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Playing Sports at School Makes People Grittier and Harder Working

By
Andy Corbley
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Playing sports at school makes people “grittier” and harder working, boosts the chances of achieving long-term goals, and having successful careers, say scientists.

Oftentimes old fashioned notions about people arose from a collected experiential wisdom, and in this case, Teddy Roosevelt’s notion that sports hardens a young man seems correct.

A study looked at adults who took part in organized sports as children—such as football, baseball and basketball, and measured them for “grit.”

The trait was defined as a combination of passion, perseverance, courage, endurance, resilience, and conscientiousness.

How does one measure grit without Navy Seal training?

CHECK OUT:  Watch the Adorable Video of US Student Teaching Italian Kids to Play American Football

The Ohio State University team analyzed National Sports and Society Survey data on almost 4,000 men and women across the US and asked study participants to rate themselves on a scale of 1-5 on eight statements.

They included “I am diligent. I never give up” and “I am a hard worker.” None of the statements was directly related to sports.

34% of those who did sports as a youngster scored high on the grit scale, compared to 23% of peers who opted out or gave up. One in four of those who never played sports ranked low, compared to just 17% of those who did.

Lead author Dr. Emily Nothnagle said practicing drills on the field can improve pupils’ lives for decades, adding “the grit they develop playing sports can help them the rest of their lives.”

True grit

Those who participated in sports during the past year showed more grit than those who didn’t, said co-author Professor Chris Knoester.

“Adults who played youth sports but dropped out did not show higher levels of grit,” Prof. Knoester “They actually demonstrated lower levels of grit after we included a proxy measure of how sports mattered for the development of grit while growing up.”

The findings, published in the journal Leisure Sciences, were supported by more sophisticated statistical analyses that accounted for respondents’ demographic characteristics.

But it appears only children who keep at it—and play continually—get the benefit, say the researchers. Some may just be born with the grit to help them succeed at sports as a young person and then continue to benefit from that trait as an adult.

“Quitting could reflect a lack of perseverance, which is a crucial component of grit,” said Knoester. “It could also make quitting an activity, and not persevering, easier the next time.”

Adults who played sports as kids generally perceived the experience helped improve their work ethic, and that perception was linked to their grit scores as adults even though the researchers said people can gain or lose grit throughout life.

For instance adults who said they participated in sports regularly within the last year exhibited higher levels of grit.

READ ALSO: 73% of Kids Want to Spend More Time With Their Parents; And Here Are 20 Things They Want to Do

“This additional finding about sports participation in adulthood suggests that you can build and perhaps lose grit during different points in your life,” said Knoester. “It is not a static quality.”

Prof. Knoester added that sports offer a valuable place in society where one can work hard and practice and take it really seriously, but wherein it’s also not real life to some extent.

“Typically, sports are thought of as a separate sphere of life and the stakes in sports are not as far-reaching and extreme,” he said. “But you can take those lessons you learn and practice in sports, such as building grit, and apply them in your life outside of sports in very useful ways.”

“Good ideas are elusive and must be captured in flight…. Jot down a good thought the moment after it lights up your mind.” – Henry Hazlitt

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Good ideas are elusive and must be captured in flight…. Jot down a good thought the moment after it lights up your mind.” – Henry Hazlitt 

Photo by: Miquel Parera

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?

 

7-Year-Old Massiah Is Hero After Rescuing a Drowning 3-Year-Old – All on His Own

By
Andy Corbley
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Massiah Browne - released by Tiara Delvalle
Massiah Browne – released by Tiara Delvalle

A 7-year-old from Sacramento was the unlikely savior of a 3-year-old toddler who would have certainly drowned without help.

Last week 7-year-old Massiah Browne went down to enjoy the pool at the apartment complex where he lives when he noticed out of the ordinary.

“I was just playing in the pool and then I saw a boy at the bottom of the pool,” Massiah, a second-grade student, told “Good Morning America.” “And I went to go get him.”

Swimming down into 6 feet of water, he grabbed the arm of a 3-year-old toddler whose eyes and mouth were open, and managed to pull him to the surface, where a relative of Massiah’s, 9-year-old Savannah, helped them both out onto solid ground.

RELATED: Caught on Camera: Teen Hero Dives Into Bay to Save Drowning Woman From Sinking Car

Adults who had caught wind of what was happening had called 911 and raced down to help. According to ABC, Savannah’s mom performed CPR on the child who was helped to breathe again by the same Fire and Rescue arrived.

Massiah Browne and relative Savannah – released by Tiara Delvalle

“The child was transported in critical condition with advanced life support efforts provided by Sacramento firefighters,” a spokesperson for Sacramento Fire Department said.

Massiah’s father Marcus, an Olympic boxer who represented the United States at the 2012 Olympics in London, said his son loves the water and swims like “a fish,” but that despite the surprise, it really typed who Massiah is.

“He’s super empathetic so for him to do something like that, I mean, it’s really nothing out of the norm it’s just crazy that he’s 7-years-old and he’s doing something like that.”

WATCH Fox report on the story and hear from the family… 

CELEBRATE This Kid Hero Who Acted Before Anyone Else… 

Study Shows Duolingo Learning Outcomes Are Comparable to University Classes

By
Andy Corbley
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A study found that, despite being a 1-week wonder-kind-of-habit, people who study languages on Duolingo perform as well as University students with years under their belts.

The most popular language-learning platform on Earth, Duolingo offers courses on more than 20 languages, but whether or not they materialize as useful is difficult to ascertain.

The experiment, published in Foreign Language Annals, demonstrated that Duolingo learners who completed five units in the Spanish or French courses performed as well on reading and listening tests as students who had completed four semesters of university language instruction.

What’s more is that Duolingo learners achieved four semesters of proficiency in reading and listening in less than half the time as their college counterparts.

“Our results indicate that learners who use Duolingo as a tool for self-directed study show substantial proficiency development,” said Dr. Xiangying Jiang, lead learning scientist at Duolingo and first author on the publication.

RELATED: Duolingo Has Created a Course for “High Valyrian” the Dragon Language From Game of Thrones

“We hope to have shed light on the potential effectiveness and comparability of Duolingo, as measured through standardized tests.”

Further research has shown no sign of plateauing, since Duolingo learners who completed seven units of the Spanish or French courses earned reading and listening scores comparable to five university semesters.

“It’s important for us to develop courses and teaching tools that deliver the highest-quality language education to all learners,” said Dr. Cindy Blanco, senior learning scientist at Duolingo. “This research represents real progress towards achieving our mission of providing high-quality education for everyone.”

As far as free apps go, it’s hard to top Duolingo. There’s a million ways to learn Spanish or French, but Duolingo includes courses on languages that may be harder to find free instruction for but that one might need for a vacation, such as Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, or the Scandinavian languages.

Condividi Questa Notizia Buona Alle Vostre Social…

Livin’ Good Currency Ep. 18: Jen Saxton Translating Every Mom’s Experiences Into Baby Industry Dominance

By
Andy Corbley
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The Lesson: Having her own children, encouraging better work—family life balance in the office, and understanding the difficulties and urgency parents go through when they need a service related to their toddler, Jen Saxton knows that you don’t become one of the most successful enterprises in the baby industry by ignoring the human element of the job. In fact, Saxton details that the more she went through as a parent, the more she realized that the baby industry needed a change to reflect the stress and difficulty of being a parent.

Notable Excerpt: “My second company now is more like an Angie’s List or a Care.com, so we’re like a tech platform or a marketplace that connects mom with all these services, lactation consultants, sleep consultants, car seat installers, night nannies, you can find them all on Tot Squad. And it’s about helping moms. Like when I was a new mom as I was going into Facebook groups like ‘can anyone recommend a sleep consultant?’ and then I got like 80 comments. Now I’ve got to go Google these 80 people, and then you’ve got to like call and email them to see when they’re available, and then, what’s the difference between the $300 and the $3,000 lady, and by the way I’m going on two hours of sleep because I’ve got a newborn at home, and it was just a horrible experience!”

The Guest: Jen Saxton is the Founder & CEO of Tot Squad, a baby services marketplace that connects new parents with health, wellness and safety services like car seat installation, babyproofing, doulas, sleep consultants and more.

Jen is a serial entrepreneur with 10 years experience in the baby industry. In 2020, she successfully exited her baby gear cleaning business with an acquisition by BabyQuip, where she continues to serve as an advisor. Credited by The New York Times as having created a new industry, Tot Squad has raised $3M+ with its “juggernaut aspirations” to transform the baby world. Jen’s work with Tot Squad has also been featured in The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, NY Times and more. Jen serves as a regular contributor on parenting topics for CBS The Doctors and for New York Magazine / The Strategist.

The Podcast: Livin’ Good Currency explores the relationship of time to our lives. It focuses on learning how super-successful people align their purpose with their passions to do good for themselves and others daily, and features a co-host who knows better than anyone the value of time (see below). How do you want to spend your life? This hour can inspire you, along with upcoming guests, to be sure you are ‘Livin’ Good Currency’ and never get caught running out of time.

The Hosts: Good News Network fans will know Tony (Anthony) Samadani as the co-owner of GNN and its Chief of Strategic Partnerships. Co-host Tobias Tubbs was handed a double life sentence without the possibility of parole for a crime he didn’t commit. Behind bars, he used his own version of the Livin’ Good Currency formula to inspire young men in prison to turn their hours into honors. An expert in conflict resolution, spirituality, and philosophy, Tobias is a master gardener who employs ex-felons to grow their Good Currency by planting crops and feeding neighborhoods.

Archeologists Find 12th Century Pendant Resembling English National Football Badge Ahead of Historic Euro 2022 Final

By
Andy Corbley
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- SWNS
– SWNS

Archeologists uncovered an ancient 12th century pendant resembling the England National team soccer badge ahead of the first European Championships Final in the women’s team’s history.

The 920-year-old relic, which bears a striking resemblance to the iconic national team’s crest, was excavated from a field in Wormleighton, Warwickshire.

It depicts three golden lions on a field of red and was discovered at a site that experts believe would have been an Iron Age or Romano British settlement.

As if in premonition, days after the find was recovered, the “Lionesses” were victorious against national arch-rivals Germany, winning 2-1.

With the score tied 1-1 after normal time, Chloe Kelly scored in the 110th minute to seal the first major trophy in English national football for 56 years.

The Sun newspaper ran the headline “Move over fellas, it’s home.”

CHECK OUT: Archaeologists Discover Mighty Queen’s Seat of Medieval Power in a Lost Monastery in England

“You have all set an example that will be an inspiration for girls and women today, and for future generations,” said the Queen.

Back in Warwickshire, historians say it’s likely that the pendant would have decorated a horse’s harness in medieval England, adding that the form of heraldry associated with the arms of England was used by the Crown between 1189 and 1340.

– Taken from official Facebook page.

Before this, William the Conqueror used two lions on a red background as his coat of arms and brought the symbol to the English throne.

It was Henry II who first used three lions on a red background, adding an extra lion when he married Eleanor of Aquitaine, possibly to represent his marriage into the family.

SIMILAR: Men on Norway’s Soccer Team Take Wage Cut So Women Players Earn Equal Pay (They Already Win More)

From this point onwards, the Three Lions would remain the symbol of the crown of England in the United Kingdom’s Royal Coat of Arms.

King Henry VII created the Tudor Rose, having ended the War of the Roses in 1485, and ten red roses still adorn the national teams’ crests today.

SHARE This Historic News… 

Quarter-Million Pounds of Plastic Cleared From Great Pacific Garbage Patch in Dutch Milestone

By
Andy Corbley
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The Ocean Cleanup
The Ocean Cleanup

Last year, wiz kid Boyan Slat announced that “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch can now be cleaned,” after a prototype cleaning system proved successful.

Since that deployment in August 2021, System 02 (or “Jenny”) has now collected 220,000 pounds (101,353 kg) of plastic over 45 extractions, sweeping an area of ocean of over 3,000km2 comparable to the size of Luxembourg or Rhode Island.

“Added to the 7,173 kg of plastic captured by our previous prototype systems, The Ocean Cleanup has now collected 108,526 kg of plastic from the “GPGP”—more than the combined weight of two and a half Boeing 737-800s, or the dry weight of a space shuttle,” Slat wrote on his website.

According to a 2018 study organized by The Ocean Cleanup to map the GPGP, the total amount of accumulated plastic is around 79,000,000 kg, or 100,000,000 kg if one includes exterior areas.

“Thus, if we repeat this 100,000 kg haul 1,000 times—the Great Pacific Garbage Patch will be gone”.

CHECK OUT: UPDATE: Plant Opens to Change the Recycling Game by Breaking Down Plastic Bottles With Enzyme From Leaves

While that’s not particularly encouraging since that 100,000 kilograms were extracted over a year, meaning 1,000 years would be needed to clean the GPGP, Slat has better ideas.

“System 03, which is expected to capture plastic at a rate potentially 10 times higher than System 002 through a combination of increased size, improved efficiency, and increased uptime, will be starting soon,” Slat said.

The idea with System 03 will be to go big—and to remove the need for support vessels, thusly reducing the cost of each ton of plastic removed as the support vessels are the highest input cost.

KEEP READING: Dutch Guy Famous for Cleaning Up Pacific Garbage Patch is Now Clearing the World’s Rivers Too

The capture area is nearly two miles in total, and despite the fact that it’s essentially a net, the capture of fish or other marine life remains less than a quarter of a percentage point of the total haul.

Slat, despite his humanitarian brilliance, seems to receive his fair share of criticism, but in a recent Instagram post, he helps us understand just exactly how critical the work he is doing will be to the future of the oceans.

CATCH Your Friends Attention With Some Positive News For A Change…

“If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine. It is lethal.” – Paulo Coelho

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine. It is lethal.” – Paulo Coelho

Photo by: Takumi Yoshida, CC license

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?

Large Study Suggests Doing Chores May Be Linked to a 21% Reduced Risk For Alzheimer’s Disease

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Good News Network
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Credit: CBC and Cade Martin
Photo by joeyz51, CC license

Cooking, cleaning, and gardening may be linked to reducing your risk for developing Alzheimer’s by more than one-fifth (21%), according to new research.

The study that looked at more than a half-million Brits also found the biggest protective activity to be regular brisk walks or bike rides, which were linked to a 35 percent reduction in the onset of the disease.

The other vital factor was meeting up with family and friends, which was associated with a 15 percent reduced risk.

The study looked at the effects of these activities, as well as mental activities and use of electronic devices in people both with and without higher genetic risk for dementia.

“Many studies have identified potential risk factors for dementia, but we wanted to know more about a wide variety of lifestyle habits and their potential role in the prevention of dementia,” said study author Huan Song, MD, PhD, of Sichuan University in Chengdu, China. “Our study found that exercise, household chores, and social visits were linked to a reduced risk of various types of dementia.”

RELATED: Sunshine Could Ward Off Dementia and Strokes: First-Ever Direct Link to Vitamin D Found

The study involved 501,376 people from a UK database without dementia with an average age of 56.

Participants filled out questionnaires at the beginning of the study, including one on physical activities. They were asked how often they participated in activities such as climbing a flight of stairs, walking, and participating in strenuous sports. They were also asked about household chores, job-related activities, and what kind of transportation they used, including walking or biking to work.

Participants completed another questionnaire on mental activities. They were asked about their education level, whether they attend adult education classes, how often they visit with friends and family, visit pubs or social clubs or religious groups, and how often they use electronic devices such as playing computer games, watching TV, and talking on the phone.

POPULAR: This Fruit Could Help Improve Memory and Ward Off Dementia, Study Says

Additionally, participants reported whether they had any immediate family members with dementia. This helped researchers determine if they had a genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Study participants were followed for an average of 11 years. At the end of the study, 5,185 people had developed dementia.

After adjusting for multiple factors such as age, income, and smoking, researchers found that most physical and mental activities studied showed links to the risk of dementia. Importantly, the findings remain after considering the high correlations and interactions of these activities.

People who were highly engaged in activity patterns including frequent exercises, household chores, and daily visits of family and friends had 35%, 21%, and 15% lower risk of dementia, respectively, compared to people who were the least engaged in these activity patterns.

MORE: Cannabis Could Hold the Key to Preventing Neurodegenerative Diseases Like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s

“Our study has found that by engaging more frequently in healthy physical and mental activities people may reduce their risk of dementia,” Song said. “More research is needed to confirm our findings. However, our results are encouraging that making these simple lifestyle changes may be beneficial.”

Researchers also looked at dementia incidence rates by identified activity patterns. The rate in people who exercised frequently was 0.45 cases for every 1,000 person-years compared to 1.59 for people who rarely exercised. (Person-years take into account the number of people in a study as well as the amount of time spent in the study.) Those who frequently did household chores had a rate of 0.86 cases for every 1,000 person-years compared to 1.02 for people who rarely did household chores. People who visited family daily had a rate of 0.62 cases for every 1,000 person-years compared to 0.8 cases for those who only visited friends and family once every few months.

ALSO: Coffee and Tea Drinking May be Associated With Reduced Rates of Stroke and Dementia

The researchers found that all participants benefited from the protective effect of physical and mental activities, whether or not they had a family history of dementia.

A limitation of the study was that people reported their own physical and mental activity, so they may not have remembered and reported these activities correctly.

The research, published this week in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics.

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Imperial Moth Spotted With Name ‘Anna’ Spelled Out on its Back Below a Face

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Good News Network
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PIC FROM Kennedy News and Media (PICTURED: REAGAN LEWALLEN, 25, WAS STUNNED TO SPOT A GIRL'S FACE AND THE NAME 'ANNA' APPEAR ON A MOTH'S BACK) A trainee dog groomer was stunned to spot a girl's face and the name 'Anna' appear on a MOTH'S back - believing it to be a female ghost communicating through the insect. Reagan Lewallen, from Senoia, Georgia, US, did a double-take when she let her pal's dog out into the garden while house sitting and spotted the huge five-inch Imperial Moth sunning itself last Sunday [July 24th]. On closer inspection the 25-year-old saw yellow markings on its brown back that perfectly spelled out 'Anna' underneath an eerie-looking face complete with pigtails. DISCLAIMER: While Kennedy News and Media uses its best endeavours to establish the copyright and authenticity of all pictures supplied, it accepts no liability for any damage, loss or legal action caused by the use of images supplied and the publication of images is solely at your discretion. SEE KENNEDY NEWS COPY - 0161 697 4266
REAGAN LEWALLEN via KENNEDY NEWS / SWNS

Put this in your file called, Mother Nature Did WHAT?

A 25-year-old woman was stunned to spot a face and the name ‘Anna’ appearing on a moth’s back.

Reagan Lewallen did a double-take when she let her friend’s dog out into the yard while house-sitting and spotted the huge five-inch imperial moth sunning itself last Sunday.

She noticed yellow markings on its brown back that perfectly spelled out ‘Anna’ underneath an eerie-looking face.

Reagan said she got goosebumps when she spotted the face and name on the bug’s back, whipping out her phone to take a picture.

She sent it to her mom who said she could see a little girl with pigtails.

Reagan is convinced that the spooky sight is a sign from a spirit called Anna reassuring people that she’s ok in the afterlife.

After sharing the picture on social media, the post racked up thousands of shares and comments.

People began tagging friends named Anna and commenting about the face’s resemblance to famous people like Charles Manson, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, and Jesus.

RELATED: 9 Years After Mom’s Death, Man Has Amazing Encounter With Yellow Butterfly Right When He Needed It

The natural design of any imperial moth (Eacles imperialis) makes it somewhat easy to see a face in many of them, but the well-proportioned letters, ANNA, are more remarkable.

Reagan, who lives in Senoia, Georgia, says, “I’m the kind of person that if I see a cool bug, a cool tree or the sky looks pretty I’ll stop and take a picture.”

“I’ve seen this kind of moth before but nothing like that, nothing with a face on it and a name.

LOOK: Smithsonian Says These Moths Are So Gorgeous, They Put Butterflies to Shame:

“Just the fact that it was spelled out so perfectly, I was like ‘oh my goodness I’ve never seen anything so crazy’, I got goosebumps.”

Know Any Anna Who Needs to See This? Share on Social Media…

How 14-Year-old Philo Farnsworth’s Tinkering Brought the Moon Landing to Your Living Room

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Good News Network
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NASA
NASA

14-year-old Philo Farnsworth wasn’t looking up at the sky while plowing the field at his father’s farm in Rigby, Idaho. He was looking down at the straight furrows that coursed over the earth. That’s when he had an epiphany.

The same way the plow went back and forth over the field, an image could be scanned electronically and then transmitted line by line, much like furrows in a field. It was a vision of the first transmittable TV image.

Philo was a curious boy and was often lost in thought. When he was 12 years old, he was delighted to find that the farmhouse his family moved into was wired with electricity. He also discovered other treasures in the house: a cache of electronics magazines, a burned-out electric motor, and plenty of bits and pieces to tinker with.

He fixed the motor and converted his mother’s hand-powered washing machine into an electric-powered one.

At 14, he showed his high school teacher a handful of sketches of an electronic television system inspired by the furrows in the field. Encouraged by his science teacher, Philo covered several blackboards with diagrams.

After Philo’s father died when he was in high school, the boy went to work supporting his siblings and mother while keeping up his studies. He started a radio repair business, but it failed.

He briefly attended college, but his mind was on television—and so he dropped out and began looking for somebody to fund his ideas. That opportunity came, and he traveled to Berkeley, California, with his new bride Pem to set up shop together.

RELATED: One Man Set Out to Make the Perfect Pasta Shape, And it’s So Popular That Orders are Backed Up for Months

The TV tube Philo developed would become the standard in broadcasting. Yet Philo Farnsworth spent years defending his patent and rebuilding his business after an economic crash.

33-year-old Philo Farnsworth

Like all of us, he had his share of challenges—perhaps more—but he kept pushing forward and registered hundreds of patents.

Finally, on July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped out of Apollo 11 onto the moon’s surface in an area called the Sea of Tranquility.

LOOK: Teen Invents Clever Fire Extinguisher to Save Your Home When You’re Away – and He’s Donating All the Profits

Philo Farnsworth was sitting in his living room with his wife Pem, watching the live feed — the image transmitting quickly, row by row like the furrows in a field. He turned to her and said, “Pem, this has made it all worthwhile.”

(By The Foundation for a Better Life)

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“Learn to see things in the right proportions… great things great and small things small.” – Corrie Ten Boom

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Quote of the Day: “Learn to see things in the right proportions… great things great and small things small.” – Corrie Ten Boom

Photo by: Sarah Kilian

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?

Sweet Dog Was Born With a Defect That Makes Her Look Permanently Surprised

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Good News Network
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Lieschen O'Connor / SWNS
Lieschen O’Connor / SWNS

Meet Belle, whose doctor diagnosed her with a birth defect that makes her look permanently surprised.

The adorable mix of doberman and cattlehound was born with the muscles in her head stretched back, leaving her looking wide-eyed at all times.

Lieschen O’Connor adopted Belle in 2017 from Lawrence Humane Society, an organization that provides care for homeless and abused animals.

Belle’s condition doesn’t cause her any pain but her 38-year-old mom regularly needs to apply eye drops as they often get dry.

The dog’s unique look has won her over 160,000 followers on TikTok.

“Her expressions make my heart swell,” said one fan. Another called her the cutest dog on TikTok. “I love her so much”.

LOOK: Family Left Stunned When Their Dog Escaped–Only to Return Later With a Ribbon From a Dog Show

Lieschen O’Connor / SWNS

Lieschen, a 38-year-old who lives in Tyler, Kansas, says, “Belle is extremely sweet and a little goofy.”

Lieschen O’Connor / SWNS

“If dogs could laugh, Belle would definitely laugh a lot!”

WATCH Stray Dog Become a Fierce Crossing Guard for These Children Every Day

SHARE This One-of-a-Kind Doggy Smile With Friends on Social Media…

Watch a Drone Save a 14-Year-old From Drowning in Powerful Spanish Current

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Good News Network
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General Drones

A pioneering drone lifeguard service rolled out across Spanish beaches has saved the life of a 14-year-old boy as he struggled against a powerful current.

General Drones supplies 30 surf rescue drones with operators to lifeguard stations across 22 beaches along Spain’s coast.

The company released a compelling video of the recent rescue in Valencia.

It shows the drone dropping a life vest to the exhausted teen, providing valuable assistance until the jet-ski could arrive with a lifeguard.

They told Reuters, “Because of the heavy waves it was a complicated maneuver, but we finally managed to give him the vest and he could float until the lifeguards reached him.”

RELATED: Drone Helps Save the Life of a 71-Year-old Man Who Has Cardiac Arrest While Shoveling Snow

Watch the real-time video below… (Note: GNN has no affiliation with any ads displayed)

ALSO SEE: Man Brings His Heat-Sensing Drone to Help Find Missing Boy at 1:50 AM

FLY THIS to Social Media and Rescue Your Friends From Hopelessness…

Delaware Will Install Free Solar Panels For Low-income Residents and Paying 70% For Moderate-incomes

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Good News Network
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File photo by Jeremy Bezanger
File photo by Jeremy Bezanger

A new two-year pilot program launched this month will spread the benefits of solar power to Delaware residents who otherwise would not be able to afford installing the green energy.

The Solar Pilot Program from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control seeks to test future expansion of photovoltaic systems into low- and moderate-income populations, which have been underserved in the U.S. by existing renewable energy assistance and tax credit programs.

Low-income residents can get an installation of up to 4 kilowatts with no out-of-pocket costs. For moderate-income residents, the program covers 70 percent of the cost for up to 6 kilowatts, with residents paying the remaining 30 percent.

Low-income households must first apply through DNREC’s Weatherization Assistance Program (at 302-504-6111), which helps renters and homeowners cut their energy bills.

Canary Media reports that low credit scores are not going to effect eligibility, and households will qualify as low-income if they live at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. “For a family of three, a total income of $46,060 or less qualifies them for free solar. The thresholds for moderate-income families are the median incomes for different counties.”

RELATED: ‘Radical’ Solar Breakthrough Allows Energy to Now Be Stored for Up to 18 Years, Say Scientists

Moderate-income households must contact one of three approved solar contractors—CMI Solar & Electric, KW Solar Solutions, or Clean Energy USA. The homeowner choses one of the participating contractors, who then sends the application for the program to the agency.

The experiences logged during the two-year pilot program by the DNREC Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy will be used to develop a statewide solar program.

LOOK: Solar Panels That Make Electricity at Night are Finally Here – And They’re Cheap and Don’t Need Batteries

SHINE Some Good Government News on Social Media for Those in Delaware…

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

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Good News Network
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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 July 30, 2022
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
It’s always advisable for you Leos to carry on a close personal relationship with mirrors. I’m speaking both literally and metaphorically. For the sake of your mental health, you need to be knowledgeable about your image and monitor its ever-shifting nuances. And according to my analysis of the astrological omens, you are now authorized to deepen your intimate connection with mirrors. I believe you will thrive by undertaking an intense phase of introspective explorations and creative self-inquiry. Please keep it all tender and kind, though. You’re not allowed to bad-mouth yourself. Put a special emphasis on identifying aspects of your beauty that have been obscured or neglected. By the way, Leo, I also recommend you seek compassionate feedback from people you trust. Now is an excellent time to get reflections about your quest to become an even more amazing human.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
At your best, you are a flexible purist, an adaptable stickler for detail, and a disciplined yet supple thinker. Maybe more than any other sign of the zodiac, you can be focused and resilient, intense and agile, attentive and graceful. And all of us non-Virgos will greatly appreciate it if you provide these talents in abundance during the coming weeks. We need you to be our humble, understated leader. Please be a role model who demonstrates the finely crafted, well-balanced approach to being healthy.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
In my Astrological Book of Life, your life purposes as a Libra may include the following: 1. to be beautiful in the smartest ways you can imagine and smart in the most beautiful ways you can imagine; 2. to always see at least two sides of the story, and preferably more; 3. to serve as an intermediary between disparate elements; 4. to lubricate and facilitate conversations between people who might not otherwise understand each other; 5. to find common ground between apparent contradictions; 6. to weave confusing paradoxes into invigorating amalgamations; 7. to never give up on finding the most elegant way to understand a problem. PS: In the coming weeks, I hope you will make extra efforts to call on the capacities I just named.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Author Clive James loved the Latin term gazofilacium, meaning “treasure chamber.” He said that the related Italian word, gazofilacio, referred to the stash of beloved poems that he memorized and kept in a special place in his mind. In accordance with astrological omens, Scorpio, now would be an excellent time to begin creating your own personal gazofilacium: a storehouse of wonderful images and thoughts and memories that will serve as a beacon of joy and vitality for the rest of your long life. Here’s your homework: Identify ten items you will store in your gazofilacium.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Tips to get the most out of the next three weeks: 1. Keep your interesting options open. Let your mediocre options shrivel and expire. 2. Have no regrets and make no apologies about doing what you love. 3. Keep in mind that every action you perform reverberates far beyond your immediate sphere. 4. Give your fears ridiculous names like “Gaffe” and “Wheezy” and “Lumpy.” 5. Be honest to the point of frankness but not to the point of rudeness. 6. Don’t just run. Gallop.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Capricorn poet Richard Hugo wrote, “It doesn’t bother me that the word ‘stone’ appears more than 30 times in my third book, or that ‘wind’ and ‘gray’ appear over and over in my poems to the disdain of some reviewers.” Hugo celebrated his obsessions. He treated them as riches because focusing on them enabled him to identify his deepest feelings and discover who he really was. In accordance with astrological omens, I recommend a similar approach to you in the coming weeks. Cultivate and honor and love the specific fascinations at the core of your destiny.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Authors Violet Trefusis (1894–1972) and Vita Sackville-West (1892–1962) loved each other. In one letter, Violet told Vita, “I want you hungrily, frenziedly, passionately. I am starving for you. Not only the physical you, but your fellowship, your sympathy, the innumerable points of view we share. I can’t exist without you; you are my affinity.” In the coming weeks, dear Aquarius, I invite you to use florid language like that in addressing your beloved allies. I also invite you to request such messages. According to my reading of the planetary omens, you are due for eruptions of articulate passion.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
I’d like to honor and pay homage to a past disappointment that helped transform you into a beautiful soul. I know it didn’t feel good for you when it happened, but it has generated results that have blessed you and the people whose lives you’ve touched. Would you consider performing a ritual of gratitude for all it taught you? Now is an excellent time to express your appreciation because doing so will lead to even further redemption.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Fiction-writer John Banville tells us, “There are moments when the past has a force so strong it seems one might be annihilated by it.” I suspect that’s sometimes true for many of us. But it won’t apply to you Aries anytime soon. In fact, just the opposite situation will be in effect during the coming months: You will have more power to render the past irrelevant than maybe you’ve ever had. You will wield an almost indomitable capacity to launch new trends without having to answer to history. Take full advantage, please!

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Researchers have proved that lullabies enhance the health of premature babies being cared for in hospitals. The soft, emotionally rich songs also promote the well-being of the babies’ families. I bring this to your attention because I believe you should call on lullaby therapy yourself in the coming weeks. Listening to and singing those tunes will soothe and heal your inner child. And that, in my astrological opinion, is one of your top needs right now. For extra boosts, read fairy tales, eat food with your hands, make mud pies, and play on swings, seesaws, and merry-go-rounds.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Dancer and singer-songwriter FKA Twigs has taken dance lessons since she was a child. In 2017, she added a new form of physical training, the Chinese martial art of wushu. Doing so made her realize a key truth about herself: She loves to learn and practice new skills. Of all life’s activities, they give her the most pleasure and activate her most vibrant energy. She feels at home in the world when she does them. I suspect you may have similar inclinations in the coming months. Your appetite for mastering new skills will be at an all-time high. You will find it natural and even exhilarating to undertake disciplined practice. Gathering knowledge will be even more exciting than it usually is.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Cancerian author Laurie Sheck writes, “So much of life is invisible, inscrutable: layers of thoughts, feelings, and outward events entwined with secrecies, ambiguities, ambivalences, obscurities, darknesses.” While that’s an experience we all have, especially you Cancerians, it will be far less pressing for you in the coming weeks. I foresee you embarking on a phase when clarity will be the rule, not the exception. Hidden parts of the world will reveal themselves to you. The mood will be brighter and lighter than usual. The chronic fuzziness of life will give way to a delightful acuity. I suspect you will see things that you have never or rarely seen.

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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“Whatever else we might think of this world—it is astonishing.” – Wislawa Szymborska

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Whatever else we might think of this world—it is astonishing.” – Wislawa Szymborska

Photo by: Yanguang Lan

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?

Religious Practices Have Preserved 125,000 Sacred Groves in India, Growing a Conservation Success

By
Andy Corbley
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A sacred grove in Kerala. CC 4.0. Renjusplace
A sacred grove in Kerala. CC 4.0. Renjusplace

Belief in Hinduism and other folklore has an incredible capacity to protect biodiversity in India, where devotees possibly protect 125,000 sacred forest groves containing hundreds of species.

Sacred groves in India are patches of land that are communally protected with religious zeal, that at the same time tend to be relic forest segments. Inside, traditions often lead to the protection even of animals that the broader civilization would find undesirable, like snakes.

Preserved, and mostly associated with temples, sacred groves are culturally important to the people of India, but also harbor incredibly dense amounts of biodiversity.

A landmark paper published in 2017 used a case study of two sacred groves in the western Himalayas to extrapolate their influence on biodiversity in the country.

Hariyali Devi is located above Kodima village at an altitude of 4,200 feet (1,400 meters) in Rudraprayag, in the high northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. Inside the temple contains a bejeweled idol of Ma Hariyali Devi astride a lion, and is an important center of local festivities.

CHECK OUT: 17 Years After Being Declared Extinct in the Wild, Turtle Species is Saved by Caretakers of Hindu Temple

Within this relatively small space were 80 species of plants, 12 kinds of mammals, 9 species of birds, and 7 species of butterflies. The neighboring Tungnath sacred grove even included black bears.

Other studies have confirmed the incredibly rich biodiversity in sacred groves and their tree species, according to a 2018 study. There were 144 tree species recorded in sacred groves in the central-western Ghats, compared with 91 species counted in rural forests in the region.

Indian sacred grove, Kerala – Manoj Karingamadathil/ CC 3.0

“It’s something which is ingrained into every Hindu worshipper: temples, trees and ponds are all meant to be a collective space of worship,” Lakshman Acharya, a priestess in Pallalamma temple in Andhra Pradesh, southern India, told the BBC.

SIMILAR: Muslims in Town Adopt a Sacred Hindu Tenet So They Won’t Hurt the Feelings of Their Religious Neighbors

All manner of institutions are beginning to recognize the value of these groves to the natural heritage of the country, as well as to the country’s ambitious reforestation goals.

The Applied Environmental Research Foundation (AERF) has helped restore 80 of these sacred groves across the western Ghats mountain range while simultaneously helping locals switch from destructive logging to cultivation of commercially-important fruit species that happen to be the favorite haunts for endangered hornbills and tree pangolins.

The Devrai Foundation, an environmental non-profit in Pune in western India, is involved in building man-made sacred forests, known as devrais. To date they have preserved 119 species of plants, including the giant crape myrtle and Indian coral tree, also called pangara or flame of the forest.

While they can’t support India’s biodiversity on their own, their existence is both romantic and practical for the policy maker looking to try and protect the country’s wild places.

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Good Gardening Week 4: What Are Your Zone, Climate Risks, and Weather Conditions? – Share Tips and Photos

By
Andy Corbley
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Japanese Garden in Argentina – Photo by Willian Justen de Vasconcellos
Japanese Garden in Argentina – Photo by Willian Justen de Vasconcellos

Welcome back to Good Gardening! In our Week 3 discussion, we wanted to know what people’s go-to flowers or vegetables were—the kind they can’t get through a season without growing. We took it to social media and shared photos…

ELIZA CAIN was the first to chime in, writing about a variety of species we had never heard of before, including Tzimbalo which is a very rare fruit with a melon-like taste, giant goosefoot, and blue sweet peas.

Eliza’s blue sweet peas and giant goosefoot

Ilanit Eliaz told the group she grows tomatoes are her go-to crop, mainly because they are tasty, and can be started so early in the year. Ilanit added that more plants than she remembered planting came up this year, which she attributes to fruit falling between the cracks in the beds. She notes how awesome nature is—we agree!

Joe Pye Weed – CC 2.0. Pollinator

From the mail bag, Owen wrote in to tell us about us about his go-to vegetable—cucumbers. These he uses for pickling. He is doing a little native gardening also, waiting every year for his Joe Pye weed to return and bring in the pollinators, which apparently arrive in droves.

“Slowly, through records, letters and diaries, I came to see how vegetable plots, ornamental plants, landscapes and forests had played a crucial role in America’s struggle for national identity and in the lives of the founding fathers,” — Andrea Wulf.

Topic Week 4: Zone, Climate, Conditions

Question 1: Which zone are you located in?

Question 2: Which climatic hazards do you face gardening in your zone?

Question 3: Do you try to work with conditions naturally, or beat them with technology?

Tell Us Here in The Comments… or, send your questions, tips, and photos to [email protected]. Join our Facebook Good Gardens thread every Friday on the GNN Facebook Page…

Good gardening rules

  • Positive attitude required.
  • Green thumbs can help novice greenhorns.
  • Share your gardening photos and resources.
  • Garden jargon encouraged!

Send In Your Favorite Tartan For Year-Long Scottish Exhibition Honoring the Iconic Fabric

By
Andy Corbley
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Scotland’s premier design museum is calling all Scots to rummage through their house and find unusual objects made or decorated with that most iconic of Scottish contributions to the world—Tartan.

The result of this nationwide appeal will be Tartan, a year-long museum exhibition on the fabric, celebrating its unique history.

Flannels, plaid, tartan, the fabric has many names, but what started as a textile art to identify family clans has become one of the most widely-used patterns on Earth.

The museum, V&A Dundee, is asking for any object covered in tartan, from Christmas decorations to ceramics, and are being urged to email details of their own “tartan story.”

Tartan will celebrate the story of this unique pattern which has connected communities worldwide, expressed unity and dissent, tradition and rebellion, which has been adored and derided, and inspired diversity, playfulness, and drama.

Flora Macdonald helped potential Scottish king Charles Edward Stuart avoid capture after battle, painted here wearing tartan.

It was outlawed during the 18th century Jacobite Uprising, but eventually made its way onto the British Army uniforms, and even embraced and worn by the royal family. It decorated the jacket linings and pockets of the UK punk scene, and is now utilizing its multicolored character to express queer identity, according to The Scotsman.

CHECK OUT: Wes Anderson Designed a Luxury Train Car – and It Looks Like Something Out of His Movies

“We will be looking at its history of attachment to tourism, tradition and the clans, how it was used across the Empire, how it has been subverted by punks and fashion designers, and how it has endured from quite simple beginnings to be something that is recognized by everybody,” said V&A Dundee director Leonie Bell.

The exhibition will launch in 2023, and run until 2024. It will even include a tartan festival featuring a performance by Rod Stewart.

Ramble Over To Social Media And Share This Scottish Appeal With Your Friends…

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