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Get Your Body Moving to Put the Brakes on Early Parkinson’s, Study Says

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A new study suggests that people with early-stage Parkinson’s disease who regularly got one to two hours of moderate exercise twice a week, like walking or gardening, may have less trouble balancing, walking, and doing daily activities later.

Researchers found that those who exercised regularly over five years did better on cognitive tests and had slower progression of the disease in several aspects.

“Our results are exciting, because they suggest it may never be too late for someone with Parkinson’s to start an exercise program to improve the course of their disease,” said study author Kazuto Tsukita, MD, of Kyoto University in Japan and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. “That’s because we found that to slow progression of the disease, it was more important for people with Parkinson’s to maintain an exercise program than it was to be active at the beginning of the disease.”

The study looked at 237 people with early-stage Parkinson’s. They had an average age of 63 and were followed by researchers for up to six years.

Participants’ exercise levels at the start of the study were determined using a questionnaire that measures time and intensity during the previous week of leisure activity, like walking and biking; household activity, like gardening; and occupational activity, like taking care of others. Common cognitive tests were used to measure people’s verbal and memory skills and how much time it took to complete mental tasks.

CHECK OUT: Coffee is Now Linked to Reduced Risk of Many Ailments, Including Liver Disease, Parkinson’s, Melanoma, Even Suicide

Researchers found that people’s physical activity level at the start of the study was not associated with the progression of their Parkinson’s later on. Instead, they found it was more important to maintain physical activity over time.

People who got at least at least four hours per week of moderate to vigorous exercise like walking or dancing had slower decline in balancing and walking five years later, compared to those who did not get that much exercise.

RELATED: Chemists Find Breakthrough Treatment for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s That Protects Brain Cells From Amyloid Plaque

Researchers used a common test to rate each person’s Parkinson’s symptoms on a scale of zero to four, with higher scores indicating more severe impairment. People who got below average levels of moderate to vigorous exercise, or less than one to two hours, once or twice a week, increased from an average score of 1.4 to 3.7 over six years. That’s compared to those who got above average levels of moderate to vigorous exercise, who on average increased from a score of 1.4 to 3.0 during that time.

One cognitive test researchers used was a common paper-and-pencil test used to measure mental processing speed. The test gives the participant 90 seconds to match numbers with geometric figures and has a maximum possible score of 110.

People who did less than 15.5 hours of work per week, on average, dropped from a 44 to a 40 on the test six years later. That’s compared to an average drop from a score of 44 to 43 for those who did more than 15.5 hours of work over the same period.

MORE: The Inspiring Story of The Parkinson’s Painter Who Finally Followed His Dream

“Although medications can provide people with Parkinson’s some symptom relief, they haven’t been shown to slow the progression of the disease,” Tsukita said. “We found that regular physical activity, including household tasks and moderate exercise, may actually improve the course of the disease over the long run. Best of all, exercise is low cost and has few side effects.”

The study does not prove that maintaining an exercise program will delay the effects of Parkinson’s disease. It only shows an association.

A limitation of the study, published in Neurology, 2022, is that activity levels were self-reported and may not be accurate.

Source: American Academy of Neurology

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Gigantic Planet Found Hidden in Plain Sight

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A gas giant exoplanet that orbits a G-type star, which is similar to TOI-2180 b. (NASA) public domain
A gas giant exoplanet that orbits a G-type star, which is similar to TOI-2180 b. / NASA

An astronomer and a group of eagle-eyed citizen scientists have discovered a giant gas planet hidden from view by typical stargazing tools.

The planet, TOI-2180 b, has the same diameter as Jupiter, but is nearly three times more massive. Researchers at UC Riverside also believe it contains 105 times the mass of Earth in elements heavier than helium and hydrogen. Nothing quite like it exists in our solar system.

“TOI-2180 b is such an exciting planet to have found,” said UCR astronomer Paul Dalba, who helped confirm the planet’s existence. “It hits the trifecta of 1) having a several-hundred-day orbit, 2) being relatively close to Earth (379 lightyears is considered close for an exoplanet), and 3) us being able to see it transit in front of its star. It is very rare for astronomers to discover a planet that checks all three of these boxes.”

Dalba also explained that the planet is special because it takes 261 days to complete a journey around its star, a relatively long time compared to many known gas giants outside our solar system. Its relative proximity to Earth and the brightness of the star it orbits also make it likely astronomers will be able to learn more about it.

MORE: Mysterious Purple Coating Found on Mars Rocks in Every Direction

In order to locate exoplanets, which orbit stars other than our sun, NASA’s TESS satellite looks at one part of the sky for a month, then moves on. It is searching for dips in brightness that occur when a planet crosses in front of a star.

“The rule of thumb is that we need to see three ‘dips’ or transits before we believe we’ve found a planet,” Dalba said. A single transit event could be caused by a telescope with a jitter, or a star masquerading as a planet. For these reasons, TESS isn’t focused on these single transit events. However, a small group of citizen scientists is.

Looking over TESS data, Tom Jacobs, a group member and former U.S. naval officer, saw light dim from the TOI-2180 star, just once. His group alerted Dalba, who specializes in studying planets that take a long time to orbit their stars.

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Using the Lick Observatory’s Automated Planet Finder Telescope, Dalba and his colleagues observed the planet’s gravitational tug on the star, which allowed them to calculate the mass of TOI-2180 b and estimate a range of possibilities for its orbit.

Hoping to observe a second transit event, Dalba organized a campaign using 14 different telescopes across three continents in the northern hemisphere. Over the course of 11 days in August 2021, the effort resulted in 20,000 images of the TOI-2180 star, though none of them detected the planet with confidence.

However, the campaign did lead the group to estimate that TESS will see the planet transit its star again in February, when they’re planning a follow up study. Funding for Dalba’s research is provided by the National Science Foundation’s Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.

CHECK OUT: ‘Orion’s Fireplace’: Flame Nebula is Ablaze With Color and Captured in Stunning New Images

The citizen planet hunters’ group takes publicly available data from NASA satellites like TESS and looks for single transit events. While professional astronomers use algorithms to scan a lot of data automatically, the Visual Survey Group uses a program they created to inspect telescope data by eye.

“The effort they put in is really important and impressive, because it’s hard to write code that can identify single transit events reliably,” Dalba said. “This is one area where humans are still beating code.”

The corresponding study has been published in The Astronomical Journal.

Source: University of California – Riverside

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“Those who are wise see their life like stepping stones across a great river. Everyone misses a stone from time to time. No one can cross the river without getting wet.” – Colleen Houck

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Quote of the Day: “Those who are wise see their life like stepping stones across a great river. Everyone misses a stone from time to time. No one can cross the river without getting wet.” – Colleen Houck

Photo: by Sam Barber (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?

After Asking His Neighbor to ‘Take His Trash Bin Out’ – He Received a Photo Shoot of Their Day on the Town

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Andy Corbley
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Carl Stanojevic & MackaySeen

In a story of neighborly jest that grew into epic proportions, a green garbage bin got to wheel about the whole town with a handsome man on her arm.

Carl Stanojevic & MackaySeen

When 54-year-old Carl Stanojevic got a text from his neighbor Nick with a request to “take my bins out,” he responded “yeah sure no problem any particular place?”

He took the lucky wheelie bin he was ‘caring’ for to the local beach in Mackay, Queensland—then to the surf club, then to do some chores including a stop at a hardware store for socializing. After stopping at several restaurants, they took some R&R.

“We went for a massage and then to the tattoo parlour to get a couple of extra 6s on the bin. A bit of a tattoo, then stopped at the pub for a coldie,” Stanojevic told the Guardian on Friday.

Noticing the presence of the bin, some garbage men and women stopped to take a picture, and later the green bin, now sporting her tattoo, stopped to make a phone call “to talk trash,” as Stanojevic recounted.

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After five hours spent around the Australian town, Stanojevic returned home with news he had completed the favor—sending a photo album of the day’s events, which reportedly blew Nick away.

Local news reported “Bin day not half rubbish for Mackay man doing his neighbour a favour,” adding that the image of bin #6 gazing pensively across the water was “anything but rubbish.”

Stanojevic told the Guardian that putting a smile on people’s faces, especially his neighbor’s, was totally worth it, especially since Mackay is a town that relies on tourism and so was hit hard during the lockdowns.

LOOK: Tom Brady FaceTimes With High School Team After They Dialed the Wrong Number

He said of his neighbor, “We catch up for a beer when we can and have a chat and a few laughs. He’s a beautiful person. You’d do anything for him. He said take my bin out. If he had said put my bin out it would have been just a normal day in Mackay.”

Cheers to japes that can be enjoyed by all.

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New Species of Tarantula That Lives in Bamboo is Discovered by Wildlife YouTuber

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Andy Corbley
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tarantular L CC license Narin Chomphuphuang; r cc license jocho
(L) Looking at the entrance hole of a bamboo culm tarantula, Narin Chomphuphuan; (R) JoCho Sippawat, CC license

A wildlife YouTuber knew immediately when he saw a tarantula curled up in a stalk of bamboo: he had just discovered a new species.

What’s more, the discovery marked not only that of a new species, but a new genus, as none of the 1,000-strong member of the tarantula family has ever been documented living inside bamboo.

JoCho Sippawat is a Thai YouTuber with 2.5 million subscribers. The young man seeks out rainforest creatures in much the same way the television greats of yesteryear—Jack Hannah, Steve Irwin, and Jeff Corwin, used to.

After finding the spider near his home in Tak Province, Sippawat emailed a photo of the spider to arachnologist Narin Chomphuphuang of Khon Kaen University. His team spent the summer of 2020 surveying the area, and when they were finished they declared it new to science.

Colloquially called the bamboo-culm tarantula, the scientific name is Taksinus bambus after Taksin the Great—a famous king from the Tak Province. “Culms” are the individual chambers inside bamboo, into which the black and silver spider makes its home; normally through small slivers or fractures in the outer bark. Once inside, it spins a silken and conical home.

RELATED: 70 New Species Were Discovered in 2021 – Including 2 Guitarfish and a Pink Pygmy Pipehorse

“This species is unique because it is associated with bamboo, and we have never observed this tarantula species in any other plant,” Chomphuphuang writes. “It is not an exaggeration to say that they are now Thailand’s rarest tarantulas.”

JoCho Sippawat (L), with the research team; Narin Chomphupchuang, CC license

But how can a spider—itself having no tools with which to puncture or pierce the hard bamboo, make its way inside to nest?

“Bamboo is preyed upon by a variety of animals, including the bamboo borer beetle, bamboo worm, bamboo-nesting carpenter bee, and small mammals such as rodents. Furthermore,”Chomphuphuang adds. “Bamboo cracking is primarily caused by rapid changes in moisture content induced by the atmosphere, uneven drying, or drenching followed by rapid drying or by human activities.”

MORE: See 1,000 Glorious Fin Whales Feeding Together: Share Their Comeback From Near Extinction

The spider is also of interest to science because of its small sexual organs, and the fact that while arboreal tarantulas, which tend to spend their time in the trees, are found in Indonesian islands like Sumatra, Sanghi, and Sulawesi as well as Malaysia and Singapore, none of them have ever been found in Thailand.

GNN previously reported on the discovery of a new species of Kukri Snake in the Himalayas found on Instagram. A young man who was shut in at home due to the pandemic started rapidly posting pictures of animals on social media, which led a research team to first describe the intriguing snake.

CRAWL This Fascinating Discovery From Thailand Over to Friends…

College Seniors Fix Erosion in New Orleans By Resuming Citywide Bottle Recycling to Crush Them For Sand

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Andy Corbley
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Glass Half Full
Glass Half Full

It was during a conversation over a bottle of wine, one which they knew would simply end up in a landfill, that a pair of New Orleans residents started their own non-profit glass recycling service.

In what appears a no-brainer, the pair collect glass bottles and grind them down into super soft sand to use for disaster relief, eco-construction, and even new glass.

Glass Half Full is taking on the problem that hundreds of municipalities in the U.S. have stopped offering glass recycling, their native New Orleans among them. Their efforts saw them recently receive The Most Innovative Program award from the Keep Louisiana Beautiful Conference.

The U.S. is branching away from curbside glass recycling because too often the glass they receive is contaminated, or breaks apart and acts as a contaminant in other waste streams such as metal and paper.

If responsibility recycled, glass is 100% reusable, but despite this only a quarter of glass in the U.S. is recycled.

A new vision

Glass Half Full

Enter Glass Half Full, the largest grassroots recycling program in the world, funded mostly by donations. They collect glass either from businesses curbside or from their specified drop-off points, and bring them to the processing facility.

MORE: New Technology is Recycling Tons of Lithium-Ion Batteries in Canada and the U.S.

After that the glass is sorted, cleansed of metal and cork objects, pulverized, and sifted into sand of respective colors which they pile into sandbags, heat into new glass objects, or sell out for eco-construction.

Glass Half Full is currently 90% of the way to finishing their fundraiser to scale-up their operations.

“A single piece of glass in your recycling bin in NOLA will cause the entire load to be sent to the landfill, where it will never decompose,” write Glass Half Full. “New Orleans wastes millions of tax dollars… importing millions of pounds of sand. We are preventing these unnecessary, wasteful, and expensive practices by providing a sustainable alternative.”

RELATED: 20,000 Pounds of Trash Removed From Pacific Garbage Patch: ‘Holy mother of god. It worked!’

But they see their sand as having way more potential than creating more wine bottles.

They hope to help restore Louisiana’s shoreline with the recycled glass amid a worldwide sand shortage. Dredging for sand is an extremely laborious process that’s harmful to riverine and other ecosystems near where the mining takes place.

“Sand is a crucial tool for rebuilding the barrier islands and sandbars that protect our coast from tropical storms and hurricanes,” they write, pointing out that much of the flood prevention systems Louisiana has built over the years prevent sediment from flowing out into the Gulf and other coastal ecosystems.

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

“Returning sediment to wetlands combats erosion and promotes the return of native foliage and wildlife, which will ultimately strengthen Louisiana’s economy and preserve our food supply.”

If you live in New Orleans and want to get involved or recycle your glass, all the program information can be found on the Glass Half Full FAQs. 

Recycle This Good Green Story With Your Friends…

19-Year-Old Just Set the Record for the Youngest Woman to Fly Solo Around the World

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Andy Corbley
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Instagram/@fly.zolo

19-year-old Zara Rutherford has made a grab bag of records after completing a 32,000 mile (52,000km) circumnavigation of the Earth.

Landing at Kortrijk-Wevelgem Airport in western Belgium on Thursday, she became the youngest woman, and first Belgian to fly solo around the world—as well as the first person ever to do it in an ultralight aircraft. It took her 155 days.

The previous youngest-ever woman to accomplish the celebrated feat of aviation was American Shaesta Waiz, who also founded a non-profit called Dreams Soar which Rutherford was supporting on her long journey. A funny twist of fate saw the two globe trekkers united on a stopover.

Rutherford made the 41-country crossing to inspire more women and girls into entering other STEM fields, but obviously and particularly aviation. Remarking on how only 5.1% of pilots are women, she described the occupation to CNN last year as “a career where you basically get paid to travel around the world.”

She’s also supporting the non-profit Girls Who Code.

RELATED: English Teenager Discovers Hoard of 3,300 Year-Old Axes and Becomes Metal Detecting Celebrity

Chalks away

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the 160-mph ultralight aircraft, and both extreme weather and visa difficulties took their tool on the plane and the pilot. Originally planned for three months and 52 countries, the route had to be changed due to unscheduled landings such as to avoid wildfires in California, and a denial for crossing permission over China.

“I would say the hardest part was definitely flying over Siberia—it was extremely cold. It was minus 35 degrees Celsius on the ground,” Rutherford said during a press conference on Thursday.

“If the engine were to stall, I’d be hours away from rescue and I don’t know how long I could have survived for.”

MORE: Rookie Lifeguard Faced With Saving a Kangaroo From Rough Surf in Her First Ever Rescue

Rutherford was piloting the carbon fiber and epoxy Shark Aero, one of the fastest ultralight aircraft in the world—built by specialists and modified for the rigors of circumnavigation.

(WATCH the video reel from Zara below.)

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“Nothing will tell you where you are. Each moment is a place you’ve never been.” – Mark Strand

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By Anastasiya Romanova

Quote of the Day: “Nothing will tell you where you are. Each moment is a place you’ve never been.” – Mark Strand

Photo: by Anastasiya Romanova

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?

By Anastasiya Romanova

Almost $13 Million Raised For Animal Shelters to Honor the Late Celebrity With the #BettyWhiteChallenge

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Actors & Others For Animals
Actors & Others For Animals

JoAnne Worley and Loretta Swit were among the celebrities who began a campaign on social media called the #BettyWhiteChallenge in honor of Betty White’s 100th birthday.

The comedic actress died on New Year’s Eve, just weeks before her centennial celebration of January 17th—but because she is so beloved, the campaign has taken flight to raise millions for animals.

Actors & Others For Animals, the charity for which she served on the Board of Directors, launched the campaign asking for donations of $100 for Betty’s 100th birthday.

Dozens of other groups benefitted, too, as the public began sending in money to local shelters in Ms. White’s name.

Almost 400,000 people used Facebook and Instagram to donate to the challenge, raising an incredible $12.7 million dollars for animal shelters and rescuers all over the country—with 100% of the pledges going directly to the organizations.

Two Philadelphia shelters brought in $100,000; a Los Angeles zoo charity got $70,000; an Arkansas shelter was flooded with over $12,000; and Dubuque, Iowa shelters received $13,000.

LOOK: Baby Donkey is Named ‘Betty White’ to Honor Celebrity Who Donated to Their Animal Sanctuary For Years

Betty had prepared a video to share on her 100th birthday which was recorded just days before her death. Her team posted the video on her Instagram page as a farewell greeting for her fans.

“I just want to thank you all for your love and support over the YEARS. Thank you so much, and stick around!”

Her team added an update from the #BettyWhiteChallenge to the posted video, “As we continue to see numbers coming in from all over the world, it’s just absolutely amazing how much money all of you raised for animals.”

WATCH the video…

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Visit ‘Fortlandia’ Where Designers Have Built Odes to Childhood Fort-Building in Austin, Texas

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Andy Corbley
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By Leonid Furmansky for Perkins & Will architects

An annual mass ‘fort building’ event is going on now which for years has brought smiles uncountable to the faces of children visiting in Austin, Texas.

Hosted at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and Botanic Gardens, Fortlandia is a celebration of childhood fort building, in which architects create different forts to tickle the imagination of young and old.

Building forts is a universal childhood experience. Whether out of blankets and pillows, sticks and leaves, or refrigerator boxes, it is the pinnacle of big picture creativity.

Now open until January 31st, Fortlandia 2022 features 8 forts built by professional architects and artists arrayed along a nature trail for kids, so they can explore and pretend to their heart’s content.

Color Space Architecture from San Marcos, for example, contributed ‘The Critter Stack’, which creates a play and meet and greet environment for kids and forest critters.

“By integrating natural stacked materials within and on the installation, The Critter Stack invites Fortlandia attendees to consider life forms smaller than themselves and to take a closer, respectful look at the wilderness that we can help support outside our front doors.”

Color Space – Critter Stack, designed for Fortlandia 2021

“Children are also invited to crawl right up and into the installation and imagine what it is to become a little critter themselves,” they added.

Critter Cafe By Designer Jodi Bade

Designer Jodi Bade made ‘The Critter Cafe’, which is pulled by a vintage garden tractor and filled with child-safe kitchen equipment for that most persistent of childhood fancies, tea time. Watch her video showing the remarkable detail on the inside.

By Leonid Furmansky / Perkins & Will

For the 2020 exhibition, Perkins & Will built a fort entirely of bamboo tubes, allowing kids’ tireless knees to crawl them about inside an enclosed yet natural space.

By Leonid Furmansky for Perkins & Will architects

Each year since it debuted in 2018, up to ten different forts each year dot a 16-acre stretch of the Texas Arboretum (part of the Botanic Gardens), with majestic trees framing the model forts.

Before starting their journey to the secret hideouts in the woods that most of us only dreamed of, kids can pick up their “Passforts” to document their adventures, map the fort locations, along with the animals and plants they find along the way—and the friends they’ve made—and compare notes for the next year.

WATCH one family’s adventure in 2019…

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Inspired by Lava, New Nontoxic Coating Can Halt Fire in its Tracks

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Photo by DDP
Photo by DDP

Lava is one of the hottest substances found on the Earth’s surface and also a source of inspiration for the design of a potentially life-saving fire retardant coating.

A research team, led by University of Southern Queensland chemical engineer and Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Professor Pingan Song, has developed a non-toxic, fire extinguishing coating that could save buildings from being engulfed in flames.

Professor Song said lava sparked his idea of a hybrid coating that would melt and then gradually form a flowing but non-combustible ceramic layer when exposed to extreme heat.

“Melton lava is like a viscous flowing liquid but non-flammable,” Professor Song said.

“Once cooled, it solidifies to become a ceramic layer that does not support fire.

“Inspired by this interesting phenomenon, we designed a fire retardant coating that can create a non-combustible ceramic layer which can offer fire protections for the underlying substrates, just like a fire shield.”

RELATED: Not Only Does New Solar Chimney Design Cut Energy Costs By 50%, It Can Also Save Lives During a Fire

Professor Song said spraying the coating on building materials, such as thermal insulation foam, timber and steel structures, during construction could prevent disasters like the 2017 Grenfell Tower blaze in London, where 72 people died.

“Polymer foams were identified as the main cause of recent catastrophic disasters, particularly the Grenfell Tower fire,” he said.

“Solid wood materials, also widely used in buildings but extremely combustible, can also trigger fires, like the Notre-Dame de Paris blaze in 2019.”

CHECK Out: Futuristic ‘Green’ Fabric That Works Like a Smartphone Unveiled by Scientists

Fire retardants have been used in building materials for decades, but most are not effective enough, costly and sometimes difficult to mass produce.

Professor Song said their version offered better protection and could be used in other application settings, such as wooden furniture, mining, tunnels and transportations.

“Our fire retardant coating produces a very robust and thermally stable ceramic layer, compared to existing coatings, which usually produce a protective layer that is fragile and degrades at high temperatures,” he said.

Professor Song said the fire-retardant coating still had to undergo further testing and refinement before it could be commercialized and put to widespread use, which he hoped would be within the next three years.

The research, which was financially supported by an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship, was published in the journal Matter.

Source: University of Southern Queensland

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Mystery ‘Garbage Man’ in Wisconsin Neighborhood is Revealed to Be a 75-Year-old Man

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WFRV Local 5 / Youtube

For weeks, in the frigid Wisconsin winter, neighbors in Appleton were puzzling over a sudden mystery.

On garbage days, they would trudge with their trash bins down their long driveways of snow and ice—and in the evenings the bins appeared back at their garages.

Melody Luttenegger, who lives in the neighborhood of Grand Chute, first asked her husband—but he replied, ‘no, I’m not bringing the garbage cans up.’

Then, she thought it was the garbage company, and decided to stake out the area to discover the identity of the good deed-doer.

“It was the day before Christmas Eve,” she told WFRV Local 5’s Barrett Tryon. “And I got a little gift for them… and stood there, waiting and waiting.”

At 8:21 in the morning, she saw Dick Pontzloff, a 75-year-old senior who lives a few streets over, coming up the driveway with the Luttenegger’s garbage cans.

WFRV broadcasts a regular segment called ‘Positively Wisconsin’, to showcase inspiring people.

And, Dick turned out to be quite inspiring.

“When I retired, I got sick of doing nothing, so I started going around and picking up garbage cans. Not just certain ones, everyone’s,” he told Local 5 News, from nearby Green Bay.

LOOK: Sanitation Heroes Dig Through 2,000 Pounds of Trash to Reunite Man With His Lost Wallet

He’s lived in Wisconsin most of his life, and always loved winter.

“I put this mask on because it makes your face nice and warm. That’s the reason I’m wearing it. I don’t normally wear it,” he laughed again.

“Just be nice to all people,” he said. “It’s just what you gotta do. Just think if you were at home and you needed someone for help.”

Luttenegger benefitted from something more intangible than help: “You know, the kindness that strangers give is an unexplainable feeling.”

WATCH the WFRV video below…

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“The joy of strife: Next to trying and winning, the best thing is trying and failing.” – L.M. Montgomery

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “The joy of strife: Next to trying and winning, the best thing is trying and failing.” – L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables)

Photo: by Javad Esmaeili (colorized)

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?

Watch the Jubilant Christmas Message These Surprised Tesla Owners Got From Their Car

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Good News Network
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These Tesla owners have loved their electric car, ever since they carefully decided to wade into the EV world—and they’ve never regretted the move.

The lower fuel costs have roughly equaled the higher purchase price, and they do feel good about making less of an impact on the planet as they drive.

Their Tesla also provided a holiday surprise for the owners in the form of a dazzling Christmas light show.

After downloading the latest operating software for the vehicle, the Tesla instructed Dave to press the start button and then get out and enjoy a special message.

Dave and his wife watched as the car began to play a majestic orchestral performance of Carol of the Bells, synchronized with not only the lights on the car, but the movements of the trunk, mirrors, windows, and charge port.

The whole family watched in amazement as the exciting holiday greeting emerged from their car.

RELATED: With EV Battery Prices Dropping 87% in a Decade, Tesla is Now Making a Car That Will Cost $25,000

Another feature they found was a cozy fireplace video that plays on the control screen, synchronized with the heaters in the car that send out a gentle warm breeze to match the fire. Aptly referred to as “romance” on the control menu, this caused a giggle as the screen lit up.

Another ‘Easter egg’ the found in the software was the option to play the sound of coconuts clopping as the car drives—reminiscent of the epic scene from Monty Python as the knights gallop across the highlands without horses.

WATCH the Christmas light display below…

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Majority of Americans Plan to Splurge on These Top 10 Things–After Missing Out in Pandemic

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Good News Network
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The “Roaring 20s” are just around the corner for seven in 10 Americans who plan to go all out with their finances in the coming years by enjoying what they missed out on in the last two years.

A survey of 2,000 adults found 70% are looking to have more fun with their finances over the next decade, with 84% believing those plans to spend more freely are due to having built a financial safety net during the pandemic.

Fifty-nine percent of Gen Zers (ages 18 to 24) are more likely to enjoy their money in the coming years, compared to 45% of millennials (ages 25 to 40) and 25% of Gen Xers (41 to 56).

On the other hand, 36% of boomers (57+) plan to stick to a very tight budget, while still enjoying themselves by spending some of their money.

When it comes to emergency funds, close to three-quarters (73%) have a savings account set up for when they need it most—with an average of $3,816.

Commissioned by Alliant Credit Union and conducted by OnePoll, the survey revealed 77% of millennials have retooled their budgets since the pandemic began, as compared to an average of 72% of all generations.

A third of those polled (31%) prefer spending money on experiences, and a quarter (25%) on material things.

RELATED: Six in 10 Americans Agreed They’re More Financially Confident Than They Were Before the Pandemic

Over the next decade, respondents want to spend more money on:

1. Traveling – 44%
2. Home goods/decor – 40%
3. Consumer electronics – 38%
4. Restaurants – 37%
5. Groceries – 37%
6. Clothing – 37%
7. Live entertainment – 37%
8. Shoes – 29%
9. Museum exhibits – 27%

“The last couple of years have helped us all realize what we value most,” said Director Chris Moore, of Alliant Credit Union. “Saving for retirement and a rainy day is incredibly important, but so is spending money on the things that bring you joy each day.”

“As long as you realistically budget for it, you can truly enjoy spending money on that next vacation or new gadget,” she added.

Still, a majority believe that with great fun comes great responsibility. Four in five of respondents are careful with their finances, with 73% of people regularly following a monthly budget.

Of all generations, Gen Xers describe themselves as the most cautious with their finances (87%), compared to seniors over 76 (84%), boomers (83%), millennials (78%) and Gen-Z (76%).

CHECK OUT: With Time to Pursue New Hobbies, 6 in 10 Have ‘Leveled Up’ – And 40% Think They’ll Make Money From it

Many respondents even use spreadsheets (45%) and budgeting apps (38%) to help them stay on top of purchases.

“Every successful budget needs a ‘fun’ spending category,” assures Moore. “The key is to set realistic savings goals and budget accordingly so you know exactly how much you can spend on the things you love—and it’s OK to adjust your budget each month to spend extra on the experiences for which you’ve been missing out.”

Will you be indulging in ‘the Roaring 2020s’? Tell us in the comments…

Alien-Like Sculptures Sliced By Ice and Winds on Lake Michigan Beach – LOOK

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Good News Network
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Shaun Tvetmarken Photography

Dr. Seuss-like spires whipped into formation by icy winds along the shore in Lake Michigan have caught the eye of nature photographers—and fed the fancy of fans on social media.

The nearly-annual phenomenon is similar to the one that creates 50-foot tall spires called hoodoos in the Utah desert, but these temporary ice hoodoos are anywhere from 3 to 20 inches high.

And, they may last only a day before the temperature and winds change, rendering them back to grains of sand.

Resembling chess pieces or modern art, they are carved when the wet sand turns into ice in spots, and strong winds remove the loose sand, layer by layer, in only a few hours.

Amateur photographer Shaun Tvetmarken lives in Saint Joseph, Michigan, where the bizarre sandy spires were created in Tiscornia Park.

He braved the cold to shoot some frames to post on Facebook and Instagram.

Shaun Tvetmarken Photography
Photo courtesy of Nature photographer Terri Abbott, Indiana

Gusts along the lake shore topped 40 mph on Friday morning, January 8, and as the temperatures rose above freezing the fragile pieces crumbled.

POPULAR: Researchers Drop Ice Chunk Down Glacial Hole and it Makes the Most Satisfying Sound Ever

Shaun Tvetmarken Photography

The phenomenon isn’t unique to this Southwestern corner of Lake Michigan. They can form, for instance, along the Northwest Pacific Coast or in Northern Europe.

LOOK: Birdwatchers Flock to See Rare 8-ft Raptor After ​Huge Russian Eagle Takes Detour into Maine

BLOW These Cool Pics to Nature Lovers on Social Media…

Solar Power Will Account for Nearly Half of New U.S. Electric Generating Capacity in 2022

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Good News Network
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By Science in HD
By Science in HD

In 2022, almost half of the planned utility-scale electric generating capacity coming online are solar, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Wind power is in third place, estimated to create 17% of the new green energy launching this year.

“We expect U.S. utility-scale solar generating capacity to grow by 21.5 GW in 2022,” reports the EIA. “This planned new capacity would surpass last year’s 15.5 GW of solar capacity additions, an estimate based on reported additions through October (8.7 GW) and additions scheduled for the last two months of 2021 (6.9 GW).”

Most of the planned solar additions in 2022 will be in Texas, with 28% of the national total (6.1 GW), followed by California providing around 18 percent (4.0 GW).

POPULAR: Man Who Tells the Queen He Engineers Solar Panels is Stunned When She Orders Some Installed on the Castle

How did wind power contribute In 2021? A record-high 17.1 GW of wind capacity came online in the United States last year. Another 7.6 GW of wind capacity is scheduled to come online in 2022.

About half of the planned 2022 wind capacity additions are also located in Texas. The 999 MW Traverse Wind Energy Center in Oklahoma, the largest wind project expected to come online in 2022, is scheduled to begin commercial operations in April.

RELATED: Hundreds of Solar Farms Built Atop Closed Landfills Are Turning Brownfields into Green Fields

Regarding the all-important battery storage needs for renewables, the Administration expects U.S. utility-scale battery storage capacity to grow by 84% (5.1 GW) this year. Several factors have helped beef-up the expansion, including declining costs of battery storage and adding value through regional transmission organization (RTO) markets.

Developers and power plant owners report planned additions to the EIA for their annual and monthly electric generator surveys. In the annual survey, we ask respondents to provide planned online dates for generators coming online in the next five years.

CHECK OUT: These Solar Shingles on Your Roof Could Be Producing Energy With Simple Installation

SHINE Some Sun on Your Social Media Page With This Good News…

This Week’s Inspiring Horoscopes From Rob Brezsny’s ‘Free Will Astrology’

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

Here is your weekly horoscope…

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY – Week of January 22, 2022
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Self-help teachers and New Age gurus are fond of using metaphors about opening doors. They provide a lot of advice that encourages us to knock on doors, scout around for doors that are open just a crack, find keys to unlock doors, and even kick down doors. I will not be following their lead in this horoscope. In my opinion, the coming days are an excellent time for you to heed the contrary counsel of author Paulo Coelho: “Close some doors today. Not because of pride, incapacity, or arrogance, but simply because they lead you nowhere.” Once you carry out this assignment, Aquarius, I believe you’ll start finding interesting new doors to open.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Piscean film director Jordan Peele released his debut film, Get Out. It was a success with both critics and audiences. A year later, Peele became the first Black screenwriter to win the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. As he accepted the Oscar, he said, “I stopped writing this movie about 20 times because I thought it was impossible.” Personally, I’m glad Peele didn’t give up his dream. Here’s one reason why: He will serve as an excellent role model for you throughout 2022. As you reinvent yourself, Pisces, don’t give up pushing ahead with persistence, courage, and a quest for what’s most fun.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
In October, the Vancouver Canucks hockey team played the Seattle Kraken team in a Seattle arena. A fan named Nadia Popovici noticed that the Canucks’ equipment manager Brian Hamilton had an irregular mole on the back of his neck—possibly cancerous. She found a way to communicate her observation to him, urging him to see a doctor. In the ensuing days, Hamilton sought medical care and discovered that the mole was indeed in an early stage of melanoma, and he had it removed. In the spirit of this inspiring story, Aries, I invite you to tell the people in your life things they should know but don’t know yet—not just what might be challenging, but also what’s energizing and interesting. Be their compassionate advisor, their agent for divine intervention.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Canadian-Jamaican songwriter and recording artist Kreesha Turner isn’t a mega-star like Beyoncé or Rihanna, but she has had a successful music career. What’s the secret to her constant creative output? Here’s what she has said: “I love to surround myself with people who are the best at what they do. My idea is I want to be a sponge and absorb everything they teach, experience their energy, view them in their element, and have the opportunity to ask them questions.” The coming year will be one of the best times ever for you to emulate her strategy, Taurus. And now is a perfect moment for formulating plans to make it happen.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Gemini author Lisa Cron says that when we’re telling a story, we should give each successive scene “new information, rather than rehashing things we already know. Never tell us the same fact twice. Because it’s boring and stops the flow of the story. Never tell us the same fact twice. Because it’s boring and stops the flow of the story.” In accordance with astrological omens, Gemini, I suggest you apply this counsel to everything you say and do in the next three weeks. Don’t repeat yourself. Keep moving right along. Invite novelty. Cultivate surprises and unpredictability.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Years ago, I reluctantly gave up my music career. To do so was sad and hard. But it enabled me to devote far more time and energy to improving my writing skills. I published books and developed a big audience. I’m glad I did it. Here’s another redemptive sacrifice I made earlier in my life: I renounced the chaotic pleasure of seeking endless new romantic adventures so I could commit myself to a relationship with one particular woman. In so doing, I learned a lot more about how to be a soulful human. I’m glad I did it. Is there potentially a comparable pivot in your life, my fellow Cancerian? If so, the coming weeks and months will be a favorable time to make a move.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Leo actor Claudia Christian has appeared in over 50 films, including many in the science fiction genre. She has played a variety of roles in movies with more conventional themes. But as for the sci-fi stuff? She says, “Apparently, I’ve been typecast: I’m a Russian asexual telepathic Jew.” If Christian came to me for astrological advice right now, I would suggest that the coming months will be an excellent time for her and all of you Leos to slip free of any pigeonholes you’ve been stuck in. Escape the mold! Create niches for yourself that enable you to express your full repertoire.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
The coming weeks will be a favorable time to meditate on your job and your calling—as well as the differences there may be between your job and your calling. In fact, I regard this as a phase when you can summon transformative epiphanies about the way you earn a living and the useful services you provide to your fellow humans. For inspiration, read this quote from photographer Margaret Bourke-White: “Even while you’re in dead earnest about your work, you must approach it with a feeling of freedom and joy; you must be loose-jointed, like a relaxed athlete.”

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Author Marguerite Yourcenar wrote, “All happiness is a work of art: The smallest error falsifies it, the slightest hesitation alters it, the least heaviness spoils it, the slightest stupidity brutalizes it.” If what she says is true, it’s bad news, isn’t it? She makes it seem like cultivating joy and well-being is a superhuman skill that few of us can hope to master. Personally, I am not as stringent as Yourcenar in my ideas about what’s required to generate happiness. But like her, I believe you have to work at it. It doesn’t necessarily come easily and naturally. Most of us have never been taught how to cultivate happiness, so we must train ourselves to do it and practice diligently. The good news, Libra, is that the coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to upgrade your happiness skills.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
In 1891, a cultural organization commissioned Scorpio sculptor Auguste Rodin to create a statue of beloved French author Honoré de Balzac. The piece was supposed to be done in 18 months, but it wasn’t. For seven years, Rodin toiled, producing over 50 studies before finally finishing the piece. We shouldn’t be surprised, then, that one of his mottoes was “Patience is also a form of action.” I’m recommending Rodin-like patience to you in the coming weeks, Scorpio. Yours will be rewarded long before seven years go by.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
“I am ashamed of confessing that I have nothing to confess,” wrote author Fanny Burney. Actor Jennifer Lawrence said, “I started to write an apology, but I don’t have anything to say I’m sorry for.” I nominate these two souls to be your role models for the coming weeks. In my astrological opinion, you are currently as immune to karmic boomerangs as it’s possible to be. Your guilt levels are abnormally low. As far as I can determine, you are relatively free from having to answer to the past or defend your actions. How do you plan to make maximum use of this grace period?

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
“New truths become evident when new tools become available,” declared Nobel Prize-winning medical physicist Rosalyn Sussman Yalow (1921–2011). She was referring to developments in science and technology, but I think her idea applies to our personal lives, too. And it so happens, in my astrological opinion, that the coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to acquire new tools that will ultimately lead you to discover new truths.

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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“Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to others.” ― Buddha

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Credit: Lina Trochez

Quote of the Day: “Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to others.”
― Buddha

Photo: by Lina Trochez

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?

 

Nursing Home Residents Recreate Famous Portraits From History – And They’re Amazing (LOOK)

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Good News Network
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SWNS
SWNS

A care home has produced a calendar featuring all the old people posing in a series of photos from famous portraits—including The Virgin In Prayer and American Gothic.

The elderly residents of MHA Brookfield each feature as a different month in classic paintings—such as Evelyn Elizabeth Tudor.

Staff at the Oxfordshire care home in England created the 2022 calendar with the help of 14 elderly people.

One of the home’s volunteers, Rebecca Phillipson, took and edited the photos.

The calendars will be on sale for £12 ($16) and can be purchased from reception at the home.

The home provides nursing and nursing dementia care for 66 residents in purpose-built, en-suite accommodation.

57-year-old resident Andrew Reese who is on the cover of the calendar, said, “I really liked the style of my picture and it was good fun.

MORE: Nursing Home Residents Recreate Classic Album Covers While in Lockdown – LOOK

“A table cloth and some fur was used for my costume and I really enjoyed being a part of this for the second time.”

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Victoria Davidson, activity coordinator said, “I am very impressed with how the pictures have come out.

“Those who volunteered to be a part were very excited and could not wait to see what the pictures looked like.

“We used a lot of our own equipment at the homes to make props and costumes and it was something we all really enjoyed.

SWNS

“The pictures have received a lot of interest, so we decided to put them up in the reception area and whenever we have people walking through they stop by and have a look.”

Take a look at some more of the portraits below.

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