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Your Weekly Horoscope – ‘Free Will Astrology’ by Rob Brezsny

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

Here is your weekly horoscope…

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY – Week of August 22, 2026
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

 

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
I am nursing a hopeful dream that you will give yourself a fun surprise or two in the coming days—maybe even more than two. Not necessarily the most expensive delights, but those that would inspire your nervous system to relax and your spirit to celebrate. Possible options: a few hours of free time with no obligations, a hike where you adore and praise the sky, a conversation you’ve been craving, a daring yes, or a long-overdue no. Or how about finally starting a fun project you keep postponing, or setting down a burden you’ve been carrying for too long? You might ask yourself: “If someone who loved me dearly were in charge of my rhythm, what would they arrange for me?”

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
The first maps of Antarctica contained blank spaces labeled simply “unexplored.” Cartographers didn’t pretend to know what wasn’t yet revealed. This was a gift to future trailblazers, who didn’t have to overcome the confusion of false certainties. You could benefit from adopting a similar practice. Instead of explaining every mystery with confident opinions, designate a few regions of your inner world as magnificently unexplored. Your willingness to say “I don’t know yet” will be a fertile form of wisdom. The unanswered questions will be better allies than premature conclusions.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
In architecture, the keystone is the central, wedge-shaped stone positioned at the top of an arch. It’s often the last piece placed, and it’s what holds everything together. If it’s removed, the entire structure collapses. But the keystone itself is held in place by the pressure of the other stones. I love the fact that it’s both the most crucial piece and yet totally dependent on everything else. This is an excellent metaphor for you right now. You’re like a keystone: holding everything together and also being held by everything. Please accept my personal thanks for accomplishing the amazing feat of being both powerful and vulnerable! The structure needs you, and you need the structure. PS: Don’t overestimate your independence or underestimate your importance.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Don’t reorganize your junk drawers anytime soon, Sagittarius. Please? Refrain from scrubbing the oven, organizing your kitchen cupboards, and untangling old extension cords. I’m begging you to believe me when I urge to allocate your energy toward the most interesting and important matters. The cosmic indicators are unambiguous. You will be happiest and most successful if you: 1. dare to access secret wisdom you’ve been hiding from yourself; 2. immerse yourself in almost too much beauty and truth; 3. let your imagination run wild as you visualize future scenarios that thrill you even if they’re also a bit unnerving.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
The Grand Canyon in Arizona is 277 miles long, as wide as 18 miles, and a mile deep in some places. Through persistent erosion for millions of years, the Colorado River carved it. This massive creative project happened entirely through subtraction, not addition. I suggest you regard it as one of your role models in the coming months, Capricorn. Your goal is to wear away resistance and eliminate what’s unnecessary. The magnificence you produce will be very gradual and incremental.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
In engineering, redundancy refers to the practice of building multiple layers of support into a system so that if one part falters, others keep functioning. Airplanes and spacecraft rely on this principle for safety. I urge you to adopt a similar strategy in the coming weeks. By creating backup plans or additional reinforcement, you can move forward with more daring and flair, which I highly recommend. Artful preparation will strengthen your ability to experiment and improvise.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
The ocean has different layers. Each has its own temperature, pressure, and ecosystem. Many sea creatures are adapted to one specific stratum and don’t wander far from their chosen realm. But there are transition zones where the layers meet, and they’re often rich in biodiversity. I propose that we use these areas as metaphors for your power spots, Pisces. You tend to thrive in thresholds and boundaries, where edges meet and overlap. That will be especially true in the coming weeks. To court good fortune and sweet delight, you should hang out at the borders where diverse influences mingle.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Consider this your official alert that you’re close to getting too much of a good thing. To safeguard the lovely momentum you’ve built lately, be vigilant that genuine abundance doesn’t bloat into plain old overload. Say no to becoming indentured to your own brilliant ideas. Don’t let your victories drag you into depletion. Steer clear of grand gestures of generosity that are driven mostly by the urge to dazzle onlookers. You really can keep every delicious reward you’ve earned, dear Aries, as long as you begin installing some graceful new boundaries right now.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
In 1925, Taurus astronomer Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (1900–1979) discovered that stars are primarily composed of hydrogen and helium. Famous astrophysicists of that era rejected her conclusions because she contradicted the prevailing theories. Nevertheless, she persisted in her claims and was eventually proved correct by other experts. Sound familiar, Taurus? If it doesn’t yet, I expect it will soon. Naysayers may insist you’re wrong when you know and I know you’re right. My advice: Be faithful to the truths you’ve directly observed even if they don’t match consensus reality. Your understandings are valid even if they’re inconvenient.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
You’re ready and able to commune intimately with the hidden source of power that fuels your life. Hallelujah! But first, acknowledge a humbling truth: You’re not entirely sure what that source is. You’ve made assumptions, of course. You’ve told yourself stories about where your vitality comes from: your work, your relationships, your creative projects, your spiritual practices. And while these channels do transmit energy, they’re tributaries of the ultimate spring. In the coming weeks, you’ll have exciting opportunities to trace these streams back to their headwaters. Start this way: Be alert for mini-breakthroughs when you feel unexpectedly energized or mysteriously restored.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
The GPS system requires Einstein’s theory of relativity to work correctly. Satellites in orbit experience time slightly differently than we do on Earth’s surface. Without accounting for that time dilation, your phone would be off by 6.8 miles every day. Moral of the story: The practical requires the theoretical and the mundane needs the cosmic. I bring this to your attention as a useful metaphor, Cancerian. I suspect you’ve been trying to solve ground-level problems with ground-level thinking. But your current challenges require you to factor in some relativity: to recognize that different parts of your life are operating in different timeframes, under different rules. What works in one context doesn’t necessarily work in another. In the coming weeks, refrain from trying to apply universal solutions. Calibrate for context.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
In traditional textile making, the selvage is the strong edge that holds the fabric together and keeps it from unraveling. It’s braided more tightly than the rest so it can do its guarding work. I think that’s a helpful metaphor for your life in the coming weeks, Leo. Your main weave is pretty gorgeous, but the edges aren’t sufficiently taut. What should you do, practically speaking? For starters, create firm boundaries around your work time, your rest, and your availability to others’ demands.

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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“Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity they think of you.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr. 

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Credit: Getty Images for Unsplash+ -

Quote of the Day: “Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity they think of you.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr. 

Photo by: Getty Images for Unsplash+ –

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?

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Good News in History, August 22

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76 years ago today, Althea Gibson became the first black competitor in international tennis, after US officials, bowing to pressure, invited the 23-year-old to play in the National Championships (now the US Open). Born in South Carolina to sharecropper parents who moved to Harlem when Althea was 6, their neighbors took up a collection to pay for her tennis lessons. SEE her accomplishments in a short video… (1950)

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French Firm Switches On Africa’s Largest Renewable Energy/Storage Plant to Power 200K Houses

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Andy Corbley
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TotalEnergies Hydra Project - credit, released
TotalEnergies Hydra Project – credit, released

French energy supermajor TotalEnergies recently inaugurated the largest hybrid renewable energy project in Africa that will generate 400 gigawatt-hours of electricity in South Africa.

Located in the Northern Cape province the Hydra Project combines a 216-MW solar photovoltaic plant with a 500 MWh battery energy storage system.

Developed and built with partners Hydra Storage Holding and Reatile Renewables, the facility will supply 75 MW of renewable electricity to the national grid continuously between 5:00 a.m. and 9:30 p.m., under a 20-year power purchase agreement.

“We are delighted, together with our partners Reatile Renewables and Hydra Storage Holding, to bring the Hydra project into operation,” stated Magali Pailhé, Managing Director of TotalEnergies Southern Africa.

“It enables us to supply dispatchable renewable power to the South African grid, thereby strengthening the country’s energy security while decarbonizing its electricity generation. This project reinforces our renewable production capacity in South Africa, the continent’s largest power market in terms of electricity consumption.”

Joint venture partner Hydra Storage Holding is a South African renewable energy developer and independent power producer that has delivered more than 1 GW of large and medium-scale renewable energy projects across South Africa.

NEW RENEWABLES: USA’s Largest Renewable Project Comes Online–With More Power Than the Hoover Dam

The Hydra Project means Total, one of the world’s largest distributed oil, energy, and utility companies, now manages just under 36 GW of gross renewable power generation capacity.

Hydra will be the largest combined renewables/storage project on the continent, at least until Egypt completes its truly colossal joint venture along the Red Sea coast signed in March.

ALSO CHECK OUT: Wind Farms in Africa Aim To Power New Era of Clean Reliable Energy While Saving a Billion Tons of CO2

To be developed in a partnership between the Egyptian firm Orascom Construction, French utility Engie, and Japanese conglomerate Toyota Tsusho, the complex is planned to include 6,000 megawatts of solar, wind, and battery capacity.

The largest renewable energy generation project is also found in Egypt, called the Benben Solar Park, which switched on 1.8 gigawatts of solar power in 2019.

SHARE This Sunny News For South African Energy On Social Media… 

Community Rallies to Support Wages of Beloved Pizza Joint’s Staff While They Rebuild After a Fire

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Andy Corbley
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Jakeeno’s Pizza and Bob Tinsley (via Gofundme)
Jakeeno’s Pizza and Bob Tinsley (via Gofundme)

A sisters-owned pizza institution in Minnesota which recently closed after fire damage has received a big slice of help from the community.

In the early morning hours of July 11th, firefighters responded to a call as smoke poured from the roof of Jakeeno’s Pizza on the corner of Chicago Avenue and 36th Street in South Minneapolis.

Crews found an active fire burning beneath the roof membrane and had to open multiple sections of the roof to put it out. The restaurant was closed and empty at the time, and so the damage was luckily limited to just pocketbooks and bank accounts.

“Thankfully, we’re very well insured and we’re just kind of waiting for that process to happen,” said current co-owner Amy Keegan. “We’re just waiting on the insurance claim to come through. They’re doing their due diligence on their end.”

In the meantime, the shop has closed, but a local hospitality entrepreneur named Bob Tinsley organized a GoFundMe to support Amy and her sister Patty, as well as the whole staff whose jobs are on ice while Jakeeno’s is rebuilt.

The community has since responded compassionately, contributing $21,000 from 291 donations.

“We want them back; we appreciate them. We feel terrible that they lost their jobs from this and so we’re just trying to keep everybody whole,” Patty Keegan told CBS News.

COMMUNITIES HELPING COMMUNITY:

GoFundMe contributions will go to paying the cooks, wait staff, and bartenders, but interested parties can also support Jakeeno’s by buying their brand pasta sauce and frozen pizzas available at local grocery stores and co-ops.

It’s not the first time the restaurant’s doors, which have remained open for half a century, have been under pressure to close. Jakeeno’s survived the Great Recession, COVID-19, and the rioting following the murder of George Floyd which occurred just two blocks away.

With a little help from the neighbors who so often tuck into one of their pies, Jakeeno’s can survive this too.

SHARE This Story Of Generosity And Resilience With Your Friends… 

First River Otter Spotted in the Bronx in 100 Years Along the Bronx River

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Andy Corbley
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- credit, Wildlife Conservation Society Education Department / RJ Hawkins
– credit, Wildlife Conservation Society Education Department / RJ Hawkins

It was June 23rd when a furry brown arrow shot past a motion-activated camera along the Bronx River and sent conservationists mad with excitement.

It was the first time in approximately 100 years that an otter was observed in this borough of New York City, and provided compelling evidence that decades of conservation and restoration are transforming one of the Big Apple’s most iconic waterways.

The camera was deployed by local scientist RJ Hawkins and overseen by the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Education Department, based at the Bronx Zoo.

Hawkins, a graduate of the Miami University of Ohio Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) hosted at the Bronx Zoo, captured the image while conducting long-term camera trap monitoring for wildlife along the river in concert with the WCS

“When I first reviewed the images, I could hardly believe what I was seeing,” said Hawkins in a statement. “Knowing this may be the first documented river otter in the Bronx in generations was an incredible moment. It shows why long-term wildlife monitoring and environmental restoration efforts matter.”

Craig Piper, WCS’ Interim Executive Vice President of Zoos & Aquarium, and Director of the Bronx Zoo, agreed.

“There are moments in conservation that remind us why this work matters, and this is one of them,” said Piper. “Thanks to a broad coalition of public and private partners, we can celebrate the return of an otter as a result of decades of restoration work to provide cleaner water and healthier habitat. It’s a win for both wildlife and people.”

River otters once ranged throughout New York’s waterways but disappeared from many areas because of pollution, habitat degradation, and unregulated trapping. Today they are considered indicators of healthy freshwater ecosystems because they depend on clean water, abundant fish, and intact river habitats.

RIVERS COMING BACK TO LIFE: Toronto River Once So Polluted it Caught on Fire Now Is Flush with Fish

The sighting is the latest chapter in the Bronx River’s extraordinary ecological recovery. Once heavily polluted and long regarded as one of the nation’s most neglected urban rivers, the Bronx River has experienced decades of restoration led by public agencies, nonprofit organizations, community volunteers, and conservation partners.

In 2007, beavers returned to the river for the first time in more than 200 years. The appearance of a river otter suggests the river continues to become more hospitable for native wildlife.

NEWS YOU OTTER SEE: Great Lakes Otters Are a Conservation Success Story with Populations Flourishing in US and Ontario

While researchers caution that a single observation does not necessarily indicate a resident population, the discovery demonstrates that the Bronx River is increasingly capable of supporting native wildlife that has been absent for generations.

“This otter’s return is a gift, not just to the Bronx River but to the communities that have fought for 50 years to bring this river back to life,” said Javier Lopez with the Bronx River Alliance. “Today, this otter reminds us that when we invest in nature, nature responds, and when communities lead, change is possible.”

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Man Makes 200+ Trips to Remote Villages to Connect Elders with Their Children Working Abroad

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Andy Corbley
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Tian Rui (left) and some of the seniors he visits (right) - credit, Tian Rui, via socials
Tian Rui (left) and some of the seniors he visits (right) – credit, Tian Rui, via socials

It’s estimated that over 110 million Chinese live and work abroad, which for the family members they leave behind can be heart-wrenching and difficult, above all for the elderly.

But thanks to a generous soul born to the mountain paths of Hubei Province, these severed family ties are being reconnected through social media and delivery services.

Tian Rui is 39, and used to be a courier among the mountains of rural Yichang Province. His years of delivering parcels through the various hamlets endowed him with close personal connections to many residents whose children had moved down to the big cities or to lands further afield to seek work.

Last year, South China Morning Post in Hong Kong reported, Tian decided that he would offer a new service in the area as sort of a middleman between these often elderly locals and their estranged offspring.

So far he’s made over 200 trips to houses across the county on behalf of the sons and daughters of residents there, sometimes to bring groceries or medications, birthday cakes, and sometimes just to check in and have tea.

“What they really want is to know their children are thinking of them and to have someone to talk to,” Tian shared with Jiupai News, adding that his most distant client lives in Bolivia.

Tian doesn’t charge for short trips, but asks for a reimbursement for fuel costs for longer ones.

Before visiting someone, he confirms the person’s address and name, what it is they’re likely to need, and then records a video of the whole thing, before chopping it up and sending it to the person’s relative.

SOCIAL ISOLATION: Japan’s Yogurt Delivery Ladies Serve as a Support Net for Country’s Aging Population

In one case last December, Tian visited an elderly man and spent several hours with him before sending recordings of their time together to his family. These would be the last sight they had of their relative, as he died just 4 months after the visit.

Tian often witnesses the extraordinary longevity of rural Chinese, for example, a 100-year-old woman whom he visited on behalf of her grandchildren is seen in the video he produced as being spry and capable, demanding he stay for dinner before regaling him accounts of all 16 of her grandchildren’s birthdays.

CHINESE VIRAL STORIES: Senior Who Only Learned to Swim After Retiring Saves Drowning Man Half Her Age

The most common case is that the seniors he visits are lonely and vulnerable to social isolation, with many asking him when he will come back next.

With stories like this often going viral on Mainland social media platforms, Tian has been praised as a kind of “family bridge.”

SHARE This ‘Family Bridge’ Hard At Work Connecting Families In Rural China…

“We do not judge the people we love.” – Jean-Paul Sartre

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Credit: Kenny Eliason

Quote of the Day: “We do not judge the people we love.” – Jean-Paul Sartre

Photo by: Kenny Eliason (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?

Credit: Kenny Eliason

Good News in History, August 21

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Usain Bolt in the final of the 100 meters in Berlin, 2009 - Erik van Leeuwen NFDL

Happy 40th birthday to the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt. The Jamaican superstar sprinter who retired in 2017 is a world record holder in the 100-meters, 200m and 4 × 100m relay. RE-LIVE Bolt’s career below… (1986)

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Experimental Drug Generates Immune Response Against Pancreatic Cancer in People at High Risk

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Andy Corbley
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An image of pancreatic cancer - credit, PLOS ONE / DOI10.1371journal.pone.0150338 / CC 4.0. Int
An image of pancreatic cancer – credit, PLOS ONE / DOI10.1371journal.pone.0150338 / CC 4.0. Int

Researchers at Johns Hopkins report that an experimental drug targeting one of the most common genetic drivers of pancreatic cancer was safe in humans, and generated durable immune responses aimed at preventing the cancer in people at high risk.

Pancreatic cancer has one of the lowest survival rates of any form, and the developers believe the study is the first-in-human demonstration for a drug that could safely prevent the development of the cancer for those with a high-risk gene called mutant KRAS.

Findings from the phase 1 clinical trial were published July 16th in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma often develops over many years from precursors such as pancreatic cysts, creating a potential window for interventions that could prevent cancer from forming.

KRAS mutations are present in most pancreatic cancers and most pancreatic precancerous lesions. A drug developed by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and its Skip Viragh Center for Pancreatic Cancer causes the immune system to recognize and destroy cells carrying these mutations before they can develop into cancer, using a mix of peptides and an immuno-adjuvant like a vaccine.

In a phase 1 trial in humans, twenty participants with a hereditary predisposition to pancreatic cancer and a pancreatic abnormality identified through imaging received the drug between April 2022 and February 2026. 4 doses were administered over 13 weeks. Researchers monitored participants for safety and immune responses through blood testing and follow-up evaluations.

“This is just the beginning, but the findings suggest that the immune system is getting activated,” says Elizabeth Jaffee, MD, deputy director of the Kimmel Cancer Center and co-senior author of the study. “We have more work to do, but this is a good start aimed at prevention, which no one had thought about doing before.”

Researchers found that 18 of 20 participants, or 90%, developed a median 18-fold increase in mutant KRAS-specific T-cell responses, indicating that the drug successfully activated immune cells capable of recognizing KRAS mutations.

MORE IMMUNE-CANCER TREATMENTS: Cancer Vaccine Produces 49% Melanoma Reduction in Patients Five Years Later

Additional analyses showed that this response persisted for 2 years before monitoring concluded.

After a median follow-up of 16.5 months, none of the participants developed pancreatic cancer or a high-risk pancreatic lesion requiring surgical removal. All treatment-related adverse events classified as mild to moderate. The most common side effects were injection-site reactions, fatigue, chills and flu-like symptoms, all of which resolved without requiring treatment.

JOHNS HOPKINS’ GREAT WORK: Johns Hopkins Team Develops Therapeutic, Nasally-Delivered DNA Vaccine for Tuberculosis

The investigators note that the study was designed primarily to evaluate safety and immune responses and was not intended to determine whether the drug prevents pancreatic cancer. They caution that the small study size and relatively short follow-up period limit conclusions regarding clinical efficacy.

The KRAS immune treatment was first tested in 2020 in patients who had undergone surgery and were at high risk of cancer recurrence. The study, published in Nature Communications in 2026, found that when the drug generated a strong immune response, those patients remained disease-free for at least 5 years.

SHARE These Encouraging Early Results For A Deadly Cancer With Your Friends… 

Archaeologists Triple the Scale of an Ancient Amazonian Civilization We Know Almost Nothing About

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Andy Corbley
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Tequinho geoglyph in Acre, Brazil - credit, Pärssinen et al.
Tequinho geoglyph in Acre, Brazil – credit, Pärssinen et al.

Hundreds of geometric earthworks were recently found in the southwestern Amazon, evidence that a monument-building, precolonial civilization was so much larger than previously thought.

The scale of this hidden world of massive earthen construction projects only began to truly be understood this decade, but a recent aerial survey using laser radar has dramatically increased the footprint of this civilization.

It may indeed be larger than anything yet known in the region, with the total body of evidence showing a greater concentration of these structures in just 3% of the Amazon than in the other 97%.

The paper, published last week in Nature saw Martti Pärssinen, at the Ibero-American Institute of Finland carry out surveys over an area of 4,497 km2 in the southwestern Amazon in concert with his colleagues from Finland and Brazil.

They used LiDAR, an acronym for “Light Detection and Ranging.” This technology fires a laser which moves through the jungle canopy and down to the ground before rebounding back up to the plane like sonar. It allows researchers to accurately map in fine detail what lies below the canopy, and has contributed to many seismic archaeological discoveries in the Amazon Rainforest over the last two decades.

Their dataset yielded 432 separate earthworks, of which 396 were previously undocumented, around the cities of Rio Branco, Lábrea, Boca do Acre, and Carauari. By extrapolating these results, and in combination with existing satellite studies, the authors suggest the region may contain far more of these earthworks—between 24,000–30,000.

Their builders are referred to as the Aquiry civilization, and are known almost exclusively because of their large geometric ditched enclosures, known as Amazonian geoglyphs. It’s assumed they functioned as ceremonial, political and public gathering centers.

The mostly solitary structures are composed of ditches and embankments and range from 0.35 to 14 hectares in size; the largest known geoglyph covers nearly 123 acres. They first began building the geoglyphs around 2,500 years ago, while either themselves or a successor society continued building and using them, albeit with alterations in style, to as late a date as the 13th century.

Aquiry life is believed to have reached its greatest scale and wealth between the 1st and 4th centuries of our common era.

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS: A ‘Stonehenge Prototype’ Aligned with the Solstices Is a Once in a Lifetime Find for These Archaeologists

A previous population estimate for the Aquiry considered how many people would have been needed to build and maintain the earthworks, and considered 60,000 to be an accurate assessment using the data of the time—when only 200 of the earthworks were known, but that number has increased by orders of magnitude with new evidence.

Various LiDAR images of the Aquiry geoglyphs – credit, Pärssinen et al.

“On the basis of both existing data and our LiDAR documentation, we show that this cultural area alone contains as many earthworks as previously estimated for the whole of Amazonia,” the authors wrote. “We also propose that the total human population of the area in 100–300 [CE] was 1.25–3 million people.”

1 to 3 million people, at roughly the same time period, would put the Aquiry civilization on par demographically with the Late Preclassical Maya societies from as far north as the northern Yucatan Peninsula to as far south as Belize, making Aquiry one of the largest groups in the Americas at the time.

OTHER MAJOR LIDAR DISCOVERIES: Hundreds of Mayan Cities and Towns with Ball Courts and Roads Discovered in LiDAR Survey in Guatemala

Additionally, 28,000 earthworks would make the Aquiry region not so much smaller than the Maya Lowlands as well.

“By using airborne LiDAR technology, it has been possible to triple the area of the Aquiry civilization from the earlier 60,000 km2 to approximately 183,000 km2,” the authors summarized.

The study is a massive leap forward in the understanding of the Aquiry. Just take a look on Wikipedia and see how much information is available on them.

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Woman Gives $1 Million in ‘Life-Changing’ Bonuses to Teachers in Her School District

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Andy Corbley
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When a local resident found out that her schools in an extremely wealthy Northern California county was at the bottom for state funding, she stepped up to make the difference.

Maja Kristin asked the Ross Valley School District to organize a meeting of 100 teachers from their K-8 schools, with the special instruction that they weren’t to know what the reason was.

Gathered in a conference room on August 13th, Kristin explained she had discovered that its teachers were the paid the least of any peer group in the wealthy Marin County.

Marin is one of the highest-income counties in America by per capita income and median household income, and sits across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. Despite this, and despite sky-high property values, Ross Valley sits in the bottom 20th percentile for state school funding.

In order to make up the difference, Kristin asked a group of district school principals to hand out envelopes which the teachers were instructed to open.

“We as citizens, we can write direct checks,” Kristin told the assembly who discovered exactly that—paid to their order—each worth $9,161.70.

The bonuses were part of a donation worth $1 million to the school district, and KRON 4, a local news outlet, was in the room when the teachers saw their checks, recording their reactions and speaking to them afterwards.

MORE DIRECT CHECKS: Boss Gifts Employees $240M in Bonuses After Selling Family Company

“It’s life-changing,” one teacher, Sydney Dean, said.

“I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such a beautiful gift from someone I don’t even know or haven’t taught their kid,” another, Amber Bunnell-Wild added.

WATCH the story below from KRON 4… 

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Man Rescued Alive After Being Trapped in Underwater Cave for 15 Days Without Food or Light

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Andy Corbley
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The fisherman recovering in his hospital bed - credit, Municipal Government of Uxpanapa
The fisherman recovering in his hospital bed – credit, Municipal Government of Uxpanapa

A harrowing story of survival and perseverance comes to us from Mexico, where a fisherman was rescued after spending 15 days in a pitch black cave.

The man, Erasto Crisanto Valdez, said he trusted in god to deliver him from the situation, which he survived by drinking rainwater and breathing from an air pocket.

According to the Municipal Government of Uxpanapa which organized the rescue operation, Valdez got lost in the cave while fishing in a cenote, Mexico’s famous limestone sinkholes.

Swimming down into a cave, darkness quickly enveloped the man until he was unable to find the way he came from. That was on July 23rd, and it wasn’t until August 7th that he was located.

The government said in a statement that the rescue required “an exhaustive 15-day operation coordinated by the Civil Protection of our municipality.”

“The rescue operations involved an unprecedented deployment on land, river, and air, guided by the firm conviction of not giving up until finding him. This historic achievement is the result of the close collaboration and joint effort of the three levels of government and high-level specialists.”

Valdez was transported to the hospital after being found in a condition of extreme malnourishment and dehydration. He hadn’t seen light in 15 days, and had lost all track of time.

MORE SURVIVAL STORIES: Miracle as All 11 Onboard Survive Harrowing Seaplane Crash and Fire in Puget Sound’s Frigid Water

“When I first entered that cave … I never imagined there was an air chamber there … Those 15 days felt like only three days to me,” Valdez recalled. “There’s a spring running through the middle … so when I felt thirsty or hungry, I’d drink the water from the cenote.”

“I couldn’t see a thing out there—you could only hear the lake—and I couldn’t tell if it was day or night. I kept my faith in God … to help me survive.”

GETTING OUT ALIVE: Wife Used ‘Find My iPhone’ to Locate Husband Buried in an Avalanche for Over 4 Hours

Caves are arguably the most dangerous environments humans could venture into—submerged ones all the more so—and should only ever be done with all the necessary equipment, and only when they are well-mapped.

If for any reason you do decide to enter a cave, ensure your light source can last several hours and leave trail markings to help you find your way out—even something as simple as potato chips could prove lifesaving.

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“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” – Aristotle

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Credit: Getty Images for Unsplash+

Quote of the Day: “Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” – Aristotle

Photo by: Getty Images for Unsplash+

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?

Credit: Getty Images for Unsplash+

Good News in History, August 20

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Ron Paul in Las Vegas - CC 3.0. Gage Skidmore

Happy 91th birthday to the former Congressman from Texas, Dr. Ron Paul. Before serving three terms as representative of the 22nd and 14th Congressional districts, the country doctor delivered an average of 1 baby per day, amounting to over 4,000 little ones because he was the only OB/GYN in Brazoria County. Respected by both sides of the aisle for his kindness and unwavering dedication to his principles, he happily worked with either party in order to advance the cause of liberty. READ more about America’s most famous Libertarian… (1935)

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Internet Showers DoorDash Driver and Fiancé with Wedding Gifts Thanks to Note he Left in the Bag

By
Andy Corbley
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- TikTok credits via (@_jen_hamilton_) (@hopedotcom424)
– TikTok credits via (@_jen_hamilton_) (@hopedotcom424)

When a TikTok influencer and NYT bestselling author received her DoorDash meal in early August, a hand-scrawled note in the bag caught her eye.

The words were from the delivery driver: “Your tip is helping make our wedding possible,” it read. “It means the world to us. <3 Hope & Tyler.”

Hamilton is the author of the 2026 bestselling book Birth Vibes: Stories and Strategies for an Empowered Birth, a delivery room nurse, and founder of Hot Mess Express, a nonprofit that provides free home cleaning services for low-income parents.

@_jen_hamilton_

I love stalking people for kindness

♬ Teacup After Rain - Bike Bell Whisper

She is nothing if not empathetic, and as she described in a TikTok video on her channel where she enjoys the company of some 5 million followers, the note caused her to go “kindness stalking.”

Finding the couple’s wedding page, she donated a heap of gifts through Amazon which arrived in a massive pile outside of the couple’s front door.

Hope, the delivery driver’s bride-to-be, responded with a video of the mass of presents, writing that they were “so grateful.”

GNN received confirmation that following the exchange, DoorDash itself sent Hope & Tyler a wedding present as well.

It’s not the first time that kindness through their platform has brought out kindness from the platform.

In March, GNN reported on the story of a woman who had a DoorDash order brought to her house and was shocked to see the driver was an old man who struggled to climb the 3 steps to her front door.

Inspired to help, she set up a GoFundMe, which raised $940,000 to allow the man to retire, and her initiative grabbed the attention of the company, which added $20,000 to the man’s makeshift retirement fund.

Kindness breeds kindness, even in the corporate world.

SHARE This Wonderful Example Of Asking And Receiving On Social Media…

White Storks Make Historic Return to the English Midlands After 600-year Absence

By
Andy Corbley
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- credit, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust
– credit, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust

The last time a white stork nested in Derbyshire in the English Midlands region, the country’s King Henry VI was declaring war against the Duchy of Brittany and the Kingdom of France, while an independent Venice won a war against Serbia at a city that’s now in Albania.

Indeed, the large white wings of the bringer of babies have been absent for 600 years, and have now arrived as part of an effort to establish a healthy, wild, breeding colony on the same river where British authorities recently reintroduced the beaver.

The beaver had been missing even longer—going back to the era of the Magna Carta, or 800 years ago.

It’s fair to say the return of both animals has been truly historic.

“From this nature-rich enclosure to the possibility of a future wild population, every step will help strengthen wetland habitats, enhance biodiversity, and inspire people of all ages to reconnect with nature on their doorstep,” said Katie Last, Living Landscape Officer at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust.

The Derbyshire Wildlife Trust manages the Willington Wetlands site where the storks are to be released. They will first undergo an acclimation period during which they will familiarize themselves with the wetlands from the safety of a predator-proof enclosure designed by Celtic Rewilding, a charity that runs a similar organization in nearby Staffordshire, where the storks arrived from.

£300,000 from Veolia Environmental Trust was put up for the translocation, and the site was chosen along the River Trent where wild storks were recorded flying over recently. The hope is that the sighting of the settled birds will encourage the wild ones to settle down and breed.

REBUILIDING ENGLAND’S BIRDS:

“This project offers a rare opportunity to facilitate the return of a key missing species,” added Harvey Tweats, Director of Celtic Rewilding, in a statement.

“The Trent Valley is uniquely placed to support white stork recovery in the Midlands, combining extensive wetland habitats with restoration opportunities in former gravel pits. Historical evidence, including archaeological finds and place names around the Humber, also points to the species’ former presence.”

FLAP Your Wings Over To Social Media And Share This Story… 

Italian Police Recover Stolen Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse Artworks Worth Millions

By
Andy Corbley
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- credit, SIM Carabinieri, released
– credit, SIM Carabinieri, released

From the Italian police’s crack art crimes team comes the news that 3 stolen paintings by famous French artists were recovered and returned to their owners.

The Carabinieri, or military police, report that the paintings had been stolen in a heist from the private museum of the Magnani Rocca Foundation on March 22nd.

They include Fish by Pierre August Renoir, Still Life with Cherries by Paul Cézanne, and Odalisque on the Terrace by Henri Matisse, which together are valued at over $10 million.

A statement from the authorities detail that 9 Moldovan nationals are currently in custody as suspects pending an investigation. It also detailed that a 4th painting, another Renoir called Paysage de Cagnes, was abandoned during the escape from the villa that houses the foundation’s museum.

The thieves escaped across the garden after triggering an alarm, and left behind according to the statement, a previously stolen tractor which they used to batter down the gate which led to the villa.

MORE ART SQUAD BUSTS: 

“The National Secretary for the Military Police expresses its applause and profound gratitude to all its colleagues engaged in the brilliant recovery of the masterworks,” the translated statement read, without additional details about how the three-pronged recovery operation was conducted, or where, or with what leads.

Still Life with Cherries is by far the most valuable of the 3, having last moved at auction for $7 million. Painted by Paul Cézanne in the penultimate decade of the 19th century, spherical fruit had become commonplace in the author’s Post-Impressionist period, with apples, pears, and peaches routinely appearing in his still life works.

Only two other works that include cherries are known, and this one is the only one of the 3 that includes no other fruit.

SHARE This Great Police Work To Recovery This Patrimony For Art Lovers In Italy…

Zion Becomes First National Park to Get All-Terrain Wheelchair for Public Use

By
Andy Corbley
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- credit, Zion National Park Service
– credit, Zion National Park Service

The world renowned Zion National Park has become the first to offer an all-terrain wheelchair for disabled visitors who want to enjoy the canyon system’s trails.

The equipment was made available thanks to a charitable nonprofit which used donated funds to purchase the wheelchair on behalf of Zion.

In going through the process of outfitting and delivery, the wheelchair’s manufacturer, Extreme Modus, realized that Zion was about to be the first of America’s national parks with its own offroad mobility options.

“It’s been almost two years in the making,” said Extreme Modus’ chief business development officer, Kenny Jardine.

“Zion actually got the chair in July of last year from a donor through a nonprofit organization called 2Live4, who was able to come in and donate the money to be able to make this possible.”

Co-founder of Extreme Motus, Ryan Grassley, developed the chair model over the last 7 years while taking a friend of his with cerebral palsy named Sam to all but 1 of Utah’s NPS properties.

He spoke with KSL news in 2024 about the experience, and returned to share more information about the donation to Zion with the outlet.

“When Kenny, Sam and I went to Zion to deliver the chair last year, the coolest thing happened,” Grassley recalled.

OFFROAD CHAIRS ELSEWHERE: 22 Tennessee State Parks Provide All-Terrain Wheelchairs for Visitors to Use

“We were standing in front of the visitor center and telling the rangers how to use the chair, and a family walked by. They had a child that used a wheelchair, and the mom was like, ‘What is happening right now?’ We explained what we were doing, and the mom just started crying. It became immediately clear that having that equipment available was 100% the right thing to do.”

Zion National Park now allows anyone to use the chair for free on a first-come-first-served basis, being that only one is available.

SHARE This Incredible Opportunity For The Disadvantaged To See Zion… 

“Courage is grace under pressure.” – Ernest Hemingway

By
Good News Network
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Fellipe Ditadi for Unsplash+

Quote of the Day: “Courage is grace under pressure.” – Ernest Hemingway

Photo by: Fellipe Ditadi for Unsplash+

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?

Fellipe Ditadi for Unsplash+
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