Quote of the Day: “The most satisfying thing in life is to have been able to give a large part of one’s self to others.” – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Photo by: Kindel Media (cropped)
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?
GNN is pro-fungus. We report on their value as medicines, building materials, and food, as well as the constantly evolving portrait of their interconnectedness with our world, and the organisms of the forest.
Their vast network of roots known as mycelia has now been shown hold a third—yes, a third, of the annually emitted carbon dioxide emissions on Earth.
The kingdom of fungi has been supporting life on land for at least 450 million years, and it may have produced the first large terrestrial organism in the form of fungal spires several meters high.
Now, an international team of researchers pooled data from hundreds of studies on plant-soil processes. Their calculations show that more than 13 gigatons of CO2 is transferred from plants to fungi annually, turning the soil beneath our feet into the biggest carbon sink in the world, bigger even then the oceans.
It offers a potential solution to managing fossil fuel emissions, and needs consideration in biodiversity and conservation policies, said the researchers.
Co-author Professor Katie Field, of Sheffield University described the find as a “blind spot” in global carbon modeling—one of many, and certainly not the first.
“The numbers we’ve uncovered are jaw-dropping. When we’re thinking about solutions for climate we should also be thinking about what we can harness that exists already,” said Dr. Field.
WOOD WIDE WEB NEWS: Research Suggests Mushrooms Talk to Each Other With a Vocabulary of 50 ‘Words’
It’s a good point. Mycelium can be grown extremely fast, while producing mushrooms as a food source. They could potentially be the best overall source of carbon storage available to humans at this moment.
Mycelia from different individual organisms form large, sometimes massive structures which have been fantastically termed the “Wood Wide Web.” Capable of holding up to 30,000 times their own mass in water and nutrients, they also act as conduits for medicinal substances for plants which they exchange in return for their sugars with the WWW.
MORE FUNGAL NEWS: Scientists Have Used Mushrooms to Make Biodegradable Computer Chip Parts
The largest known organism on the planet is a 2,000-year-old fungal mat that stretches over 2,000 acres across Oregon.
“More needs to be done to protect these underground networks—we already knew they were essential for biodiversity. Now we’ve even more evidence they are crucial to the health of our planet,” said Dr. Field.
“Understandably, much focus has been placed on protecting and restoring forests as a natural way to mitigate climate change,” added Dr. Heidi Hawkins of Cape Town University, adding that relatively little focus has gone into understanding mycorrhizal structures.
“We do know that it is a flux, with some being retained in mycorrhizal structures while the fungus lives—and even after it dies. Some will be decomposed into small carbon molecules and from there either bind to particles in the soil or even be reused by plants,” she said.
OTHER MYCELIUM USES: Tasty Burgers and Steaks Made of Mycelium Are New Healthy Food Alternative to Plant-Based Meats
The researchers are now investigating how long carbon is stored by the fungi and are seeking to further explore how it boosts ecosystems.
Together, they detail how there is still so much to learn about the full suite of roles which mycorrhizal structures, anchored with mycelia, play within global systems.
SHARE This Fantastic Fungi News With Your Friends…
Tinnitus, the occasional ringing in the ear representing damage or impairment to the auditory systems, affects nearly 15% of all the adults in the US, but they might soon have the option of a simple at home treatment.
Susan Shore, Ph.D. in Michigan Medicine’s Department of Otolaryngology, conducted a trial with 99 patients in order to understand how the brain processes bi-sensory information, and how these processes can be harnessed for personalized stimulation to treat tinnitus.
The focus was on the combination of audio with “somatosensory” stimuli, meaning sensations which occur anywhere on the body such as warmth or pain. The idea to use the two together as a treatment arose from previous studies in mice.
“After enrollment, participants received a portable device developed and manufactured by in2being, LLC, for in-home use,” said Dr. Shore.
“The devices were programmed to present each participant’s personal tinnitus spectrum, which was combined with electrical stimulation to form a bi-sensory stimulus, while maintaining participant and study team blinding.”
80% of all those who suffer from tinnitus have a form known as “somatic tinnitus,” characterized by the ability to alter the pitch of the ringing in one’s ears by clenching the jaw or applying pressure to the forehead.
OTHER HEALTH NEWS: Interior Design of Human Cells is Mapped for the First Time, a Breakthrough That Could Revolutionize Healthcare
It was the spectrum of the pitches that was programmed to the devices.
The team found that when participants received the bi-sensory treatment, they consistently reported improved quality of life and significant reductions in tinnitus loudness. However, these effects were not seen when receiving sound-only stimulation.
MORE MEDICAL DEVICES: Winner of 2021 Dyson Award Goes to First Ever Device to Monitor Glaucoma Symptoms From Home
More than 60% of participants reported significantly reduced tinnitus symptoms after the six weeks of active treatment, but not control treatment.
“This study paves the way for the use of personalized, bi-sensory stimulation as an effective treatment for tinnitus, providing hope for millions of tinnitus sufferers,” said Shore.
KNOW Someone With Tinnitus? Help Them Hear This Great News…
No one sees a Tesla or a Tesla owner and thinks “budgeter” but as it turns out, the total cost of ownership of the new Model 3 is about the same as the cheapest car in America.
This is according to the astute arithmetic of Paul Fosse writing for Clean Technica, who compared the most popular EV brand’s latest offering to the internal combustion-powered 2023 Mitsubishi Mirage, the cheapest car in America.
Using “Total Cost of Ownership” (TCO) meaning all the costs of owning and operating a vehicle spanning 5 years, Fosse shows that over the mid-term, a Tesla is actually an economy class car.
For starters, the 2023 Mitsubishi Mirage lists new for $16,245, while the Model 3 is twice as much up front, which is nothing to sneeze at and is usually the only cost relavent to car buyers selecting their prefered option.
From there, Fosse uses as a five-year TCO from Edmunds.com as a baseline measurement but found that their estimates of Tesla value depreciation, taxes, financing, and trade-in value to be significantly awry.
For starters, his own deep research has shown that Tesla cars, unlike high-end luxury or performance models, don’t depreciate nearly as fast—about 4% a year (or $6,066 after 5 years). Next, he predicts that the $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit will still be available in five years, and that buying a used EV still confers a $4,000 credit, allowing retailers to sell them used for more than before.
Then Fosse adjusts the taxes and financing costs to reflect the new up-front price that’s nearly $16,500 less than shown in the Edmunds estimate.
MORE EV NEWS: Citroen’s New Electric Family Car Could Also Help Power Your Home
While the cost of insurance is about 3 grand more, Tesla 3 owners would more than make up for it with reduced fuel (a variation depending on your zip code) and maintainence costs, (Teslas have 1 moving engine component) as well as the tax credit.
His totals show that despite being significantly slower and sparser, a Mistushibi Mirage has a 5-year TCO of $31,349, just $1,000 less than a brand new Model 3 Tesla, as well 200 more grams of CO2 per mile accounting for many metric tons more ove 5 years.
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Two security guards are being hailed as heroes after assisting a mother whose infant son was choking.
It was just before noon that Joey Madrigal and Niko Nesbeth pulled into a gas station at a busy Beverley Hills intersection and saw a scene unfolding before them.
A mother with a baby in her arms was screaming if anyone was a doctor, and Nesbeth, a former marine, rushed to help despite the fact he wasn’t a doctor.
Before he knew what was happening, the mother practicaly threw the baby into Nesbeth’s arms, who convenes with his partner and, noticing the infant’s face is blue, immediately flipped him over to start patting his back to clear his airways.
“Then he tells me baby isn’t breathing. Right then and there, I then turn and one thing I’ve learned through training and everything is that you gotta slow down time, and you gotta realize and just get all the facts and put it all together because I was pretty much in charge of getting the rescue as fast as possible,” said Madrigal.
As private security guards for the company Covered 6, Madrigal used his private communication line to 911 to get an ambulance there immediately.
MORE BABIES RESCUED: For 3 Hours Doctors Continued CPR on Toddler with No Pulse–Until Life Returned
“It was the best feeling to feel that way: to assist a community especially a little child, that’s amazing,” Nesbeth said.
SIMILAR STORIES: Formerly Homeless Hero Stops Runaway Baby Stroller Moments Before it Rolls into Traffic
The whole incident was captured on the station’s security cameras, and the two men are being hailed as heroes whose quick and decisive actions saved the baby’s life.
Nesbeth and Madrigal believe it was a sort of divine intervention that saw them arrive on the scene at that moment.
WATCH the story below from Fox…
Quote of the Day: “Don’t fight back. Fight forward.” – Ted Lasso (Sam’s father in Season 3)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Have you watched the 3 seasons of Ted Lasso? We highly recommend it as one of the best ‘good news’ comedy/workplace dramas in history—and well worth subscribing to the Apple+ streaming service for a month or two, for the pleasure and inspiration it delivers.
Photo by: Apple TV+ / Jason Sudeikis – Ted Lasso (Fair use)
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 new animal therapy business using cuddly, wooly neighbors to help struggling kids and adults with their mental health, and the results are unbaalievable
EWE Talk was launched by Emma Redman and Pippa Ashton last year after Emma was given the opportunity to buy a unique breed of sheep called a Valias Blacknose.
Known for a dog-like temperament that makes them perfect for providing emotional support. The pair now has a flock of seven sheep and two goats to help those that are finding life challenging.
Studies have shown that animal therapy can have both psychological and physiological benefits.
Emma’s life has included accomplishments, joy, and memories, but was also filled with un-or-misdiagnosed mental alterations including OCD, anxiety, eating disorders, and ADHD. These life experiences have proven to be a big drive for creating something new and innovative as a way of supporting others
“One of the things we have always known is how useful animals are as a tool to help those struggling with diversities and mental health issues,” said Emma. “Sheep aren’t used as therapy animals—people usually think of horse and dog therapy.”
From there, Emma and Pippa realized there was a gap in the market for a unique animal therapy venture and decided to give it a go.
“We offer a safe space, if they want to talk to us then they can but maybe they just want to play and giggle and laugh and run around with the sheep,” said Emma. “We want to be there to help anyone that needs us—we’ve got so much belief that what we can do is make a difference.”
MORE STORIES LIKE THIS: Man Summits Highest Peaks of England, Scotland and Wales with Fridge on his Back For Mental Health–WATCH
Their flock includes the original duo Autumn and Maggy, the Valias Blacknoses, as well as their lambs Nelly and Ziggy. Also on the farm are two Cotswolds sheep Hope and Pearl.
While their goal is to visit schools and educational settings with their fluffy friends, currently they only host children on their farm.
“A young girl came to the farm who had tried all different types of therapies and for the first ten minutes, she didn’t want to engage,” said Emma. “After that, she was in the stable with the sheep being cuddled. Over the hour we started to talk and there was laughter and smiles and she’s come back weekly since.”
On some occasions however, they’ve transported the flock to locals in need of emotional support.
MORE SUPPORT ANIMALS STORIES: ‘Hero’ Dogs From Rescue Operation in Turkey Get First Class Seats on Airliners Flying Them Home
“We are a mobile service which is unique,” said Emma, explaining that they hope to secure more funding to expand their services. “We can go to people’s houses and help those struggling with loneliness and isolation. Every time we see a child benefit from their time with the animals it gives us that passion to move forwards and make a difference.”
WATCH Emma, Pippa, and their sheep below…
SHARE This Baawsome Story With Your Flock On Social Media…
The first day of summer; June 21st; the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s a time marked by most ancient cultures as the most important day in the calendar, and probably the New Year as well.
But there’s no need to spend “Midsummer” buried in your history books, there are several cities in Europe that have summer solstice festivals today. “Midsommar” for example is one of Sweden’s most important holidays, and with a winter so cold it’s easy to see why.
Because the Earth orbits the sun in an ellipse, there’s no single earliest sunrise and latest sunset, rather these vary by a few days depending on where you live in the Northern Hemisphere.
In terms of that singular moment when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky of the year, it will occur at 10:58 on the east coast of America, but at 14:58 for Central Europeans.
There are several ways that you or your friends and family can enjoy the solstice. English Heritage, a government non-profit, hosts a livestream of the moment of sunrise at Stonehenge, perhaps the world’s most famous monument to be attuned to the solstice. The 2023 stream starts a few hours before sunrise which is 04:49 BST.
Other events like this include Manhattanhenge, where Americans can see the sunrise climb perfectly above the east-west streets of that most famous urban island. The most famous spot for Manhattanhenge photos is the elevated Tudor City Bridge on 42nd Street.
MORE SOLSTICE CONTENT: Aztecs Used the Mountains to Create Sophisticated Farming Calendar that Even Accounted for Leap Years: Study
14th, 23rd, and 34th streets are all additionally good spots to see the sunrise.
If you prefer a festival to a spectacle, the most raucous ones are in Europe. The Secret Solstice Music Festival in Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital, attracts some 8,000 visitors yearly, and is a perfect way to celebrate summer with people who can truly appreciate the opportunity to wear short sleeves. The highlight is seeing the headlining band perform under the midnight sun.
Iceland’s neighbor Sweden has turned the solstice into a national holiday. In fact, it has been suggested as Sweden’s de facto National Day, which this year falls on June 23rd. Here like in Iceland, the sky never truly darkens, and festivities often go on through the night.
SIMILAR EVENTS: Fun Facts and Strange Customs to Celebrate the Vernal Equinox
On the Visit Stockholm website, one can read all about celebrating it in the big city, or in the surrounding countryside where flower picking, garland wearing, and raising of the Maypole, are still the chief activities.
In Egypt, you can see the sunset between the Pyramids of Giza, while on the island of Orkey, one can see the sunrise paired in perfect alignment with the Standing Stones of Sternness, perhaps even older than Stonehenge.
SHARE This Story And PLAN A Solstice Celebration With Your Friends…
A man named Michael can thank his lucky stars that when his heart stopped aboard an airplane, there was a healthcare angel sitting just a few rows back.
Emily Raines, an acute care nurse at a Baltimore hospital, was flying back from a vacation in the Bahamas with her boyfriend when the flight attendant asked if there was anyone onboard with medical training.
The attendant over the intercom said a passenger was having a medical emergency, and Raines quickly volunteered.
“On our way up there I was trying to pregame like ‘hey if we have to do compressions, I need you to do compressions. I’ll take care of everything else,'” Raines described the tense moments during the emergency, discussing the game plan with her boyfriend, a former nurse who now works in finance.
She told CBS News that once she got to the passenger’s seat, he was slumped over, flush purple, and not breathing. Together they did chest compression, or CPR, for about 23 minutes before with just 7 minutes until landing, their good work revived the man.
He was rushed to the hospital as soon as the plane came to a halt, while Raines was treated to a hero’s welcome as she returned to her seat further back in the plane.
MORE LIFESAVERS: Just One Day After Completing CPR Training, a Teen Saves Her Friend’s Life Using Procedure She’d Just Learned
“We were amped because it’s so awesome to have that feeling, and afterwards, you’re just like, ‘oh wow, we did this, we saved somebody’s life,'” Raines exclaimed.
A short time later, Raines received a message from Michael’s wife, expressing her deep gratitude for the saving of her husband.
“I cannot possibly thank you enough for saving Michael’s life. There are no words. if I could, I would like to at least make you some cookies,” the woman said.
WATCH the story below (to Those Outside the US: View video at CBS.com…)
SHARE These Heroes’ Effort With Social Media And Give Them A Cheer
Conservationists are celebrating the birth of one of the world’s most endangered primates at a UK zoo.
The rare Sulawesi crested macaque was born on May 16th at the Chester Zoo to proud new mom Rumple and dad Mamassa.
Adorable photographs show the new arrival clinging on to its mother as it made its first outside appearance at its enclosure at the UK’s largest and most-visited zoo.
The species is listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and fewer than 5,000 remain in their natural habitat on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
Though the adults’ faces are jet black, the babies are born with a buckskin leather tone that highlights their beautiful eyes.
“Sulawesi crested macaques are highly sociable animals that live in large groups, and so the new baby is currently being passed around by mom Rumple to several other females, who are all sharing parenting duties, which is great to see,” explained Mark Brayshaw, head of mammals at the zoo.
MORE ZOO SUCCESSES: A Pair of the World’s Rarest–and Most Adorable—Piglets Are Born in a UK Zoo
“Every birth is a step forward for the international conservation breeding program that’s working to safeguard the future of this critically endangered species. It also provides an opportunity to learn more about their behavior, biology, and social structures, which all help to inform the efforts to protect the species globally.”
Sulawesi is the world’s 11th largest island at about 70,000 square miles and is located east of Borneo. A large percentage, 62% (79 species) of the mammals on the island are endemic, meaning that they are found nowhere else in the world.
WATCH the newborn below…
SHARE This Inspiring Little Face With Your Friends On Social Media…
Quote of the Day: “Our happiness depends on wisdom all the way.” – Sophocles
Photo by: thumbnail of painting by Claudia
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?
Many laymen will not be aware that science has never been able to X-ray a single atom.
The best that current state-of-the-art synchrotron scanners can manage is to X-ray an attogram—about 10,000 atoms—but the signal produced by a single atom is so weak that conventional detectors cannot be used. Until now.
This landmark feat was achieved thanks to a purpose-built synchrotron instrument at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois using a technique known as SX-STM (synchrotron X-ray scanning tunneling microscopy).
The researchers behind the breakthrough say it paves the way for finding cures for major life-threatening diseases, the development of superfast quantum computers, and other advancements in materials and eco-science.
Atoms are the particles that build molecules, and the limit to which any substance can be broken down chemically. There are as many in a golf ball as golf balls would fit into Earth.
SX-STM can now measure them to an infinitesimal degree. The feat has been described as the ‘holy grail’ of physics, and a long-standing dream of Professor Saw Wai Hla of Ohio State University, the lead author on the paper explaining the discovery.
“Atoms can be routinely imaged with scanning probe microscopes—but without X-rays one cannot tell what they are made of,” explained Dr. Hla. “We can now detect exactly the type of a particular atom, one atom-at-a-time, and can simultaneously measure its chemical state. This discovery will transform the world.”
Since its discovery by Roentgen in 1895, X-rays have been used in dozens of applications and fields, from medical examinations to security screenings in airports.
OTHER BIG BREAKTHROUGHS: New Brain Implant Device Could Restore Function in Paralyzed Limbs
NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity is equipped with an X-ray device to examine the composition of the rocks.
An important usage of X-rays in science is to identify the type of materials in a sample. Over the years, the quantity of materials in a sample required for X-ray detection has been greatly reduced thanks to the development of synchrotron X-rays.
SX-STM collects excited electrons, particles on the outside of an atom that move around the protons and neutrons inside, and the spectrum thus produced is like a fingerprint that enables the precise detection of what the atom is.
MORE PHYSICS NEWS: Mathematicians Discover Elusive ‘Einstein’ Shape: ‘The Miracle that Disrupts Order’
“The technique used, and concept proven in this study broke new ground in X-ray science and nanoscale studies,” said first author Tolulope Michael Ajayi, a PhD student at Ohio.
“More so, using X-rays to detect and characterize individual atoms could revolutionize research and give birth to new technologies in areas such as quantum information and the detection of trace elements in environmental and medical research, to name a few.”
“This achievement also opens the road for advanced materials science instrumentation.”
SHARE This Interesting Holy Grail Of Physics With Your Sciency Friends…
Kenya’s vast Tsavo East National Park is no place for the solitary. It’s easy to get lost in the dense bush, a fact 4-year-old Ayub from the Asa community will remember for the rest of his life.
The boy faced a terrifying ordeal, lost for 6 days amid a territory 66% larger than Yellowstone, and populated by killers like elephants, buffalo, and rhinos.
But this story of survival had a happy ending thanks to the help of two Kenyan-British pilots: The Carr-Harleys—Roan and Taru.
“When I was flying around, I saw lots of hyenas, jackals, and it was pouring with rain,” Roan Carr-Hartley, a helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft pilot who works with his brother at Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, told CBS News about the rescue efforts.
“It’s such a harsh and unforgiving environment for a tiny boy, there’s nothing or no one there. And so you start worrying and fearing the worst, you feel so hopeless.”
Ayub went missing from his village during a storm. The community chief had phoned the Carr-Hartleys asking for help because he and some other villagers were already tracking the boy’s footprints.
They searched for days with no luck, until on the 6th, Roan got a call from the chief saying they had picked up fresh tracks about 15 kilometers north of their village, and shortly after arriving in the area, Roan spotted Ayub under his left wing, describing him as this “tiny guy in the middle of nowhere” who was weak and stumbling.
Coordinating with the searchers on the ground, it was Ayub’s uncle who got to him first, picking him up and swinging him in the air.
Roan explained that it’s tradition in Asa culture to chant songs of gratitude on a walk back to the village.
“When his mother saw him, she just burst into tears. She couldn’t believe it. She was totally in hysterics,” Roan said. “He also reunited with his dad and the rest of his family. It was an amazing moment. Doctors arrived, we administered first aid, replenished his electrolytes, and tested him for malaria.”
MORE STORIES OF SURVIVAL: 3 Children and a Baby Survived for Weeks in Colombian Jungle After Their Plane Crashed
While Roan and his brother Taru normally are looking for humans with malintent (poachers) and rescue four-legged members of the Tsavo East community (elephants), Ayub is not the first person they’ve rescued this year.
GNN reported on a Sheldrick Wildlife Trust release in May when the brothers piloted their helicopter to the rescue of a tanker truck driver who had been stranded on a flooded road section.
Dwarfed by the angry river, the tanker had flipped onto its side, and the driver, James Rufus Kinyua, had climbed out of the cab and was lying on the door. Slowly, the pilot lowered the helicopter closer and closer to the tanker where the driver sat crouched in the swirling winds from both the flooding and the rotors.
MORE KENYA STORIES: Anti-Poaching Helicopter Attempts Daring Rescue Inches Above Swirling Floodwaters–WATCH
“I was told he had been there since 10 am, in extreme fear I am sure,” Taru Carr-Hartley told Nation Africa. “He was hanging half out of the window, lying on top of the truck, and I could see the windscreen was smashed and the whole cabin was filled with water.”
All in a day’s work for the Carr-Hartleys, born as the third generation of British-Kenyans who work in wildlife conservation and biology in the East African nation.
SHARE This Inspiring Rescue With Your Friends…
In a “landmark” phase III trial, a skin patch to combat peanut allergies in children under the age of 4 has shown to be safe and more effective than placebo.
The patch works like exposure therapy, slowly training the toddlers’ bodies to tolerate proteins in peanuts that may cause an immune response in normal cases.
For 12 months, more than 300 children participated in the study. By the end of that period, 67% of the children didn’t experience adverse reactions to peanuts, double that of the placebo group.
The trial is considered the “gold standard,” which is to say it was double-blinded and placebo-controlled, meaning neither the kids nor the scientists knew who received the skin patch and who received the placebo patch.
The group that received the actual patch experienced more symptoms of peanut allergies during the 12 months of treatment—typical of exposure therapy—but side effects of the medicine itself were less than half of one percent.
“We were excited to contribute to this landmark study that carries so much promise for our young patients with peanut allergy,” said co-author Melanie Makhija, MD, who was the Principal Investigator of the study at Lurie Children’s Hospital.
“Children who originally reacted to a small fraction of a peanut were able to tolerate the equivalent of one to four peanuts after completing the treatment course. This means that these children will be well protected from accidental exposure to peanuts. Importantly, we found that the peanut patch was safe, with very low chances of a severe allergic reaction.”
OTHER STUDY RESULTS: Time-Restricted Eating Could Prevent Work-Related Health Issues, Says New Study
“This is terrific news for families of kids with peanut allergies,” she concluded.
Unlike allergies to shellfish or stonefruit, peanut allergies can be particularly dangerous because many facilities that jar and pack spices, grains, tree nuts, and other dry foodstuffs do so in the same facility as peanuts.
The trial, the results from which were published in the New England Journal of Medicine, is the first to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of a treatment for children under the age of 4.
SHARE This Landmark Trial On An Everyday Medical Issue On Social Media…
A Missouri middle schooler was so determined to make it to his graduation, he ended up walking 6 miles.
Losing out on an opportunity for a ride there, 8th-grader Xavier Jones asked his friend and brother to walk along with him, remembering something a mentor at Yeatman Middle School had told him.
“‘If I want it, I got to go get it,’” Jones told Fox News, remembering the advice. Together, the young men walked over 10,000 steps and two-and-a-half hours through St. Louis to arrive at the school.
As it happened, when the 14-year-old arrived at the graduation, the purveyor of that advice, mentor Darren Seals, was speaking at the ceremony. Hearing that one of his students had walked two hours to be there, he paused to inform the audience.
“I had to stop my speech and call him on board and was like, ‘Hey, everybody get off your feet and give him a standing ovation,’” Mr. Seals also told Fox. “They clapped for him. They were like, ‘Woah, this boy walked.’”
Also as it happened, the President of Harris-Stowe State University, Dr. Latonia Collins Smith was in attendance that day, and was moved by the perseverance and determination shown by young Mr. Jones.
She decided to offer him a “ride” to college, although considering the circumstances, this terminology confused Jones. Mr. Seals recounts the conversation.
MORE GRADUATION STORIES: Teens Raise Thousands for Their Graduation Trip Abroad, Then Donate it to the Community Instead
“She said, ‘You got a full ride,’ and I said [to Xavier], ‘Do you know what that means,’ and he said, ‘They’re going to give me a ride to school?’” Seals said. “I was like, ‘No, you’re getting a ride to college. He said, ‘Wait a minute, I don’t have to pay for college. Then it started hitting him.”
Fox reports that Dr. Smith offered the young man the Presidential scholarship, complete with tuition and money for four years of attendance including rent and textbooks.
That’s not the end of the story however, because over the weekend, it came out that Miami Dolphins NFL player Terron Armstead, who grew up in a similar part of town to Xavier, had bought his family a minivan, and an electric bike to ensure transportation options are no longer a problem.
MORE INSPIRING STORIES: Colorful Mumbai Overpass Goes Viral After Being Converted into Sporting Complex for Community
Moved by Xavier’s story, the NFL star said he was happy to step in and offer help to a boy who had lost his mother some years ago, and who was being raised by his grandfather.
“It’s humbling, it’s motivating, it’s inspiring,” Armstead said of Jones.
The story is a reminder to young people that even the most straightforward demonstrations of commitment are valuable, and more philosophically, that the journey of 1,000 miles really does begin with one step; though in this case, perhaps around 10,000.
WATCH the videos below, the first of Jones’ walk, and the second of Armstead…
SHARE This Inspiring Turn of Events With Your Friends On Social Media…
Quote of the Day: “Yield to temptation. It may not pass your way again.” – Robert A. Heinlein
Photo by: Forja2 Mx
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
The original demo tape that landed Prince his first record contract is being auctioned.
Boston-based RR Auction calls the sale a “stunning revelation for music enthusiasts and Prince fans worldwide.”
The demo tape, recorded on a 1/4″ reel-to-reel tape in 1976, contains unreleased versions of three Prince originals: The catchy pop tune “Just As Long as We’re Together” and the disco-pop song “My Love is Forever,” from his debut album. (Listen to the released songs below…) It also included the never-released “Jelly Jam.”
At just 18 years old, Prince single-handedly wrote, arranged, sang, and played all the instruments for the tracks at Sound 80 Studios in Minneapolis.
The historic artifact, obtained from the estate of the late Warner Bros. Records executive Russ Thyret, “serves as a testament to the visionary talent of the enigmatic musician and marks the inception of one of the most legendary careers in popular music.”
The reel, enclosed in its original custom-made box, has a hand-written label with the notice: (c) 1977 Prince Nelson. It comes with a plexiglass display case, a business card belonging to Russ Thyret, and a CD transfer of the tape’s audio.
LOOK: Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour Auctions Off 126 Guitars and Raises $21 Million for Climate Change Battle
Prince signed with Warner Bros. on June 25, 1977, less than three weeks after celebrating his nineteenth birthday.
Russ Thyret, who later ascended to become Chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Records, worked closely with Prince throughout his illustrious career. Following Thyret’s passing in 2021, archivist Jeff Gold, a former Warner Bros. Executive Vice President/General Manager who had collaborated with both Prince and Thyret, discovered the demo tape in Thyret’s attic.
RR Auction says: “Now, this extraordinary piece of music history is poised to find a new home, offering fans and collectors a chance to own a museum-quality Prince collectible, steeped in unparalleled provenance.
RELATED: Prince Left No Heirs Behind, But Lived Secret Humanitarian Life
Additionally, it is accompanied by a letter of provenance from Jeff Gold, a former Warner Bros. executive who worked closely with both Prince and Thyret, which RR Auction claim solidifies “its authenticity and significance”.
“It captures the genesis of an artist who reshaped the landscape of popular music.”
The online auction which ends 23 June currently has a single bid of $5,000.
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Reprinted via EarthTalk®, From the Editors of E – The Environmental Magazine
Are there any environmentally friendly air conditioners out there?
Traditional air conditioning units consume significant amounts of energy and rely heavily on refrigerants that contribute to global warming. The good news is that there are several environmentally-friendly air conditioning options available today.
One notable advancement is the development of energy-efficient air conditioners. These units are designed to use less electricity and reduce their carbon footprint—while lowering your energy bills compared to older units.
In the US, Energy Star certified air conditioners meet strict energy efficiency standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and can help reduce energy usage by up to 15 percent. By choosing an Energy Star certified model, consumers can make a positive impact on both the environment and their wallets. There are also some solar air conditioning options available today.
Another eco-friendly air conditioning solution gaining popularity is the use of evaporative coolers, also known as swamp coolers. Unlike conventional air conditioners, which use refrigerants and compressors to cool the air, evaporative coolers work by passing air over water-soaked pads, causing evaporation and cooling the air. These units consume significantly less energy than traditional air conditioners, but they may only be a suitable option for dry climates. They’re not as effective in areas with high humidity.
In recent years, researchers and engineers have been exploring more sustainable alternatives to refrigerants used in air conditioners. One such alternative is hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) refrigerants, which have a much lower global warming potential compared to hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants commonly used today. HFOs are less harmful to the ozone layer and have a significantly lower impact on global warming. Some manufacturers have already started producing air conditioners that use HFO refrigerants, offering a greener cooling solution.
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Additionally, there is a growing trend towards the use of geothermal heat pumps for cooling purposes. These systems utilize the constant temperature of the earth to provide cooling, rather than relying on electricity to generate cool air.
Geothermal heat pumps are highly efficient and can save up to 30-60 percent on energy costs compared to traditional air conditioners. They also have a longer lifespan and require less maintenance. While the initial installation costs may be higher, the long-term environmental and financial benefits make them a viable option for those looking to minimize their ecological impact.
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Finally, it is essential to consider proper maintenance practices when using air conditioners. Optimizing insulation, reducing air leaks, and shading windows can help reduce the load on air conditioning systems. Regular maintenance, such as cleaning filters and ensuring proper airflow, ensures that the unit operates at maximum efficiency.
Energy-efficient models, evaporative coolers, safer refrigerants, and geothermal heat pumps are good alternatives to reduce the ecological footprint of cooling our buildings. By making informed choices and adopting sustainable practices, we can stay cool without worsening the health of our planet.
EarthTalk® is produced by Roddy Scheer & Doug Moss for the 501(c)3 nonprofit EarthTalk. See more at emagazine.com. To donate, visit Earthtalk.org. Send questions to: [email protected].
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A 102-year-old British woman who reads the paper every day revealed her secrets for a long and happy life—and you might be surprised, or thrilled.
Joyce Jackman celebrated her 102nd birthday on May 9, and shared her advice for living for over a century.
A former chef in the UK’s Royal Air Force, Joyce told the staff at her care home that she credits “good sex and good sherry” as two of the key to her satisfying life.
The woman from Colchester, Essex, was feted at the Silversprings senior home in Thorrington, where some family members and the staff surprised her with a cake.
The centenarian said she “didn’t want the day to end”.
“I had such a lovely day.
“I can’t believe I’m 102,” she said, quickly revealing her third secret for longevity. “It must be all the chocolate I eat that’s helped!”
When she was young, Joyce worked in a sweet shop, before joining the RAF as a chef during World War II.
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Now widowed, she married her childhood sweetheart, Terence Jackman, in 1945, the year the war ended.
While they never had children, Joyce loved to help out by looking after the children in her neighborhood. She enjoyed baking with her mother and going out with her friends.
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These days, she enjoys keeping her mind busy at Silversprings, regularly doing crossword puzzles and staying up-to-date with the daily newspaper.
There’s always plenty of chocolate on hand—and the cake was, of course, chocolate.
“Joyce is a much-loved resident at the home,” said Home Manager Joanne Rix. “She’s always making us laugh with her fantastic sense of humor and outlook on life.”
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“We all were honored to raise a glass of sherry to Joyce’s incredible life so far.”
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People over 60 who take a daily multivitamin pill may be slowing age-related memory decline, according to a new study that amplifies similar findings from last year.
More than 3,500 American adults over the age of 60 were randomly assigned to take either a daily multivitamin supplement or placebo for three years.
At the end of each year, participants performed a series of online cognitive assessments at home designed to test memory function of the hippocampus, an area of the brain that is normally affected by aging.
By the end of the first year, memory improved for the people taking a daily multivitamin, compared with those taking a placebo—and the benefits were sustained over the three-year period.
The researchers at Columbia University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard said the results are consistent with another recent study from Wake Forest University that followed more than 2,200 older adults and found that taking a daily multivitamin improved overall cognition, memory recall, and attention.
The earlier study showed that three years of multivitamin supplementation roughly translated to a 60% slowing of cognitive decline, equating to around 1.8 years of normal mental capacity.
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“Because of our innovative approach of assessing cognitive outcomes using internet-based tests, we were able to examine the effects of a multivitamin in thousands of study participants,” said Professor Adam Brickman, of Columbia University.
“The aging brain may be more sensitive to nutrition than we realized,” said first author Dr. Lok-Kin Yeung, also of Columbia.
“Our study suggests that supplementation with multivitamins may be a simple and inexpensive way for older adults to slow down memory loss.”
Co-author Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said: “The finding that a daily multivitamin improved memory in two separate cognition studies…is remarkable.”
The effect was even more pronounced in participants with underlying heart disease, according to the findings published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
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“There is evidence that people with cardiovascular disease may have lower micronutrient levels that multivitamins may correct, but we don’t really know right now why the effect is stronger in this group.”
The researchers, whose work was partially funded by the National Institutes of Health, did not look at whether any specific component of the multivitamin supplement was linked to the improvement in memory.
“Though it may not be so important to find out which specific nutrient helps slow age-related cognitive decline,” said Yeung.
“The findings are promising and certainly set the stage for important follow-up studies about the impact of multivitamin supplementation on cognition,” concluded Brickman, who reminds people that getting nutrients from your food is always preferable.
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