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Pole Vaulters Agree to Share Gold Medal in Unexpected Twist at High Stakes World Championship–WATCH

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Andy Corbley
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Pole vaulters Nina Kennedy and Katie Moon – Youtube / NBC Sports
Pole vaulters Nina Kennedy and Katie Moon – Youtube / NBC Sports

After matching each other in normal rounds, two Olympic pole vaulters continued to battle it out over three tiebreaker rounds to see who would get gold at the World Athletics Championships.

However, the tiebreakers proved inconclusive, with both Australia’s Nina Kennedy and American Katie Moon both making it over the 4.90 meter bar, but failing to get over the 4.95 meter one.

So with a kiss and a hug, the two athletes and longtime friends decided to share the gold medal, a choice which in such circumstances can be made if there’s a dead heat between two competitors.

“I didn’t think she’d want to share it, I thought we might have had to keep jumping,” Kennedy said afterwards, according to Olympics.com. “But, you know, I kind of looked at her and said, ‘Hey, girl, you maybe wanna share this?'”

“And the relief on her face — and you could see it on my face — and it was mutual. And yeah, absolutely incredible to share a medal with Katie Moon. You know, we’ve been friends for so long so it’s super special.”

Moon agreed, noting that it had been a long battle and that for four jumps they had done basically the same thing.

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS: Player’s Honesty Costs Him the Match, But Wins Hearts w/ Sportsmanship

The medal is Moon’s second world championship gold and Kennedy’s first.

The last time a gold medal was split was at the Tokyo Olympics, where Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim and Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi split the gold medal for the men’s high jump final.

WATCH the back and forth and ultimate decision below…

SHARE This Inspiring Moment In Athletics With Your Friends… 

“To see things in the seed, that is genius.” – Lao Tzu

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Star anise by Mae Mu

Quote of the Day: “To see things in the seed, that is genius.” – Lao Tzu

Photo by: Mae Mu

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?

Entire Family Shares Same Birthday as Twins Are Born the Same Day as Both Their Parents

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Scierra Blair and José Ervin with twins – SWNS
Scierra Blair and José Ervin with twins – SWNS

A couple with the same birthday is thrilled after their twins were born—on the same day. The entire family now shares the same birthday.

Scierra Blair couldn’t believe it when her doctor revealed their babies were ready to be born ten days earlier than their due date, and she was told to go straight to the hospital to deliver the twins.

She and her partner José Ervin welcomed the babies, José Jr. and Aria, 30 minutes after midnight on August 18 in Cleveland, Ohio.

The 30-year-olds were told one of the babies were breached, Scierra would have to have a C section.

“At this point it was around 5pm and they were healthy,” recalled José, “so I suggested we wait for a few hours so they could be born on our birthday.”

They met last year when Jose “kept seeing her around” and took it as a sign to speak to her. When she revealed her birthday to be the same as his, José thought she was joking until he saw her ID—then took it as another sign they should be together.

He is “beyond happy” that they can share their big day with their children now too.

WOW: Co-Workers Become BFFs, Then Discover They’re Actually Biological Sisters

“It’s the best birthday gift ever. I truly feel like it was a blessing from god and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

“To have my son with my name and the same birthday is amazing. The only difference is that I was born in 1992 and he was born in 2023.”

José said the twins and their mother have been resting and doing well.

Sister and brother already seem to have a close bond.

“Last night I saw my son was asleep and laid my daughter next to him.

”She noticed he was asleep and kind of kept trying to wake him up to speak to him.

LOOK AT HIM! Man Buys School Bus So He Can Take All 10 of His Grandkids to School Every Day

“I want them to be best friends forever and really close. This is my family and I feel so blessed.”

DOES ANYONE Else Know a Family Like This? Ask Your Friends On Social Media…

Ocean CleanUp Launches Huge System in Pacific Garbage Patch to Clean a Football Field Every 5 Seconds

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‘System 03’ is nearly three times as long as the previous system – Pictured surrounding System 2 – The Ocean Cleanup
‘System 03’ is nearly three times as long as the previous system – Pictured surrounding System 2 – The Ocean Cleanup

Last week, The Ocean Cleanup organization that has been tackling the Great Pacific Garbage Patch deployed their System 03 for the first time—nearly three times larger than the previous technology and capable of cleaning the area of a football field every five seconds.

This follows testing of their two smaller systems which succeeded in extracted over 275 tons of plastic from the Garbage Patch since 2021.

The arrival of System 03 marks a huge leap forward for the Dutch CEO Boyan Slat and his team, and their mission of ridding the oceans of at least 90% of the plastic trash by 2040.

System 03 consists of a floating barrier approximately 1.4 miles (2.2 km) long, which is towed between two slow-moving vessels. This barrier suspends a screen extending 13 feet (4 meters) below the surface of the water, where most floating plastic is encountered.

Once the trash is removed, an onboard crew sorts it to ensure the plastic is put to good use, by recycling it into sustainable new products.

Watch a video to see how it works…

Most recently, they teamed up with automaker Kia to incorporate the salvaged plastic into their new electric vehicles, with the first batch delivered to Kia on System 002’s final return to port earlier this summer.

To prove we could turn this trash into treasure, we used our first ocean catch to produce The Ocean Cleanup Sunglasses – made from plastic extracted directly from the GPGP with System 001/B in 2019. These sold out within 18 months and helped fund future cleanups.

ALOHA HAUL: Hawaii Group Sets Record For Largest Haul of Plastic Removed From The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

“By making System 03 so much bigger than our previous efforts (alongside the multiple upgrades we’ve implemented) we can cover a much larger area of ocean in less time and using fewer resources,” says The Ocean Cleanup. “This brings down our cost per kilogram of plastic removed and maximizes our benefit on the marine environment.”

There is even a Marine Animal Safety Hatch on the new model, which is monitored by underwater cameras, letting crew members provide any animals with a clear exit from their plastic Retention Zone.

What about trash flowing out from rivers?

Simultaneously, Slat and his engineering team are also tackling a related issue—a facet that is just as critical to the overall plastic pollution problem: the world’s most littered rivers. By “turning off the taps” and catching plastic along the river’s course, the much more difficult task of capturing it in the ocean can be mostly avoided.

Boyan Slat with his River Interceptor – The Ocean Cleanup

Their Interceptor machines are efficient solar-powered barges that gobble up plastic river garbage. At top performance, the Interceptors can extract 220,000 pounds (100,000 kilograms) of trash per day

Indonesia announced an ambitious goal to reduce plastic litter in its waterways by 70% in three years—and got help from The Ocean Cleanup river barge.

After positive results in Jakarta, the Interceptor was deployed in other locations—Malaysia, the Dominican Republic, Vietnam, and Jamaica—and most recently, in Los Angeles on Ballona Creek which flows next to Venice Beach carrying plastic into the Pacific Ocean.

River Interceptor in Jakarta – The Ocean Cleanup

CHECK OUT THIS IDEA: City Pays Homeless to Learn Job Skills While Beautifying Riverbanks

“It’s very encouraging to see this positive collaboration between our two governments and The Ocean Cleanup continue, ” said Lambert Grijns, Ambassador of the Netherlands in Indonesia. “Despite the scale of the plastic challenge, the endorsement of these innovative solutions and partnerships gives me hope that we can work together to finally solve this problem for the benefit of all.”

Explore the ways you can help on their website.

FLOAT This Amazing News to Ocean Lovers on Social Media…

Top 10 Tips for Getting Over a Breakup – Advice From 2,000 Adults Finds Much Agreement

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Good News Network
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By Kelly Sikkema
SWNS/OnePoll

The best advice to get over a breakup was compiled in a new poll of 2,000 people who have a few opinions on the poignant topic.

A huge majority—77 percent of respondents—believe it’s best to consider a breakup as a fresh start rather than dwelling on the past, and 72 percent agree it should encourage you to push yourself to try new things.

Two of the top tips suggest immediately getting rid of their belongings in your home, and blocking your ex on social media.

Getting lots of sleep, reigniting old hobbies, and getting friends together for a night out were other pearls of wisdom to help deal with the end of a romance.

Seven in 10 think it’s important to have no contact with someone you’re moving on from, while 44 percent see dwelling on a breakup as a waste of time.

While exactly a third of those polled think you need to focus on yourself and not how your ex is feeling, and 24 percent reckon a vacation is the best medicine.

The survey conducted by OnePoll was commissioned by Costa Coffee.

Respondents were speaking from experience too, as on average they experienced three breakups in their adult life.

However, two-thirds also believe a breakup can lead to something better in the end.

As autumn approaches, 26 percent consider the season to be a good time to start afresh.

“Breakups can be tough, but after those initial feelings of loss, it’s often the start of moving on to better things,” commented Sandra Ferreira from Costa Coffee, who said that six in 10 thought a coffee shop was a great location for your next first date.

TOP 10 WAYS TO MOVE ON AFTER A BREAKUP:

1.    Spend more time with friends and family
2.    Focus on yourself and–not how the other person is feeling
3.    Get rid of their belongings in your home
4.    Block or unfriend them on social media
5.    Avoid rebound relationships at all costs
6.    Work on rediscovering your identity
7.    Make as many plans as you can so you’re not alone with your thoughts for too long
8.    Book a holiday
9.    Listen to empowering, upbeat music
10.   Get lots of sleep

Implantable Artificial Kidney That Frees Patients From Dialysis On Horizon After Successful Trial

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Good News Network
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UCSF / The Kidney Project
UCSF / The Kidney Project

Sufferers living with kidney failure can soon look forward to a future without dialysis or a long waits for an organ transplant, thanks to efforts from the University of California in San Francisco that produced an implantable device that mimics the organ’s daily functions.

Their first clinical trial showed that kidney cells, housed within the device called a bioreactor, can work quietly in the background, like a pacemaker, and does not trigger the recipient’s immune system to go on the attack—a major stumbling block for patients who need to take harsh immunity-suppressing drugs after receive donor transplants.

More than 500,000 people in the U.S. require dialysis several times a week, whereby their blood is filtered by a machine. Many seek kidney transplants, but there are not enough donors, and only about 20,000 people receive them each year. An implantable artificial kidney would be a boon.

The device, developed by the university’s Kidney Project, has been successfully implanted and tested in pigs for seven days. The next step will be a month-long trial—first in animals and then humans.

The scientists plan to fill the bioreactor with additional kidney cells that can mimic all the functions, such as balancing the body’s fluids and releasing hormones to regulate blood pressure—then, a full artificial kidney will be born.

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“The bioartificial kidney will make treatment for kidney disease more effective and also much more tolerable and comfortable,” said Dr. Shuvo Roy, a bioengineering professor in the UCSF School of Pharmacy.

“We needed to prove that a functional bioreactor will not require immunosuppressant drugs, and we did. We had no complications and can now iterate up, reaching for the whole panel of kidney functions at the human scale.”

In a study published in the journal Nature Communications, the team details how the engineered bioreactor can connect directly to blood vessels and veins, allowing the passage of nutrients and oxygen, much like a transplanted kidney would. (See the video below.)

Silicon membranes keep the kidney cells inside the bioreactor safe from attack by the recipient’s immune cells.

The team used a type of kidney cell called a proximal tubule cell, which regulates water and salt, as a test case. Co-author H. David Humes, MD, from the University of Michigan, had previously used these cells to help dialysis patients in the intensive care unit with life-saving results.

ALSO CHECK OUT: First Artificial Kidney That Would Free People From Dialysis and Transplants Runs on Blood Pressure

They tracked data from the kidney cells inside the bioreactor and the recipient animals for seven days after transplantation and both did well.

See how it works…

DON’T FORGET to Share The Incredible Breakthrough on Social Media…

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” – Robert Brault

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Quote of the Day: “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” – Robert Brault

Photo by: Erik Mclean

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?

Man Used 80 Discarded Vape Batteries to Power an Electric Scooter Proving the Importance of E-Waste

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Good News Network
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Tobiasz Stanford and his e-scooter – SWNS
Tobiasz Stanford and his e-scooter – SWNS

A clever graduate has used 80 discarded vape batteries to power his e-scooter—and to make a point about waste.

The 23-year-old Brit says disposable vape devices are marketed as expendable, but still have plenty of power—and people need to know that.

It didn’t cost any money to pick up 80 discarded vape batteries and he wired the lithium-ion batteries to a scooter purchased on eBay for $37 (£30).

Tobiasz Stanford from Wiltshire now uses the e-scooter everyday and calls it “very reliable”.

“It can go up any hill, has been used in rain, and has been driven through puddles. The only downfall is that it’s quite noisy but other than that the performance is crazy.”

“These vape batteries are very active still, yet they’re marketed as disposable. It needs to stop”

Having a lifetime fascination for electronics and moving parts, the grad student saw his friend smoking a vape and wondered how it worked. He researched different types of vapes and found some could be recharged and reused five times before the vape liquid ran out. After taking them apart, he discovered they used a rechargable lithium-ion battery.

MORE Good: She Turns Old Leather Sofas into Chic $200 Handbags to Cut Down on Waste–And They’re Flying Out the Door

He began recharging the batteries and found after one cycle they could function “almost like a brand new battery”—and decided to try powering a scooter with them.

The one he bought on eBay didn’t have good range and could only go 10 mph (16 km).

“I had to be careful wiring up the batteries but now the scooter works better with the vape batteries than it did before. It goes up to 15 mph (25km), can go up any hill, and can charge in about three hours.

“Once it’s fully charged I go around six miles everyday on it.”

Tobiasz says people are “wowed” when he tells them the small scooter is powered completely by disposable vape batteries.

“Everyone’s quite surprised. My family and friends are completely shocked when they see what I’ve done.

LOOK: Kenyan Woman’s Startup Recycles Plastic Waste into Bricks That Are 5x Stronger Than Concrete

“It’s a very small scooter and most people can’t even tell it’s even powered – never mind powered by vapes.”

Tobiasz says he wants others to know that disposable vapes can in fact be reused and believes there needs to be more restrictions on the reuse of disposable vapes—especially because if they’re dumped in a landfill the chemicals would eventually leach out.

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“We need to think about ‘ewaste’ with greater importance. These batteries are very active still.”

LOOK at it go in the SWNS video below….

ROLL THIS Valuable Tech Tip to DIYers on Social Media…

Couple Who Won 100,000 in Lottery Plans to Spend Money on Fostering Children

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Mark and Kathleen Reece of Stourport, Worcestershire - SWNS
Mark and Kathleen Reece of Stourport, Worcestershire – SWNS

A kindhearted couple who won £100,000 on the Euromillions is planning to spend their winnings on fostering children.

Already parents to three children, the couple in their 40s will now convert their garage into extra bedrooms to begin fostering kids in need, a dream they’ve always shared.

Kathleen Reece admits she’s often moaned in the past about her husband Mark playing the Euromillions every week, believing they weren’t lucky enough to ever win.

And she thought Mark was playing a practical joke on her when he asked her to check the winning ticket while he went out to get some milk in North Worcestershire, England.

But her daughter helped her double-checked the numbers online. “We called out the winning numbers to each other and, as the realization of what this meant hit us, we sat there in disbelief.”

“I decided to call the number on the back of the ticket and was talking to a lady from The National Lottery when Mark came home with the milk.

“I told him to shush, as I was on the phone to The National Lottery. His jaw dropped.

“He looked at me in disbelief so I put the phone on speaker and the lady confirmed we’d won £100,770.”

Kathleen, Mark and their daughter and two sons all sat in the kitchen staring at each other before hiding the winning ticket in Mark’s passport for safekeeping.

“I’ve always wanted to foster children,” said Kathleen. “Mark and I discussed it many years ago and then we had our own.

LOOK: NICU Nurse Adopts 14-Year-Old Teen Patient with Triplets, to Keep Their Family Together

“My three kids will be leaving home soon and I have too much love to give. I’ve always wanted to foster, however having enough space has always been an issue.”

Kathleen, a full-time teaching assistant said the win was a brilliant way to finish off her summer break.

MORE LOVE: Mother’s Love Has Granted 250,000 Wishes for Foster Kids–And Now She Surprised 9 With New Cars

“Thanks to the win it’ll no longer be a problem. I’m so happy we can finally fulfill our dream.”

SHARE The Luck and Love on Social Media…

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

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Our partner Rob Brezsny 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 September 2, 2023
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Virgo journalist Anthony Loyd has spent a lot of time in war zones, so it’s no surprise he has bleak views about human nature. He makes the following assertion: “We think we have freedom of choice, but really most of our actions are puny meanderings in the prison yard built by history and early experience.” I agree that our conditioning and routines prevent us from being fully liberated. But most of us have some capacity for responding to the raw truth of the moment and are not utterly bound by the habits of the past. At our worst, we have 20-percent access to freedom of choice. At our best, we have 70-percent. I believe you will be near the 70-percent levels in the coming weeks, dear Virgo.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Libra poet T. S. Eliot wrote the iconic narrative poem “The Wasteland.” One part of the story takes place in a bar near closing time. Several times, the bartender calls out, “Hurry up, please—it’s time.” He wants the customers to finish their drinks and leave for the night. Now imagine I’m that bartender standing near you. I’m telling you, “Hurry up, please—it’s time.” What I mean is that you are in the climactic phase of your astrological cycle. You need to finish this chapter of your life story so you can move on to the next one. “Hurry up, please—it’s time” means you have a sacred duty to resolve, as best you can, every lingering confusion and mystery.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Addressing a lover, Scorpio poet Margaret Atwood says, “I would like to walk with you through that lucent wavering forest of bluegreen leaves with its watery sun & three moons, towards the cave where you must descend, towards your worst fear.” That is a bold declaration. Have you ever summoned such a deep devotion for a loved one? You will have more power and skill than usual to do that in the coming months. Whether you want to or not is a different question. But yes, you will be connected to dynamic magic that will make you a brave and valuable ally.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Sagittarian theologian N. T. Wright writes, “The great challenge to self-knowledge is blind attachment to our virtues. It is hard to criticize what we think are our virtues. Although the spirit languishes without ideals, idealism can be the greatest danger.” In my view, that statement formulates a central Sagittarian challenge. On the one hand, you need to cultivate high ideals if you want to be exquisitely yourself. On the other hand, you must ensure your high ideals don’t become weapons you use to manipulate and harass others. Author Howard Bloom adds more. “Watch out for the dark side of your own idealism and of your moral sense,” he writes. “Both come from our arsenal of natural instincts. And both easily degenerate into an excuse for attacks on others.” Now is a good time for you to ponder these issues.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Capricorn playwright and novelist Rose Franken said, “Anyone can be passionate, but it takes real lovers to be silly.” That’s interesting, because many traditional astrologers say that Capricorns are the *least* likely zodiac sign to be silly. Speaking from personal experience, though, I have known members of your tribe to be goofy, nutty, and silly when they feel comfortably in love. An old Capricorn girlfriend of mine delighted in playing and having wicked good fun. Wherever you rank in the annals of wacky Capricorns, I hope you will consider expressing these qualities in the coming weeks. Romance and intimacy will thrive if you do.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
As I work on writing new books, I often draw on inspirations that flow through me as I take long hikes. The vigorous exercise shakes loose visions and ideas that are not accessible as I sit in front of my computer. Aquarian novelist Charles Dickens was an adherent of this approach. At night, he liked to walk around London for miles, marveling at the story ideas that welled up in him. I recommend our strategy to you in the coming weeks, Aquarius. As you move your body, key revelations and enriching emotions will well up in you.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
The coming months will be an excellent time to build, discover, and use metaphorical bridges. To get in the mood, brainstorm about every type of bridge you might need. How about a connecting link between your past and future? How about a nexus between a task you must do and a task you love to do? And maybe a conduit between two groups of allies that would then serve you even better than they already do? Your homework is to fantasize about three more exciting junctions, combinations, or couplings.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Climate change is dramatically altering the Earth. People born today will experience three times as many floods and droughts as someone born in 1960, as well as seven times more heat waves. In urgent efforts to find a cure, scientists are generating ultra-creative proposals, including planting mechanical trees, creating undersea walls to protect melting glaciers from warmer ocean water, dimming the sun with airborne calcium carbonate, and covering Arctic ice with a layer of glass. In this spirit, I encourage you to incite unruly and even unorthodox brainstorms to solve your personal dilemmas. Be wildly inventive and creative.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
“When love is not madness, it is not love,” wrote Spanish author Pedro Calderon de la Barca. In my opinion, that’s naive, melodramatic nonsense! I will forgive him for his ignorance, since he worked as a soldier and celibate priest in the 17th century. The truth is that yes, love should have a touch of madness. But when it has more than a touch, it’s usually a fake kind of love: rooted in misunderstanding, immaturity, selfishness, and lack of emotional intelligence. In accordance with astrological factors, I assign you Tauruses to be dynamic practitioners of genuine togetherness in the coming months: with hints of madness and wildness, yes, but mostly big helpings of mutual respect, smart compassion, tender care, and a knack for dealing maturely with disagreements.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Gemini author Iain S. Thomas writes, “There are two things everyone has. One is The Great Sadness and the other is How Weird I Really Am. But only some of us are brave enough to talk about them.” The coming weeks will be a favorable time to ripen your relationship with these two things, Gemini. You will have the extra gravitas necessary to understand how vital they are to your full humanity. You can also express and discuss them in meaningful ways with the people you trust.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
A self-fulfilling prophecy happens when the expectations we embrace actually come to pass. We cling so devotedly to a belief about what will occur that we help generate its literal manifestation. This can be unfortunate if the anticipated outcome isn’t good for us. But it can be fortunate if the future we visualize upgrades our well-being. I invite you to ruminate on the negative and positive projections you’re now harboring. Then shed the former and reinforce the latter.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
The holy book of the Zoroastrian religion describes a mythical mountain, Hara Berezaiti. It’s the geographic center of the universe. The sun hides behind it at night. Stars and planets revolve around it. All the world’s waters originate at its peak. Hara Berezaiti is so luminous and holy that no darkness can survive there, nor can the false gods abide. I would love for you to have your own version of Hara Berezaiti, Leo: a shining source of beauty and strength in your inner landscape. I invite you to use your imagination to create this sanctuary within you. Picture yourself having exciting, healing adventures there. Give it a name you love. Call on its invigorating presence when you need a sacred boost.

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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“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” – Rachel Carson

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Credit: Damian Patkowski

Quote of the Day: “Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” – Rachel Carson

Photo by: Damian Patkowski

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?

A Thrift Store Shopper Joked She’d Found a Famous Artist’s Work for $4 – and Actually She Really Had

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Andy Corbley
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NC Wyeth's Ramona - credit Bonhams Skinner

A painting found in a New Hampshire attic could fetch between a quarter-million and three million dollars after the owner had bought it at a thrift store for just $4.00

That’s because it’s a lost work by prolific Maine artist N.C. Wyeth, whose signature was on the painting itself, but which the buyer assumed was simply a forgery.

NC Wyeth’s Ramona – credit Bonhams Skinner

The painting is one of four that Wyeth, patriarch of the Wyeth family of painters, completed for a 1939 edition of Helen Hunt Jackson’s book Ramona, originally published in 1884.

According to Bonham Skinners, the auction house handling the sale, the woman unknowingly purchased the valuable work after finding it leaning against a wall in Savers thrift shop in Manchester, NH. It was stacked alongside posters and prints, and she selected it only because she was looking for frames to reuse.

After not being able to find any information on the work, the buyer hung it on her bedroom wall, but after a few years ended up stashing it in the attic. During some May cleaning, she came across the painting yet again, and this time posted pictures of it on a Facebook group dedicated to people finding things lost in walls, attics, dug up from under floorboards, or salvaged from “that abandoned house across the street from your grandma’s.”

She connected with a former curator who had handled paintings from 3 generations of the Wyeth family and knew almost immediately the piece was legitimate.

“While it certainly had some small scratches and it could use a surface clean, it was in remarkable condition considering none of us had any idea of its journey over the last 80 years,” Lewis told the Boston Globe, who covered the story.

MORE LUCKY THRIFT PICKS: Artwork Found in Shed Covered in Bird Droppings Turns Out to be Early Van Dyck Now at Auction for $3 Million

The company that published Ramona is believed to have passed the work on to an editor or to the author’s estate at some point, and only one other of the four paintings that were made has been found.

Discovering lost famous pieces happens so often, it’s common from a news media perspective. In 2021, seven masterpieces were found in various parts of the West.

SHARE This Lucky Thrift Pick With Your Friends… 

China’s War on Pollution Improved Air Quality 42%, Reduced Global Pollution Average, and Returned 2 Years of Life to Citizens

By
Andy Corbley
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The 'Beijing Blue'
The ‘Beijing Blue’

Proving that change is possible if the will to create it is present, Chinese megacities like Beijing that were once famous for their apocalyptic grey skies are enjoying the lowest levels of air pollution they’ve experienced in the 21st century.

Falling 42% from an average high in 2013 when Chinese air pollution was higher than 50 particles per cubic centimeters of city air, the change has increased the lifespan of Chinese urbanites by 2.2 years.

The news comes from a report published by the University of Chicago called the Air Quality Life Index which listed some of the actions taken by the Chinese government to reduce air pollution, described by the CCP as a “war on pollution.”

This has included reducing the presence of heavy industry like steel production in city centers, as well as restricting coal power plants from being built inside cities while shuttering those that were already there.

Some cities like Beijing have reduced the number of cars allowed on the roads during peak hours, similar to London’s congestion charge. Lastly, China’s mass urban tree-planting campaigns have been well documented.

While the life expectancy has risen on average 2.2 years, some cities have seen far more drastic increases. Citizens living under the new “Beijing Blue,” are predicted to live 4 additional years, while those 11 million in the north-central city of Baoding are predicted to gain 6.

MORE VICTORIES AGAINST POLLUTION: Simple Bacteria Spray Can Solve India’s Air Pollution and Also Enrich Local Farmers

“At the foundation of those actions were common elements: political will and resources, both human and financial, that reinforced each other,” the report said. “When the public and policymakers have these tools, action becomes much more likely.”

In fact, the decline in China’s pollution levels has been so drastic that it lowered the world average, which the report says would have increased if not for the Middle Kingdom’s war on pollution.

OTHER ASIAN AIR SOLUTIONS: Honda to Introduce 10 New Electric Motorcycles and Scooters to Ease Air Pollution in Asia’s Megacities

Although Chinese city air is still several times higher than the WHO’s recommended minimum, it shows what’s accomplishable with political and civic effort—particularly to its neighbors in South Asia where the report warns air quality is worsening.

SHARE This Positive Trend In Saving Lives And Greening China’s Cities…

Stray Dog Escapes Animal Shelter 3 Times to Claim Sofa in Elderly Care Facility–Now He Calls it Home

By
Andy Corbley
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credit Meadow Brook Care Facility - facebook
credit Meadow Brook Care Facility – facebook

Every so often, it’s the shelter dog that adopts the humans.

Scout was a mutt and a stray and was kept at a shelter in Michigan until the pooch with no past decided he was tired of waiting to be adopted and went trotting out looking for someone to adopt, successfully escaping the shelter and its fences 3 separate times in pursuit of a permanent home.

From the Detroit Free Press comes the story of Scout’s adoption of an entire nursing home, and the invaluable partnership formed between the determined dog, the residents, and the nurses.

One day in mid-July, Antrim County Animal Control was called to Meadow Brook Medical Care Facility where they found one of their shelter’s dogs, Scout, curled up on the couch in the waiting room.

He had escaped last night from their shelter just down the road, and somehow managed to scale the 10-foot chain link fence, another 6-foot solid privacy fence, cross a busy highway without being run over, find the nursing home, go in through the front door undeterred and curl up on the couch to sleep.

It was a puzzling story, but without any satisfactory way of answering the question, they took Scout back to the shelter only for him to escape again a few nights later and turn up on the couch in the Meadow Brook waiting room. Then, a few nights after that, there Scout was again, and the staff felt they had a decision to make.

“I’m a person who looks at outward signs, and if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be,”  Marna Robertson, the nursing home’s administrator, told the Free Press. “He did that one time, two times, three times, and obviously that’s something that you should pay attention to. And I asked the staff, ‘Well, he wants to be here. Would anybody like to have a dog?’”

Formally adopted by the nursing home, Scout, who the staff says clearly had been abused in his past life, quickly set about the business of making friends with the residents. A long-term/permanent care facility that houses dementia patients, elderly without any other family support, and those in the end-of-life stages, having the dog around has turned out to be a priceless addition.

OTHER DOG ADOPTION STORIES: Magician Performs Tricks for Shelter Dogs So Their Enthusiastic Reactions get Them Adopted–Watch

“To each and every one of them, it’s their dog,” said Jenni Martinek the nursing home’s household coordinator.

He patrols the halls in a manner that’s part security guard part professional greeter, routinely visiting those who are passing away, or popping in on residents who still have the energy to play with him, and always stopping by the rooms of those who keep dog treats in their walkers.

He’s not big, nor menacing, but if someone who doesn’t live there rings the doorbell he barks and jumps up on the wall just to let them know to behave.

MORE DOG/ELDERLY NEWS: Cats and Dogs May Protect Owners From Memory Loss in Later Life, Study Finds

The speed at which he has adapted himself to all these roles is remarkable, and when paired with the fact that he simply kept showing up there, gives the staff and the residents the feeling like he was meant to be at Meadow Brook.

You can read the whole saga of Scout’s journey to Meadow Brook at the Detroit Free Press.

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Ultrasound Scanners Inside of a Bra Could Detect Breast Cancer Earlier, and Between Screenings

By
Andy Corbley
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The bra insert that can detect cancer, credit Canen Dagdeviren, MIT - released
The bra insert that can detect cancer, credit Canen Dagdeviren, MIT – released

A miniature ultrasound device, fitted to a flexible polymer strap, can be slipped into a bra and detect breast cancer tumors among those most at risk of developing one.

The invention is significant for several reasons, and if perfected and developed, could save hundreds of lives.

The first reason it could be a major medical advancement is that developing breast cancer tumors in their earliest stages leads to a nearly 100% survival rate. The second is that developing a tumor even in the space between mammograms does happen, and not at a small rate. Depending on the country, 20-30% of all tumors are found in people who were in between routine screenings.

The device was developed at MIT, and once worn, it allows the user to move an ultrasound tracker across the bra and check for tumors.

“We changed the form factor of the ultrasound technology so that it can be used in your home. It’s portable and easy to use, and provides real-time, user-friendly monitoring of breast tissue,” says Canan Dagdeviren, an associate professor in MIT’s Media Lab, senior author of the study demonstrating its functionality, and inventor of the device.

Dagdeviren drew inspiration for the device from her aunt, Fatma Caliskanoglu, who died after developing aggressive breast cancer tumors between routine screenings after just six months. Sitting by her bedside, Dagdeviren sketched out her idea for the wearable ultrasound bra insert.

In the study, the researchers tested the device on a 71-year-old woman with a history of breast cysts. They confirmed that it could detect the cysts, which were only 0.3 centimeters long, or around the size of an early-stage tumor. They also confirmed that it provided a depth of vision comparable to traditional ultrasound machines used to look for tumors in a hospital or cancer center.

OTHER HEALTH WEARABLES: ‘Wearable Muscles’ Restore Mobility in Those Who Have Trouble Moving Their Arms

The ultrasonic bra has won Dagdeviren high praise from her colleagues, including Anantha Chandrakasan, the Dean of MIT’s School of Engineering, who also co-authored the paper on the device.

“This technology provides a fundamental capability in the detection and early diagnosis of breast cancer, which is key to a positive outcome,” says Chandrakasan.

“This work will significantly advance ultrasound research and medical device designs, leveraging advances in materials, low-power circuits, AI algorithms, and biomedical systems.”

MORE BREAST CANCER DEVELOPMENTS: Tiny Battery Obliterates Breast Cancer Tumors in Mice by Creating Oxygen-free Target to Better Kill Disease

Similar devices are being pioneered in Nigeria, the Guardian reports, where an entrepreneurial robotics graduate is developing a product called the Smart Bra to help reduce cancer rates in Nigeria where breast cancer is the most common type. Other wearable tech bras are being developed in Mexico and Switzerland.

It won’t be praise from colleagues, though, which Dagdeviren hopes to achieve, but rather increasing breast cancer survival rates from 95% to 98%. It’s not a big number, but it represents hundreds of women like her aunt Caliskanoglu—beloved family members.

WATCH how it works below from MIT…

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“I always entertain great hopes.” – Robert Frost

By
Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “I always entertain great hopes.” – Robert Frost

Photo by: Kristopher Roller

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?

New Blood Test Could Diagnose Parkinson’s Before it Begins Damaging the Nervous System

By
Andy Corbley
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Karolina Grabowska
Karolina Grabowska

American scientists developed a test that focuses on damage to mitochondrial DNA in the blood linked with Parkinson’s disease.

Current diagnoses of Parkinson’s are largely based on clinical symptoms after significant neurological damage has already occurred, and researchers hope this new test could be used to diagnose patients prior to such damage occurring.

Parkinson’s is the second most common neurological disease behind Alzheimer’s. The progressive disorder affects the nervous system and parts of the body controlled by nerves and afflicts around ten million people across the globe.

The study team, led by neuroscientists at the Duke University School of Medicine focused their work on DNA damage in mitochondria.

Mitochondria contain their own DNA, which can undergo damage separately from the nuclear DNA that encodes most of an organism’s genome, and previous studies have shown the association between mitochondrial DNA damage and an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease.

Duke University researchers have previously reported an accumulation of such DNA damage in the brain tissue of deceased Parkinson’s patients, and that this was reflected in the mitochondria.

OTHER CLEVER DIAGNOSES: Protein Changes in Blood Could Become New Test for Catching Breast Cancer Up to 2 Years Early

“A simple blood test would allow us to diagnose the disease earlier and start therapies sooner,” said Duke University neuroscientist and senior author Dr. Laurie Sanders. “Additionally, a clear-cut diagnosis would accurately identify patients who could participate in drug studies, leading to the development of better treatments and potentially even cures.”

This new test also identified high levels of the damaged DNA in the blood samples of people who carry the genetic mutation LRRK2—which has been associated with an increased risk of the disease and was able to detect patients with Parkinson’s disease with and without LRRK2 mutations.

MORE PARKINSON’S DEVELOPMENTS: Parkinson’s Disease Symptoms ‘Reversed’ by Mini Implant Bringing Hope

“This disease takes a terrible toll on people… It’s important to get new, effective treatments over the finish line,” said Dr. Sanders. “Our hope is that this assay could not only diagnose Parkinson’s disease but also identify drugs that reverse or halt mitochondrial DNA damage and the disease process.”

SHARE This Important First Step Toward Better Parkinson’s Medicine… 

 

Remarkable Man Averts Oil Tanker Disaster by Crowdfunding to Remove Crumbling Ship From Red Sea

By
Good News Network
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UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen David Gressly with the FSO Safer
UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen David Gressly with the FSO Safer

A derelict oil tanker off the coast of Yemen had more than a million barrels of crude sitting around, on the verge of leaching into the Red Sea, until one determined American orchestrated a last-ditch cleanup operation.

Just completed this summer, the salvage operation probably prevented a major environmental catastrophe because the tanker, FSO Safer, was 47 years-old and had serious mechanical and structural risks.

The diplomat working for the United Nations became a true hero after crowdfunding the many millions of dollars needed for the sea-saving work.

David Gressly took advantage of a truce between warring factions in Yemen, where the FSO Safer was abandoned off shore in 2015 when war broke out. The recent truce opened a window of opportunity to do something about this environmental ticking time bomb hanging over the region.

The oil technically belongs to the Yemen state—but who represents that country isn’t yet settled. After a peace agreement was reached in May of 2022, the race was on for Gressly to spearhead a hugely-ambitious fundraiser to find $144 million to buy a new tanker and pay a salvage company to drain the oil and bring the massive bulker to shore.

He knew that the amount of oil was greater—by far—than the barrels spilled in the Exxon Valdez tragedy, so Gressly, the UN Resident Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, continued his dogged search for funding over many months.

“If we had a major oil spill there, we would have probably raised a billion dollars in a month—because there are mechanisms for governments to do just that,” Gressly told the Guardian.

Salvage teams at work on the Safer. credit -Lize Kraan-Smit from Boskalis

After government and private sector donations weren’t adding up, Gressly opened the fundraising to citizens of the world: anyone with a dollar to spare was invited to contribute to this admittedly massive goal.

OTHER AVERTED DISASTERS: NASA Engineer Saves Passenger Jet From Disaster When He Spots Malfunction From Window Seat

But, by September 2022 the campaign had gathered $75 million—more than half of the required amount—an astonishing return driven by individuals, from Yemeni businessmen to schoolchildren in the US. When the campaign reached $121 million in July this year, the emergency humanitarian fund of the UN provided a low-interest loan to cover the rest.

From there, work was turned over to Boskalis, a salvage company that finished the cleanup operation on August 11th after a brand new oil tanker, dubbed the MT Yemen, weighed anchor alongside Safer to siphon off the last of her oil before the old girl was towed to Yemen’s shore for scuppering.

LOOK: Man Helps Repair Washed Out Road After Hurricane, And Discovers It Leads to the Man Who Saved His Life

Because of his lifesaving work in Yemen, Gressly is considering establishing contingency plans for future situations of this sort—especially since it was revealed upon closer examination that Safer had only 12 to 18 months before crumbling into the sea.

WATCH an animation of the whole salvage operation below…

SHARE This Truly Fantastic News Of Averted Disaster On Social Media… 

Digging A Wastewater Pipe Reveals Fossil Treasure Trove of Unknown Species 3-Million-Years-Old

By
Andy Corbley
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Mangere shell selection - credit Bruce Hayward, released
Mangere shell selection – credit Bruce Hayward, released

Excavations had begun on two huge vertical shafts for a major upgrade of Auckland’s raw sewage pipeline when the groundworks crew came across something astonishing.

Piercing the threshold of an ancient shell bed filled with sea life, New Zealand paleontologist Bruce Hayward likened it to “finding gold right on your doorstep—a once-in-a-lifetime find.”

300,000 individual lifeforms from 266 species, fossilized 3 million years ago are offering the largest single insight into New Zealand native marine fauna in history, and a new paper released on the subsequent research has identified 10 new species.

182 different mollusks were recorded, including the oldest known member of the genera containing the famous New Zealand flax snail. There is the first fossil record entry for ostrocods—five species no less, also known as ‘seed shrimps’ in New Zealand, and the first appearance of a common coral species as well.

Additionally, great white shark teeth, eagle ray dental plates, a sperm whale tooth, and saw shark bones were also part of the haul.

Watercare, the excavation company digging the pipeline, was apparently all too happy to help the paleontologists pull out as many of the ancient shells as could be found: dumping the prehistoric screenshot in a sandy heap in a nearby field.

The company also funded two paleontology graduate students to do the grunt work of sifting through the sand, locating, cleaning, and sorting specimens.

OTHER PALEONTOLOGY NEWS: 500 Million-Year-Old Jellyfish–Oldest Ever Found–May Have Swallowed Prey Whole

Working under the supervision of Auckland Museum curator Dr. Wilma Blom, it took weeks to finish the job.

“Detailed identification of the fossils shows that they were deposited between 3 and 3.7 million years ago in a subtidal channel in an early version of the modern Manukau Harbor,” said Dr. Hayward.

MORE FOSSIL DISCOVERIES: Spectacular Fossils Discovered from Prehistoric Rainforest Reveal Intimate Details From 11 Million Years Ago

“At that time, sea level was slightly higher than it is today as the world was also several degrees warmer than now. As a result, the fossils include a number of subtropical species, whose relatives today live in the warmer waters around the Kermadec and Norfolk islands. At least ten previously unknown species are present and will be described and named in future work.”

Hayward added that this ancient marine channel brought sea creatures and their remains together from both tropical waters and colder climes.

SHARE This Fantastic Collection Of Prehistoric Sea Life With Your Friends… 

Sizzling Clouds, Storms, and Spectres: Witness the Awesome Power of Nature Through UK Weather Photo Contest

By
Andy Corbley
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Villarrica Volcano, Chile - credit Francisco Negroni via SWSN
Villarrica Volcano, Chile – credit Francisco Negroni via SWNS

From lava illuminating clouds above a volcano to an icy wonderland, these are just some of the over 3,000 photographs submitted to the 2023 Royal Meteorological Society’s weather photo competition.

Just in time for World Photography Day, the competition is now in its eighth year, and acts as an observation deck to the vastly different climates experienced across the world.

Both amateur and professional photographers from 94 countries have shared their pictures and stories for the competition.

The photograph above was captured by Chilean photographer Francisco Negroni, who imaged the clouds above this volcano with a three-minute exposure time to capture the faint light coming from the lava inside. During that period, the turning of the Earth shifted the stars’ positions to make them appear as blurry streaks.

The clouds are what are known as “lenticular clouds” which form when air flowing over the ground encounters an obstacle like a volcano. This causes the air to rise and cool, which can allow moisture to condense and form clouds.

credit – Cristiano Xavier, via SWNS

Cristiano Xavier from Brazil followed a large storm hoping it might give him a chance to get a shot of a tornado. Tornadoes are typically created by large storms known as supercells. Variations in wind speeds can cause a rotation in the air, which the storm can pull into a vertical vortex.

OTHER STUNNING WEATHER EVENTS: Hiker Captures Video of Rare Ice Disk Vortex Spinning in Scottish Winter Weather Phenomenon–WATCH

If this vortex or funnel cloud reaches the ground, then that’s a tornado, and the intense winds can suck up debris and cause serious damage.

“Luckily this tornado stayed over the crops and didn’t destroy any buildings,” Xavier noted.

Fichtelberg Mountain by Christoph Schaarschmidt via SWNS

“It was not easy to photograph this landscape because it was about -14 degrees that evening, with strong winds,” said German photographer Christoph Schaarschmidt, who took this photograph of a mountain landscape turned into ice sculptures on Fichtelberg Mountain in Saxony, Germany.

credit – Matthew Price via SWNS

Brocken specters are caused by the shadow of the observer projected onto the mist, often creating the illusion of huge, distant, ghostly figures.

In this photo taken on Hanter Hill in Wales, Matthew Price and his wife spotted the brocken specter that their shadows were creating in the fog.

MORE WEATHER STORIES: Watch An Astrophotographer Capture ‘Giant Red Jellyfish Sprites’ on Colorado Mountain

Using a drone to take a selfie, the specter is surrounded by twinkling rainbow colors as different frequencies of light are reflected back to the camera at different angles by the water droplets in the mist.

Open voting runs until September 24th, and the winner will be selected on October 4th. You can vote for these or any of the other stunning images, like a 6-sided snowflake hanging on the edge of a pine tree branch, or mystical red sprites above a Chinese mountain, here on the contest website.

SHARE These Stunning Snaps With Your Friends… 

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