In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to investigate those other types of consciousness in the coming months. You don’t need drugs to do so. Simply state your intention that you want to. Other spurs: dreamwork, dancing, meditation, nature walks, and deep conversations.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Are people sometimes jealous or judgmental toward you for being so adept at multi-tasking? Are you weary of dawdlers urging you not to move, talk, and mutate so quickly? Do you fantasize about having more cohorts who could join you in your darting, daring leaps of logic? If you answered yes to these questions, I expect you will soon experience an enjoyable pivot. Your quick-change skills will be appreciated and rewarded more than usual. You will thrive while invoking the spiritual power of unpredictability.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Romantic relationships take work if you want them to remain vigorous and authentic. So do friendships. The factors that brought you together in the first place may not be enough to keep you bonded forever. Both of you change and grow, and there’s no guarantee your souls will continue to love being interwoven. If disappointment creeps into your alliance, it’s usually wise to address the issues head-on as you try to reconfigure your connection. It’s not always feasible or desirable, though. I still feel sad about the friend I banished when I discovered he was racist and had hidden it from me. I hope these ruminations inspire you to give your friendships a lot of quality attention in 2024. It will be an excellent time to lift the best ones up to a higher octave.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
I will cheer you on as you tenderly push yourself to be extra exploratory in the coming weeks. It’s exciting that you are contemplating adventures that might lead you to wild frontiers and half-forbidden zones. The chances are good that you will provoke uncanny inspirations and attract generous lessons. Go higher and deeper and further, dear Aries! Track down secret treasures and lyrical unpredictability! Explore the possible meanings of the term “holy rebellion.”

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
In January, I will tempt you to be a spirited adventurer who undertakes smart risks. I will invite you to consider exploring unknown territory and expanding the scope of your education. But right now, I advise you to address your needs for stability and security. I encourage you to take extra good care of your comfort zone and even add some cozy new features to it. Here’s a suggestion: Grab a pen and paper, or open a new file on your favorite device, then compose a list of *everything* you can do to feel exceedingly safe and supported.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Booker T. Washington (1856–1915) was an American Black leader who advocated a gradual, incremental approach to fighting the effects of racism. Hard work and good education were the cornerstones of his policies. Then there was W. E. B. Dubois (1868–1963). He was an American Black leader who encouraged a more aggressive plan of action. Protest, agitation, pressure, and relentless demands for equal rights were core principles in his philosophy. In the coming months, I recommend a blend of these attitudes for you. You’ve got two big jobs: to improve the world you live in and get all the benefits you need and deserve from it.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
I periodically get a big jolt of feeling how much I don’t know. I am overwhelmed with the understanding of how meager my understanding of life really is. On the one hand, this is deflating to my ego. On the other hand, it’s wildly refreshing. I feel a liberating rush of relief to acknowledge that I am so far from being perfect and complete that there’s no need for me to worry about trying to be perfect or complete. I heartily recommend this meditation to you, fellow Cancerian. From an astrological perspective, now is a favorable time to thrive on fertile emptiness.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Have you reached your full height? If there were ever a time during your adult life when you would literally get taller, it might be in the coming weeks. And that’s not the only kind of growth spurt that may occur. Your hair and fingernails may lengthen faster than usual. I wouldn’t be shocked if your breasts or penis got bigger. But even more importantly, I suspect your healthy brain cells will multiply at a brisk pace. Your ability to understand how the world really works will flourish. You will have an increased flair for thinking creatively.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
I like Virgo author Cheryl Strayed‘s thoughts about genuine togetherness. She says, “True intimacy isn’t a cluster f*** or a psychodrama. It isn’t the highest highs and lowest lows. It’s a tiny bit of those things on occasion, with a whole lot of everything else in between. It’s communion and mellow compatibility. It’s friendship and mutual respect.” I also like Virgo author Sam Keen’s views on togetherness: “something intrinsically spiritual, the desire for a union so primal it can be called divine.” Let’s make those two perspectives your guideposts in the coming weeks, Virgo.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
According to my interpretation of your astrological prospects, you now have the capacity to accelerate quickly and slow down smoothly; to exult in idealistic visions and hunker down in pragmatic action; to balance exuberant generosity with careful discernment—and vice versa. In general, Libra, you have an extraordinary ability to shift moods and modes with graceful effectiveness—as well as a finely honed sense of when each mood and mode is exactly right for the situation you’re in. I won’t be surprised if you accomplish well-balanced miracles.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Dear God — Thank you a trillion times for never fulfilling those prayers I sent your way all those years ago. Remember? When I begged and pleaded with you to get me into a love relationship with You Know Who? I am so lucky, so glad, that you rejected my prayers. Though I didn’t see it then, I now realize that being in an intimate weave with her would have turned out badly for both her and me. You were so wise to deny me that misguided quest for “pleasure.” Now, I am asking you to perform a similar service for any Scorpio readers who may be beseeching you to provide them with experiences they will ultimately be better off without.

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

(Zodiac images by Numerologysign.com, CC license)

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“Whenever you do a thing, act as if all the world were watching.” – Thomas Jefferson

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Quote of the Day: “Whenever you do a thing, act as if all the world were watching.” – Thomas Jefferson

Photo by: Robert V. Ruggiero

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?

Virgin Atlantic Flight from London Makes History as First Transatlantic Jet Using 100% Sustainable Fuel

By
Andy Corbley
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A Virgin 787 - CC 2.0. Alan Wilson
A Virgin 787 – CC 2.0. Alan Wilson

It’s one thing to power green aviation in Europe where flights take 30 minutes to 3 hours; it’s another thing to send a jetliner across the Atlantic.

But that’s exactly what Virgin Atlantic was able to do for the first time in history, when a Boeing 787 flew from London’s Heathrow to JFK using sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) manufactured from cooking oil, waste crops, and waste food.

This kind of fuel is reckoned as emitting 50% to 70% fewer emissions than jet fuel, and since the whole of world aviation accounts for just 2.8% of global emissions, a 50% to 70% theoretical reduction would eliminate it as a priority in the fight against climate change.

Virgin’s 787 was filled up with 50 tonnes of SAF. Two types were used, with 88% derived from waste fats and the rest from waste products of corn farming in the US.

UK Transport Secretary Mark Harper was one of those on board the flight, and upon landing, declared, “history has been made.” The flight was not open to the paying public, but there were passengers.

Sir Richard Branson, the company’s founder, said he knew it was just a first step.

“But you have to start somewhere,” he told the BBC. “And if we didn’t prove it can be done, you would never, ever get sustainable aviation fuel.”

MORE SUSTAINABLE JET FUELS: First Flight of Regional Jet-Powered by Hydrogen Fuel Cells–40-Seater is Largest Ever to Fly

Heavy machinery has difficulties in becoming green. Planes, trains, and heavy construction equipment need massive doses of portable power; the kind generated through diesel or kerosine. It needs to be not only portable and combustible, but also light enough not to disrupt weight restrictions.

OTHER AVIATION EVOLUTION: Hydrogen-Powered Swiss Jet May Herald Return of Supersonic Flight–And Cut Travel Time By 75%

For this reason, passenger jets are at the moment limited to SAF or hydrogen. In the spring of this year, a startup called ZeroAvia flew the largest aircraft (a 19-seater) ever powered by hydrogen which they hope to make available soon to decarbonize short national flights in Europe.

At the moment, SAF is used in just 0.1% of all fueling for passenger flights in the UK, where Virgin is headquartered.

The UK government has set plans to require 10% SAF in all airline fuels by 2030.

WATCH the historic moment below… 

SHARE This News With Climate Worryers You Know… 

These 385 Million-year-old Tree Roots Look Just Like Ours, and Tell a Tale Just Like Ours

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Andy Corbley
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Photo released to Smithsonian by William Stein and Christopher Berry
William Stein and Christopher Berry

Trees were one of the oldest dominant life forms on Earth, but the most important component of a tree, the roots, are currently shrouded in evolutionary mystery: when they first evolved, how they evolved; these are unanswered questions.

In New York’s Catskill mountain range, a fossilized forest is clueing in paleobotanists as to the origins of woody deciduous trees, and answering, if only partially, some of these questions.

The ancient woodland is 385 million years old. While their trunks have long since turned to dust, their root systems mineralized underground, and the imprints seen today outside Cairo, New York, look remarkably similar to those of our own forests today.

Yet they belong to a different sort of dendron, as they were species that predate the rise of seed disperses. The authors of a study on these Devonian root systems conclude trees came upon the strategy of roots early on, and have stuck with it essentially until our present time.

Belonging to the genus Archaeopteris, the roots branch out in sturdy and intricate patterns, were more able to guzzle up water and nutrients than the roots of other plants at the time, and also offered the support and solidity we associate with trees today.

While seemingly obvious, this was a radical new way for trees to live back in the mid-Devonian when Archaeopteris was evolving. The other dominant genera all had spindly, fast-growing roots that would be replaced over short intervals.

Photo released to Smithsonian by William Stein and Christopher Berry

While Archaeopteris wasn’t a seed-bearing tree, it had a large thick trunk that allowed it to grow both tall and wide, and broad leaves to soak up as much nutrients as possible. Combined with the roots, it shows this Devonian tree ancestor had a serious metabolic engine.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Nature’s Famous Spiral is Coded into 400 Million Years of Plants–But Not in This New Fossil

Nearby the forest at Cairo, another fossilized forest called Gilboa has long been thought to be the oldest in the world. But despite being separated by only 25 miles, the two ecosystems had several differences. Gilboa is filled with Eospermatopteris fossils, a genus that resembled tree ferns and which grew fleshy, hollow trunks, fronds instead of leaves,  and the spindly roots mentioned above.

Eospermatoperis may have succeeded in colonizing much of the world, but it was Archaeopteris that actually changed the world.

Giant crowns of leaves sopped carbon from the air, storing it in giant woody trunks and in deep woody root systems. The roots burrowed, and died, deep underground, altering the chemical makeup of the world’s soils forever. The leaves shaded the ground, preventing moisture and life from burning up under the sun’s rays. The whole Earth would have been experiencing a reverse of what it’s experiencing today as trees are cut down, carbon is released, and the ground is exposed to UV light.

MORE PALEOZOIC HISTORY: Long Before Trees Overtook the Land, Our Planet Was Covered by Giant Mushrooms

The Devonian experienced a prolonged period of glaciation resulting from the global cooling of so much carbon leaving the atmosphere, about 9°F or 5°C according to scientists. This resulted in an icebox state called the Late Paleozoic Ice Age which caused the Capitanian mass extinction event.

“What’s happening today is the opposite of what happened in the Devonian,” Paleobotanist William Stein, an author on the paper, told Smithsonian Magazine. “Once again, sweeping change begins and ends with trees.”

WATCH some drone footage of the forest… 

SHARE This Heritage Of Our Modern Trees With Your Friends… 

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