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California Vineyards That Once Used Only Toxic Chemicals to Protect Vines Now Use Nesting Owls

By
Andy Corbley
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Matt Johnson, Humboldt State

Napa Valley vintners are increasingly turning towards winged-laborers for their pest control, and away from super toxic pesticides that poison everything, including their wine.

Barn owls in particular, but also hawks and other birds of prey, known as raptors, are being welcomed onto vineyards across California for their skill in rat-catching, vole-estation, and gopher-gobbling—and scientists studying the impact of these strategies are finding encouraging results.

For years, vintners in California were proud of the certain je ne sais quoi, inherent in their wines which made Napa a world class destination for growing grapes.

But, they were using super-toxic “rodent-icides,” a type of poison used to kill the mice and voles that munch on vines. The poison had become an industry standard in the state up until the 1980s when raptors, trapping, and other more holistic methods became more popular.

According to the nonprofit Napa Green, a trend toward chemical-free farming statewide is reflected in the threefold increase of organic winegrape acreage since 2005, with the number of organic acres doubling in just the last decade.

One of the world’s most efficient pest controllers is the barn owl, which is found on 6 of our 7 continents and is capable of eating 3,400 rodents each year.

Matt Johnson is a wildlife professor at Humboldt State who began a program years ago to study raptor pest control in vineyards and research the results. A survey by graduate student Brooks Estes found that four-fifths of the 75 California grape growers purposely invite owls onto their property by constructing nest boxes.

Allison Huysman, Humboldt Stat

“We’re working mainly in Napa Valley, where there are over 300 barn owl nest boxes,” Johnson wrote on his department’s webpage.

“You can literally put a barn owl nest box in the exact location where you think you have a problem with the small mammals, and voilà! The owls will start using that area,” John C. Robinson, a local ornithologist, told Bay Nature Magazine.

Courtesy of Humboldt State

Johnson and his graduate students have found that barn owls like their boxes to sit at least 9 feet off the ground, face away from the sun, adjacent to grassy fields, and preferably far from forested acres.

Humbolt State grad student Jaime Carlino, by Matt Johnson

RELATED: Brewery Uses ‘Unadoptable’ Feral Cats to Hunt Rats—With Big Success

Early surveys suggest that it’s possible more vintners are using barn owls and even traps, than pesticides, but how much pesticide use was avoided in favor of the owls is not known.

All the incentives are there, however, because using owls is much less expensive than trapping: 26 cents per rodent versus $8.11. It’s also helping a beautiful group of species to thrive.

RELATED: Breakthrough Non-Toxic Pest Control Which Doesn’t Harm Bees

Ventura County uses birds, including hawks, falcons, and owls, instead of rodenticides, across nearly one hundred dikes and dams, as the rodents’ burrowing can damage the structures. Ventura County Watershed Protection Department reports a cost savings of $216,000 per channel mile compared with traps.

The owls not only help winemakers lower their costs, they make the vineyards greener and keep ecosystems healthier—a dignified result that reflects the majesty of the famous valley.

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Puppy Siblings Adopted by Different Families Immediately Recognize Each Other During Walks One Year Later

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Good News Network
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Susan Killip
Susan Killip

These two adorable cockapoos look a bit different now than when they were adopted by different families almost a year ago, but it was a ‘Puppy Love’ moment recently when they ran into each other on a walk.

David Kidd was out walking his one-year-old pup Monty when he spotted another dog that looked similar.

When Monty crossed paths with Rosie, they began hugging, as though being reunited, so their owners started chatting.

They realized then, that they were from the same litter.

Susan, Rosie’s mom lives in the next village, so this was a rare moment.

“My husband Lee and I took Rosie for a walk one day… It was so lovely, they both just jumped up and hugged each other, it was amazing,” Susan Killip told Bored Panda.

LOOK: Woman Realizes the Old Dog She Just Adopted Was Same One She Had as a Child

“It’s nearly Rosie and Monty’s first birthday, (so) hopefully we can do something to celebrate it together,” Susan added.

Susan Killip

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Man Finally Gets Beloved Mom’s Car 40 Years After Her Death–And it Still Has Her Sunglasses Inside

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Good News Network
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September 26 was a very sentimental day for John Berry, as he finally experienced the realization of a 40–year dream—one that he honestly thought might never happen.

His sweet mother, Janis, passed away unexpectedly when he was 15 years old, and his dad eventually sold her car.

It was a 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme convertible and was purchased by a GM auto executive in the early 80’s.

John never had the chance to own any of his mom’s personal belongings after she passed, but for decades he continued to hunt for that car.

Once he did find it, he stayed in touch with the second owner.

“Each time John contacted him, he was never interested in selling the car,” said Shannon Berry, John’s wife. “Thankfully, he was a ‘car guy’ and collector of classic Buick, Chevrolet and Oldsmobile cars.” So, they knew he was taking good care of the green convertible.

Out of the blue, he wrote to John in September, saying he’d had a ‘change of heart’ and was ready to pass ownership to him, knowing it would mean a lot to an original family member.

“To say he is thrilled, overjoyed and unbelievably emotional is an understatement,” Shannon told GNN.

LOOK: Woman Reunited With Lost Teddy Bear Containing Late Mother’s Voice, Thanks to Ryan Reynolds

The car is all-original, and has only 42,000 miles on the odometer. And, once it had arrived in Union, Kentucky, John even found some of his mom’s belongings still in the glove box—her sunglasses, maps of trips she’d taken, some earrings, an unused postage stamp from 1971, and a comb.

“It has been a real journey down memory lane, detailing and driving the car,” John says.

“So many memories are stirred riding in the same car that my late mother drove around in, with my siblings and I as small children.”

(WATCH the local news coverage below…)

 

IF YOU HAVE an interesting story of kindness or positivity to share with GNN, be sure and send it to us for review.

Cardboard Boxes Turned Into Incredible Haunted House Model For Halloween (WATCH)

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Good News Network
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Rumble

An industrial designer in Mexico recorded a time lapse video showing how he used shipping boxes, corrugated cardboard, and art supplies, to build a spooky model for Halloween.

“I like to build things, and I started making videos of it to keep me entertained—and inside—while in the pandemic,” said Carlos, from his home in Villa de Cos, Mexico.

“In the video I’m using an Amazon Box, corrugated cardboard, clay and some trash to make a Haunted Mansion.”

Click the video below to watch…

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“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” – King James Bible

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” – King James Bible (Hebrews 11)

Photo: by Alex Radelich

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?

Ralph Lauren Gives Competitors New Way to Dye Cotton, Uses 90% Less Chemicals, 40% Less Energy and Half the Water

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Good News Network
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Ralph Lauren

Every year, trillions of liters of water are used for fabric dyeing alone, generating around 20% of the world’s wastewater. Untreated, it is incredibly polluting, so requires rigorous, lengthy, and costly treatment to make the water reusable.

Ralph Lauren

Recently Ralph Lauren brought together four leading innovators, including Dow, to develop a way to significantly reduce the amount of water, chemicals, and energy needed to color cotton, by enabling up to 90% fewer processing chemicals, 50% less water, 50% less dye and 40% less energy without sacrificing color or quality.

The Color on Demand system uses a set of technologies that will enable the recycling and reuse of all the water from the dyeing process, to establish the “world’s first scalable zero wastewater” cotton dyeing system.

In addition to significant water savings, Color on Demand dramatically reduces the amount of chemicals, dyes, time, and energy used in the cotton dyeing process. Most importantly, the system utilizes the current dyeing equipment already in factories.

“If we want to protect our planet for the next generation, we have to create scalable solutions that have never been considered before. This requires deep and sometimes unexpected collaboration and a willingness to break down the barriers of exclusivity,” said Halide Alagöz, Chief Product & Sustainability Officer at Ralph Lauren.

RELATED: Company Mimics Spiders to Create Lustrous Faux Silk That is 1,000x More Energy Efficient

According to a company statement, “To implement its groundbreaking approach, Ralph Lauren brought together four innovators in their respective fields, including Dow, a leader in materials science; Jeanologia, a leader in sustainable solutions for garment and fabric finishing, with high expertise in garment dyeing and close loop water treatment systems; Huntsman Textile Effects, a global chemicals company specializing in textile dyes and chemicals; and Corob, a global technology leader in dispensing and mixing solutions, to reimagine each stage of the coloring process and join this shared mission to create a more sustainable and efficient system for cotton dyeing.”

As part of the first phase of Color on Demand, Ralph Lauren has optimized the use of ECOFAST Pure Sustainable Textile Treatment, which is a pre-treatment solution.

And, they worked with World Wildlife Fund to accelerate change of the fashion industry’s outdated practices, and at a scale that matters.

An Open Source manual for change

This month, the companies have jointly released a detailed open-source manual to create an even more meaningful positive environmental impact.

RELATED: H&M In-Store Recycling Machine Turns Old Clothes into New Threads—A World First

The co-developed, step-by-step manual details how to use ECOFAST Pure, a cationic cotton treatment developed by Dow, that utilizes already existing dyeing equipment.

“We are proud to share it openly with our industry, with the hope that it will help transform how we preserve and use water in our global supply chains,” said Alagöz.

Ralph Lauren began integrating Color on Demand into its supply chain earlier this year and first launched products utilizing ECOFAST Pure as part of the Company’s Team USA collection for the 2020 Olympic & Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

“As fashion supply chains look to recover from impacts of the pandemic, there is a critical window to build more sustainable practices into production processes,” said Mary Draves, Chief Sustainability Officer at Dow. “By collaborating today to scale a less resource intensive dyeing process, we can help address pressing challenges, like climate change and water resiliency, in the long-term.”

POPULAR: These Sunglasses Are Made From the First Ever Batch of Plastic Waste Recovered by the Ocean Cleanup Project

You can download the manual and learn more about ECOFAST Pure, here.

Within three years, the Ralph Lauren brand aims to use the Color on Demand platform to dye more than 80% of its solid cotton products.

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This Week’s Inspiring Horoscopes From Rob Brezsny’s ‘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 beginning October 15, 2021
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
“We must never be afraid to go too far, for truth lies beyond,” declared novelist Marcel Proust. I wouldn’t normally offer that counsel to you Libras. One of your strengths is your skill at maintaining healthy boundaries. You know how to set dynamic limits that are just right: neither too extreme nor too timid. But according to my analysis of the astrological potentials, the coming weeks will be one of those rare times when you’ll be wise to consider an alternative approach: that the most vigorous truths and liveliest energies may lie beyond where you usually go.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Author William S. Burroughs claimed his greatest strength was a “capacity to confront myself no matter how unpleasant.” But he added a caveat to his brag: Although he recognized his mistakes, he rarely made any corrections. Yikes! Dear Scorpio, I invite you to do what Burroughs couldn’t. Question yourself about how you might have gone off course, but then actually make adjustments and atonements. As you do, keep in mind these principles: 1. An apparent mistake could lead you to a key insight or revelation. 2. An obstruction to the flow may prod you to open your mind and heart to a liberating possibility. 3. A snafu might motivate you to get back to where you belong. 4. A mess could show you something important you’ve been missing.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
In her novel We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Sagittarian author Shirley Jackson wrote, “Today my winged horse is coming, and I am carrying you off to the moon, and on the moon we will eat rose petals.” I wonder what you would do if you received a message like that—an invitation to wander out on fanciful or mysterious adventures. I hope you’d be receptive. I hope you wouldn’t say, “There are so such things as flying horses. It’s impossible to fly to the moon and eat rose petals.” Even if you don’t typically entertain such whimsical notions, the time is favorable to do so now. I bet you will be pleased with the unexpected grace they bring your way.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Capricorn author Susan Sontag wrote about people who weren’t receptive to her intensity and intelligence. She said she always had “a feeling of being ‘too much’ for them—a creature from another planet—and I would try to scale myself down to size, so I could be apprehendable and lovable by them.” I understand the inclination to engage in such self-diminishment. We all want to be appreciated and understood. But I urge you to refrain from taming and toning yourself down too much in the coming weeks. Don’t do what Sontag did. In my astrological opinion, it’s time for you to be an extra vivid version of yourself.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Judging from current cosmic rhythms, I’m inclined to say that it may be wise for you to dose yourself with intoxicants. JUST KIDDING! I lied. Here’s the truth: I would love for you to experience extra rapture, mystic illumination, transcendent sex, and yes, even intoxication in the coming weeks. My analysis of the astrological omens suggests these delights are more likely and desirable than usual. However, the best way to arouse them is by communing with your favorite non-drug and non-alcohol inebriants. The benefits will last longer and incur no psychological cost.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
“The truth is,” writes cartoonist Bill Watterson, “most of us discover where we are headed when we arrive.” I sense this will describe your life during the next six weeks. Your long, strange journey won’t come to an end, of course. But a key chapter in that long, strange journey will climax. You will be mostly finished with lessons you have been studying for many moons. The winding road you have been following will end up someplace in particular. And sometime soon, I suspect you’ll spy a foreshadowing flash of this denouement.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
According to my understanding of the upcoming weeks, life will present you with unusual opportunities. I suspect you will find it reasonable and righteous to shed, dismantle, and rebel against the past. Redefining your history will be a fun and worthy project. Here are other related activities I recommend for you: 1. Forget and renounce a long-running fear that has never come true. 2. Throw away a reminder of an old experience that makes you feel bad. 3. Freshen your mood and attitude by moving around the furniture and decor in your home. 4. Write a note of atonement to a person you hurt once upon a time. 5. Give yourself a new nickname that inspires you to emancipate yourself from a pattern or habit you want to leave behind.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Taurus poet Donte Collins Ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu told us that water is in one sense soft and passive, but is in another sense superb at eroding jams and obstacles that are hard and firm. There’s a magic in the way its apparent weakness overcomes what seems strong and unassailable. You are one of the zodiac’s top wielders of water’s superpower, Cancerian. And in the coming weeks, it will work for you with even more amazing grace than usual. Take full advantage of your sensitivity, your emotional intelligence, and your empathy. wrote, “A lover doesn’t discourage your growth. A lover says, ‘I see who you are today, and I cannot wait to see who you become tomorrow.'” I hope you have people like that in your life, Taurus—lovers, friends, allies, and relatives. If there is a scarcity of such beloved companions in your life, the next eight weeks will be an excellent time to round up new ones. And if you are connected with people who delight in your progress and evolution, deepen your connection with them.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Gemini author Lisa Cron advises her fellow writers, “Avoid exclamation points! Really!! Because they’re distracting!! Almost as much as CAPITALIZING THINGS!!!” I’ll expand her counsel to apply not just to writers, but to all of you Geminis. In my astrological opinion, you’re likely to find success in the coming weeks if you’re understated, modest, and unmelodramatic. Make it your goal to create smooth, suave, savvy solutions. Be cagey and cool and crafty.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu told us that water is in one sense soft and passive, but is in another sense superb at eroding jams and obstacles that are hard and firm. There’s a magic in the way its apparent weakness overcomes what seems strong and unassailable. You are one of the zodiac’s top wielders of water’s superpower, Cancerian. And in the coming weeks, it will work for you with even more amazing grace than usual. Take full advantage of your sensitivity, your emotional intelligence, and your empathy.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Leo author James Baldwin told us, “You read something which you thought only happened to you, and you discover that it happened 100 years ago to [Russian novelist] Fyodor Dostoyevsky. This is a great liberation for the suffering, struggling person, who always thinks that he is alone.” In that spirit, Leo, and in accordance with astrological omens, I urge you to track down people who have had pivotal experiences similar to yours, either in the distant or recent past. These days, you need the consoling companionship they can provide. Their influence could be key to liberating you from at least some of your pain.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Poet Octavio Paz described two kinds of distraction. One is “the distraction of the person who is always outside himself, lost in the trivial, senseless, turmoil of everyday life.” The other is “the distraction of the person who withdraws from the world in order to shut himself up in the secret and ever-changing land of his fantasy.” In my astrological opinion, you Virgos should specialize in the latter during the coming weeks. It’s time to reinvigorate your relationship with your deep inner sources. Go in search of the reverent joy that comes from communing with your tantalizing mysteries. Explore the riddles at the core of your destiny.

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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Study Reports Incredible New Numbers For Critically Endangered Grauer’s Gorilla Species

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Good News Network
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Photo credit: Andrew Plumptre, WCS study author

A new study estimated the global population of Grauer’s gorillas—the world’s largest gorilla subspecies–and it reported good news for rangers, nonprofits, and caretakers who have been saving this Critically Endangered animal.

Photo credit: Andrew Plumptre, WCS study author

From a previous global estimate of 3,800 individuals, the number has almost doubled to 6,800 individuals.

This revised estimate comes from recent field surveys conducted in one of this animal’s largest remaining strongholds, an area that was previously inaccessible for surveys in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Led by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), results were published in the American Journal of Primatology.

A previous peer-reviewed paper led by WCS in 2016 showed a decline of almost 80 percent in the population of these gorillas since the last range-wide survey carried out in the mid-1990s. However, due to insecurity in the region, the 2016 estimate did not include data from all areas of the Grauer’s gorilla range.

RELATED: Couple Gives $100 Million to Conservation of 57,000 Square Miles of African Protected Areas

The 2021 population estimate includes new field surveys in the Oku forests and suggest declines were not as great as previously feared. The findings also provide hope for the conservation of Grauer’s gorilla, as populations in the highland sectors of the Kahuzi-Biega National Park have also remained relatively stable over the past 20 years..

“It is a tribute to the courage and dedication of the Congolese biologists who took part,” said the study’s lead author Dr. Andrew Plumptre, Key Biodiversity Area Secretariat hosted by Birdlife International, who conducted the research with WCS.

Additionally, there is good news for chimpanzee populations, which have also held steady over the past twenty years.

POPULAR: Listen to Millions of Monarch Butterflies Make One of the Rarest Sounds on Earth: ‘Just like a waterfall’

“We show that gorillas and chimpanzees are avoiding areas where people are extracting minerals, an occupation that contributes to the insecurity in the region,” said Plumptre.

Grauer’s gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri) are a subspecies of eastern gorilla found only in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and can weigh over 450 pounds (204 kilograms).

The authors say that the results of the study underscore the importance of good forest protection in the region. In 2018, three local community forest concessions comprising a total area of 1,465 square kilometers (565 square miles) were created and attributed to community management in Oku.

Additionally, WCS is working with these communities, the Government’s Nature Conservation Agency, ICCN, and the local NGO Reserve des Gorilles de Punia (RGPu), to create an additional Wildlife Reserve in the Oku forests to secure up to 3,000 square kilometers (1,158 square miles) of forest for gorillas and other flora and fauna in this area.

MORE: Rare Rhino Species Sees Dramatic Population Growth – From Just 100 to 3,700 Today—as Poaching Falls

More than 80 percent of the world’s supply of coltan—used in many electronic devices—is found in the DRC, including much of the Grauer’s gorilla’s prior habitat. The focus of conservation efforts must now be on supporting local community management of the Oku forests to protect gorillas and their habitats.

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Teen Started Painting in Lockdown and is So Good She’s Exhibiting in Galleries, and Getting $10,000 For One Canvas

By
Andy Corbley
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How’s your corona-hobby going?

A 14-year-old in Wales took up painting during lockdown, and is now selling her canvases for thousands of dollars.

Makenzy Beard from the city of Swansea, has garnered international attention for her portraits of human faces cloaked in jubilant smiling visages after her first piece went viral on social media—a portrait of John Tucker, the farmer next door.

“I had some free time on my hands and my mum used to love to paint so we had paints and canvasses and brushes. I thought ‘why not give it a try’ and it escalated from there,” she told the BBC.

For Tucker, it was simply the case that a local lass asked one day to take a photograph of him while he was bringing hay nets down from his truck.

Now he says that all his family thinks it looks exactly like him.

Beard entered the portrait into a competition, and it won a place at the Young Artists’ Summer Show in the Royal Academy of Arts.

 

Fast forward to October, when Blackwater Gallery in Cardiff exhibited some of her other works and reported they had sold several to international buyers from the U.S., UK, and Middle East—one of whom offered her £10,000.

Makenzy’s most recent portrait is of her grandfather, Bernard Davies, and is one of the 6 currently hanging in Blackwater. It’s not for sale, however, as Beard plans to keep it for sentimental reasons. It’s not hard to see why—Mr. Davies is depicted with the most heart-warming and grandfatherly smile one could ever imagine.

 

Her collection, which can be seen on Instagram, consists of workmen and children, mostly the old and the young, in expressions of joy or indifference. They are interspersed with pictures of her other great love—field hockey for Wales.

RELATED: 4-yo Learns Piano in Lockdown, Wins Elite Competition But Can’t Play Carnegie Hall as She’s Too Young for Vaccination

Playing the sport demands most of her time, but she wants to keep painting.

“I don’t think I want to be an artist as a job but I want to have this on the side… as a hobby,” she told the BBC.

If this is the quality of results from a hobby as a teenager, we can’t wait to see what she does with life in her 20s and 30s!

LOOK: Mom Sparks Creative Imagination in Kids With Toys Made From Cardboard Boxes
MORE: Simple 10-Question Word Test Reveals How Creative You Are

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“Do not give way to useless alarm; though it is right to be prepared for the worst, there is no occasion to look on it as certain.” – Jane Austen

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Do not give way to useless alarm; though it is right to be prepared for the worst, there is no occasion to look on it as certain.” – Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice)

Photo: by Alexei Maridashvili

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?

 

To Unravel Earliest History of Our Solar System, NASA’s Lucy Mission Launches Toward Asteroid Swarms Tomorrow

By
Andy Corbley
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NASA

Tomorrow, on October 16th, NASA will launch the Lucy Mission into space—it will set a course for the Trojan Asteroids, with the aim of uncovering the earliest histories of our solar system.

Thought to contain the unused remains of the outer planets, the Trojans sit in two separate clouds called L4 and L5 around the same orbit as Jupiter.

Throughout its twelve-year mission, Lucy will make stops to eight different asteroids to study how, and of what, they are made.

Launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida aboard an Atlas V rocket, Lucy took its name from the fossilized ancestor on Earth that gave us insights into human evolutionary history, which, believe it or not, took its name from the Beatles song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. (The song was reportedly played loudly and repeatedly in the expedition camp all evening after the excavation team’s first day of work recovering the Lucy fossil.)

That piece of trivia was all the more special when Ringo Starr himself sent the Lucy team a special message of congratulations as launch day finally approached.

A historic mission

“Just like the Lucy fossil transformed our understanding of hominid evolution, the Lucy Mission will transform our understanding of Solar System evolution,” said Cathy Olkin, Dep. Principal Investigator on the Lucy team, on a recent interview with Planetary Radio.

No other space mission in history will have been launched to as many different destinations in independent orbits around our sun. Lucy will show us, for the first time, the diversity of the primordial bodies that built the planets nearest us.

NASA

The journey will take place, incredibly, without any thruster engine onboard, using only orbits, a little bit of solar-powered propulsion, but mainly through the use of Earth’s own gravity.

LOOK: NASA Helicopter Sends Stunning Photos of Martian Landscape from 33 Feet Up

There will be two rotations of the Earth that will act like the winding of a sling; a necessity to reach the outer solar system. This maneuver will be replicated a third time as the craft returns to Earth on its way to the second cloud of asteroids as part of its final destination, in total meandering four billion miles over its mission lifespan, utilizing two massive solar-panel wings to keep its instruments going.

A weekend on The Trojans

The Jupiter Trojans, also known as simply the Trojans, are a group of asteroids thought to represent leftover raw materials from the formation of the outer planets of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, or the shattered remains of planetesimals that were caught in the orbit of Jupiter as the gas giant entered its final stage of formation, though the latter theory has been confronted with major problems.

An interesting feature from what we know of the Trojans are that from object to object, their surface composition varies wildly, suggesting they came from different regions of the system and arrived at the orbit where they sit today, potentially due to gravitational attraction by Jupiter and Saturn as they migrated into their current orbits.

“These objects haven’t really changed much from when the planets assembled themselves,” said Hal Levison, Principal Investigator on the Lucy team. “As a result, by studying them we can figure out the physical conditions of the early solar system, as well as how the planets grew and how they moved around early on.”

Little is known about the minerals or materials contained within around 9,000 asteroids greater than 2km across that float in the L5 and L4 Swarms. The largest ones are all named after characters in the Saga of Troy, such as Hektor, Patroclus, Agamemnon, Achilles, and Mentor, which are the five largest.

NASA

Lucy will visit Eurybates and its tiny moonlet Queta in the L5 Swarm, along with Polymele, Leucus, and Orus (if anyone is wondering where they’re getting all these names, just check out Book 2 Line 7 of The Iliad) before crossing back across the solar system to the L4 Swarm and visiting Patroclus, which at 60 miles in diameter is the third-largest of all the Trojans, and its binary object Menoetius.

MORE: NASA Measures Interior of Mars for the First time, Revealing Huge Liquid Core

To study and photograph the Trojans, Lucy is bringing a spectrometer, which generates images of different colors based on what molecules the photographed object is made of—a powerful black and white camera like the one found on the Hubble Space Telescope, and a thermal imager.

For the super-space enthusiasts, early birds, or those at much later time zones, a live-stream on the NASA website of the Lucy launch will begin streaming at 5:AM EST.

Humanity will have to sit tight until the election cycle after next kicks up before pictures of Lucy’s quarry begin to arrive back home, but fortunately there will be dozens of other missions and discoveries to keep us occupied by then, not least from Perseverance and the soon-to-launch James Webb Space Telescope.

(WATCH the video for this story below.)

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New Study of ‘MIND’ Diet Shows It May Improve Memory and Thinking Skills in Old Age

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Good News Network
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G. steph rocket

Aging takes a toll on the body and on the mind. For example, the tissue of aging human brains sometimes develops abnormal clumps of proteins that are the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. How can you protect your brain from these effects?

Researchers at Rush University Medical Center have found that older adults may benefit from a specific diet called the MIND diet even when they develop these protein deposits, known as amyloid plaques and tangles. Plaques and tangles are a pathology found in the brain that build up in between nerve cells and typically interfere with thinking and problem-solving skills.

Developed by the late Martha Clare Morris, ScD, who was a Rush nutritional epidemiologist, and her colleagues, the MIND diet is a hybrid of the Mediterranean and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets. Previous research studies have found that the MIND diet may reduce a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease dementia.

Now a study has shown that participants in the study who followed the MIND diet moderately later in life did not have cognition problems.

“Some people have enough plaques and tangles in their brains to have a postmortem diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, but they do not develop clinical dementia in their lifetime,” said Klodian Dhana, MD, PhD, lead author of the paper and an assistant professor in the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine at Rush Medical College.

MORE: If You Have Someone to Talk to, it Could Stave Off Alzheimer’s, Researchers Find

“Some have the ability to maintain cognitive function despite the accumulation of these pathologies in the brain, and our study suggests that the MIND diet is associated with better cognitive functions independently of brain pathologies related to Alzheimer’s disease.

Better brain functioning

In this study, the researchers examined the associations of diet—from the start of the study until death—brain pathologies and cognitive functioning in older adults who participated in the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center’s ongoing Memory and Aging Project, which began in 1997 and includes people living in greater Chicago. The participants were mostly white without known dementia, and all of them agreed to undergo annual clinical evaluations while alive and brain autopsy after their death.

CHECK OUT: New Alzheimer’s Treatment Shows Real Promise in Slowing Cognition Decline Using Antibody in Human Trials

The researchers followed 569 participants, who were asked to complete annual evaluations and cognitive tests to see if they had developed memory and thinking problems. Beginning in 2004, participants were given an annual food frequency questionnaire about how often they ate 144 food items in previous year.

Using the questionnaire answers, the researchers gave each participant a MIND diet score based on how often the participants ate specific foods. The MIND diet has 15 dietary components, including 10 “brain-healthy food groups” and five unhealthy groups—red meat, butter and stick margarine, cheese, pastries and sweets, and fried or fast food.

Scientists have been studying the MIND diet for years, as GNN has explored in previous stories.

To adhere to and benefit from the diet, a person would need to eat at least three servings of whole grains, a green leafy vegetable and one other vegetable every day—along with a glass of wine—snack most days on nuts, have beans every other day or so, eat poultry and berries at least twice a week and fish at least once a week. A person also must limit intake of the designated unhealthy foods, limiting butter to less than 1 1/2 teaspoons a day and eating less than a serving a week of sweets and pastries, whole fat cheese, and fried or fast food.

G. steph rocket

Based on the frequency of intake reported for the healthy and unhealthy food groups, the researchers calculated the MIND diet score for each participant across the study period—the results of which were published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. An average of the MIND diet score from the start of the study until the participant’s death was used in the analysis to limit measurement error. Seven sensitivity measures were calculated to confirm accuracy of the findings.

RELATED: Dementia Cases Have Declined by 13% in US and Europe Every Decade Since 1988, Researchers Found

“We found that a higher MIND diet score was associated with better memory and thinking skills independently of Alzheimer’s disease pathology and other common age-related brain pathologies. The diet seemed to have a protective capacity and may contribute to cognitive resilience in the elderly,” Dhana said.

“Diet changes can impact cognitive functioning and risk of dementia, for better or worse,” he continued. “There are fairly simple diet and lifestyle changes a person could make that may help to slow cognitive decline with aging, and contribute to brain health.”

Source: Rush University Medical Center

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Historic Microsoft Decision Allows Easier Repair of Devices After Shareholders Pressure to Be More Responsible

By
Andy Corbley
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Microsoft has agreed to take long hard look at reforming their spare parts and technical support branches to make it more easy for their customers to repair Microsoft products at home.

The move is being described as a “first of its kind victory,” as Microsoft becomes the only major company to bow to the whims of a shareholder resolution regarding the “right-to-repair,” a consumer-driven movement in reaction to many products, from cars to coffee makers, gradually becoming less-accessible to at-home repairs.

Lodged by the non-profit organization As You Sow, the shareholder resolution stated: “Microsoft is a corporate leader in pledging to take substantial action to reduce climate emissions; yet our Company actively restricts consumer access to device reparability, undermining our sustainability commitments by failing to recognize a fundamental principal of electronics sustainability: that overall device environmental impact is principally determined by the length of its useful lifetime.”

Consumer electronic waste is contributing an enormous amount of non-recyclable material into landfills, and a principal driver of that can be summed up by the image of your dad pulling up the hood on a car made in the ’90s, compared to the image of the engine block on your own car today: a hand holding a wrench could reach any component in the former, while in the latter almost nothing can be accessed.

Companies like Apple pioneered telecommunication products that by design were nearly impossible to maintain or repair alone, and Microsoft is largely onboard with that production angle.

MORE: Company Embodies ‘Right to Repair’ By Redesigning Auto Parts That Constantly Fail—And Selling Them Cheaper

Research has shown that most of the emissions associated with the life-cycle of something like a smartphone comes during the production.

E-Waste Monitor finds that expensive or unaccommodating repair processes, short life-cycles, and lower prices, incentivize consumers to save precious time by simply buying a replacement rather than repairing existing items.

After getting the shareholders on board, As You Sow got Microsoft to pledge to hire an independent investigation to study the effects of its restrictive repair policy on e-waste and sustainability, and to make new parts and documentation available beyond its authorized repair network by the end of 2022, in alignment with the report’s findings.

Microsoft responded to a request for comment by Grist, who reported on the resolution, saying “As You Sow asked us to investigate the connections between our sustainability commitments and device reparability. It was a productive discussion, and we have agreed to undertake that important study, the results of which will be used to guide our product design and plans for expanding device repair options for our customers.”

RELATED: EU Approves Groundbreaking New ‘Right to Repair’ Laws Requiring Appliances to Be Easier to Fix

There’s a lot more than just preventing e-waste and emissions inherent in the right-to-repair, it allows young consumers to build life or trade skills and gives them a sense of responsibility. It can help low-income earners save money, and it allows for knowledgeable consumers to customize or alter products to suit their needs.

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Amur Tigers Are Back From the Brink in China – Thanks to Government Policies

By
Andy Corbley
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Tony Hisget, CC license
Tony Hisget, CC license

If you have a population of the world’s most endangered tiger in your country, what’s the best way to ensure your grandchildren can see them in the wild? Creating a national park twice the size of Yellowstone is a great place to start.

That’s what China did, and it worked. Recent population censuses on the critically-endangered Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), which included camera trap footage, have shown 55 individuals prowl the four forested nature reserves in the country’s frigid northeast.

In 2016, with Amur tiger and leopard numbers nail-bitingly low, China established the Northeast Tiger Leopard National Park, the largest tiger reserve on Earth at 5,800 square miles (15,000 square kilometers).

Population surveys from 2013-2018 which included the area within the park and other nearby reserves estimated that the northeast of China could sustain a population of 310 tigers. Huge ranges of unbroken habitat are, unfortunately, necessary to sustain large cold-weather cats. But the researchers note that based on the steps already taken by the government, such a goal is achievable.

It would have been a mighty strange thing for China to exist without the tiger. They have a “year of the tiger.” The tiger has been depicted repeatedly in embroidery, porcelain, imperial sculpture, and painting for thousands of years. One of the many animal forms of Kung Fu is tiger. As a cultural icon, protections afforded to the tiger have the added benefit of protecting much larger ecosystems containing animals that don’t necessarily need as much space as the majestic cats.

The northeast of China has been dominated by heavy industry for decades, but shifts away from coal and timber harvesting is starting to change the land-use and demographics of the region.

RELATED: First Galápagos Study of Pink Iguanas Reveal New Details – And Rangers Believe They Can Be Saved

Increased availability of prey species, a recommendation made by the surveyors, could be another positive knock-on effect of increased tiger conservation in China, and would not only bolster the natural processes of the ecosystem, providing food for tigers, leopards and carrion birds, but also help to create greater natural stability, as a forest bereft of herbivores is impeded from its optimal health.

Furthermore, the greater the numbers of game species for the tigers, the few cattle and dogs they will eat, a problem that has hindered their recovery in some regions.

“Persistent efforts to protect tigers have paid off,” Dale Miquelle, director of the Wildlife Conservation Society in Russia, another nation that has facilitated an Amur tiger rebound, told Mongabay. “Change has not come quickly, but there has been slow, steady progress, and we see there are great opportunities for even more recovery.”

MORE: Rare Rhino Species Sees Dramatic Population Growth – From Just 100 to 3,700 Today – as Poaching Falls

Next year will be the Chinese Year of the Tiger, and world efforts to double the number of tigers in the wild came quite close to succeeding, with China, India, Nepal, Russia, even Myanmar and Malaysia, all experiencing growth in the number of tigers. Over a ten-year period, Russia’s policies led to a 100-cat growth in the numbers of Amur tigers in their far-eastern region.

The “TX2” Initiative was described as the most ambitious conservation project ever undertaken, and while 6,000 tigers proved to be overly ambitious, million of acres of habitat were created, and populations grew by 1,000 tigers or more during the decade.

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New Hydrogel Tablet That Can Purify a Liter of River Water in an Hour

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Good News Network
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As much as a third of the world’s population does not have access to clean drinking water, according to some estimates, and half of the population could live in water-stressed areas by 2025. Finding a solution to this problem could save and improve lives for millions of people, and it is a high priority among scientists and engineers around the globe.

Scientists and engineers at The University of Texas at Austin have created a hydrogel tablet that can rapidly purify contaminated water. One tablet can disinfect a liter of river water and make it suitable for drinking in an hour or less.

“Our multifunctional hydrogel can make a big difference in mitigating global water scarcity because it is easy to use, highly efficient and potentially scalable up to mass production,” said Guihua Yu, an associate professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering’s Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering and Texas Materials Institute.

Today, the primary way to purify water is to boil or pasteurize it. But that takes energy, plus a lot of time and work. That isn’t practical for people in parts of the world without the resources for these processes.

The special hydrogels generate hydrogen peroxide to neutralize bacteria at an efficiency rate of more than 99.999%. The hydrogen peroxide works with activated carbon particles to attack essential cell components of bacteria and disrupt their metabolism.

RELATED: Hydration May Be the Recipe for Happiness: This Poll Reflects Benefits, The More Water You Drink

The process requires zero energy input and doesn’t create harmful byproducts. The hydrogels can easily be removed, and they don’t leave any residue.

In addition to purifying water on their own, the hydrogels could also improve a process that has been around for thousands of years—solar distillation, the use of sunlight to separate water from harmful contaminants via vaporization.

University of Texas at Austin

Solar distillation systems often run into issues of biofouling, the accumulation of microorganisms on equipment that causes it to malfunction. The bacteria-killing hydrogels can prevent this from happening.

“A highly vigilant graduate student, Youhong Guo, discovered these hydrogels unexpectedly while doing something else, that is purification of water with sunlight,” said Keith Johnston, a professor in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering who co-led the project.

MORE: Researchers Use Wastewater to Generate Electricity – While Cleaning It Up

The team—whose work was published in the journal Advanced Materials—is working to improve the hydrogels by increasing the different types of pathogens and viruses in water that they can neutralize. And the team is also in the process of commercializing several prototypes.

Scaling up the hydrogels would be straightforward, the researchers say. Materials for making them are inexpensive, and the synthesis processes are simple and remain that way at large scales. And they can easily control the shape and size of the hydrogels, making them flexible for different types of uses.

Source: University of Texas at Austin

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“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” – Arthur C. Clarke

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” – Arthur C. Clarke

Photo: by Ramón Salinero

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 Adorable Moment a Loving Son Sees Entire London Train Sing Happy Birthday to his Mom

By
Good News Network
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SWNS
SWNS

A loving son surprised his mom on her 64th birthday by getting the entire carriage on the London underground to join him in singing Happy Birthday.

Rob Burke and his girlfriend Cat were traveling with his mother Jackie on the Bakerloo line as they headed out to celebrate her birthday.

He decided to give his mother a sweet, yet slightly embarrassing, surprise by announcing to the carriage it was her big day and asking the passengers to sing to her.

The other passengers were more than happy to oblige and erupt into song.

Rob said, “I wanted to embarrass my mom and catch it on camera. My girlfriend Cat suggested it when we were walking onto the train carriage.

MORE: Restaurant Makes Special Chocolate For Blind Customer With Birthday Message in Braille 

“It was just an impromptu singalong.”

“You can tell by her face she wasn’t too keen on me announcing her age to everyone but she loved it really.

RELATED: Three Friends Celebrate Their 100th Birthdays Together

“There have been loads of really kind comments on TikTok saying how good she looks for 64, so that helped get me out of the doghouse.“

(WATCH the fun video below…)

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Eating Mushrooms Could Lower Risk of Depression, New Study Says

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Good News Network
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Oyster muhsrooms grown in coffee grounds, phạm Lộc

Mushrooms have been making headlines due to their many health advantages. Not only do they lower one’s risk of cancer and premature death, but new research led by Penn State College of Medicine also reveals that these superfoods may benefit a person’s mental health.

Penn State researchers used data on diet and mental health collected from more than 24,000 U.S. adults between 2005 and 2016. They found that people who ate mushrooms had lower odds of having depression.

According to the researchers, mushrooms contain ergothioneine, an antioxidant that may protect against cell and tissue damage in the body. Studies have shown that antioxidants help prevent several mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression.

“Mushrooms are the highest dietary source of the amino acid ergothioneine—an anti-inflammatory which cannot be synthesized by humans,” said lead researcher Djibril Ba, who recently graduated from the epidemiology doctoral program at the College of Medicine. “Having high levels of this may lower the risk of oxidative stress, which could also reduce the symptoms of depression.”

White button mushrooms, which are the most commonly consumed mushroom variety in the U.S., contain potassium, which is believed to lower anxiety. In addition, certain other species of edible mushrooms, especially Hericium erinaceus, also known as Lion’s Mane, may stimulate the expression of neurotrophic factors such as nerve growth factor synthesis, which could have an impact on preventing neuropsychiatric disorders including depression.

MORE: The Myriad of Massive Health Benefits in 6 Different Kinds of Mushrooms

According to the researchers, college-educated, non-Hispanic white women were more likely to eat mushrooms. The average age of surveyed participants was 45, and the majority (66%) were non-Hispanic white people. The investigators observed a significant association between mushroom consumption and lower odds of depression after accounting for socio-demographics, major risk factors, self-reported diseases, medications, and other dietary factors. They said, however, that there was no clear additional benefit with relatively high mushroom intake.

“The study adds to the growing list of possible health benefits of eating mushrooms,” said Joshua Muscat, a Penn State Cancer Institute researcher and professor of public health sciences.

The team conducted a secondary analysis to see if the risk of depression could be lowered by replacing a serving of red or processed meat with a serving of mushrooms each day. However, findings show that this substitution was not associated with lower odds of depression.

RELATED: Slimming and Healthful: Benefits of New ‘Green’ Mediterranean Diet Revealed in Study

The researchers noted some limitations that could be addressed in future studies. The data did not provide details on the types of mushrooms. As a result, the researchers could not determine the effects of specific types of mushrooms on depression. Food codes issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture were used to determine mushroom intake; therefore, some entries may have been misclassified or inaccurately recorded.

Prior to this research—published in Journal of Affective Disorders—there have been few studies to examine the association between mushroom consumption and depression, and the majority have been clinical trials with fewer than 100 participants. The researchers said this study highlights the potential clinical and public health importance of mushroom consumption as a means of reducing depression and preventing other diseases. See you in the grocery aisle—or the nearest foraging patch?

Source: Penn State

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On Their 77th Anniversary, Iowa Couple Finally Gets to Take Their Wedding Photos

By
Judy Cole
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St. Croix Hospice
Hilary Michelson/Hilary Michelson/St. Croix Hospice

The bride is 97. The groom is 98. The couple has been married for 77 years, and thanks to some very special folks who helped them celebrate their recent anniversary, they were finally treated to some very special wedding memories they missed out on all those years ago.

The Kings have become like family to the staff of the St. Croix Hospice who serve as caretakers for the elderly pair in their Oelwein, Iowa home. With a big anniversary coming up, their caregivers wanted to do something special to commemorate the occasion—and knowing something of the couple’s history, they came up with a perfect plan.

When Frankie and Royce King took their vows on September 16, 1944, the world was a very different place. America and its allies were steadfastly battling the Axis Powers as World War II dragged on.  Royce was in the U.S. Air Force awaiting final orders to ship out, but before he was deployed overseas, he and his high school sweetheart, Frankie, were determined to take their vows.

The simple church ceremony was small and no-frills. Rather than a lace gown, Frankie wore a suit.

There was no photographer on hand to record the vows.

Two days later, Royce was on his way to take up duties as a carrier pilot with a regular flight path that took him over the Himalayas.

What Frankie and Royce’s wedding lacked in splendor, their life together has more than made up for. Two kids, four grandkids, and several great-grandkids later, the Kings’ marriage is still going strong.

The love they share with each other is something that’s only rivaled by the kindness they’ve spent a lifetime spreading throughout their community.

Sue Bilodeau

For the anniversary festivities, the St. Croix crew pulled out all the stops. As one staff member played Big-Band era tunes on his sax and another snapped photo upon photo, Frankie, garbed in a lovely 1940s-era wedding gown and a brand-new ’do, was led through a flower-covered archway to where Royce, in full Air Force uniform, awaited her.

Hilary Michelson/Hilary Michelson/St. Croix Hospice

By the time the three-tiered wedding cake was served, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

RELATED: 94-Year-old Grandmother Wears Dream Wedding Dress, 70 Years After Being Denied Entry to Bridal Shop

“Absolutely no shame in the fact that I had a hard time keeping it together behind the lens,” photographer Hilary Michelson posted to Facebook. “I work for St. Croix Hospice full-time while doing photography on the side. I am passionate about both of my jobs and it made my heart so incredibly full to see them intertwined last week.”

Hilary Michelson/Hilary Michelson/St. Croix Hospice

The Kings’ daughter, Sue Bilodeau, who was on hand to help her parents celebrate is now putting together a photo album of cherished memories for them. “It was definitely one of the most special things ever,” she told The Washington Post. “When Mom mentioned she didn’t have time to plan a big wedding and didn’t have a photographer, the St. Croix staff members worked together to make sure they could get their special day.”

MORE: Watch Photographer Stumble Onto Sunset Marriage Proposal and Excitedly Give Amazing Pics to the Couple

For anyone who doesn’t believe true love can last a lifetime, Bilodeau says they only have to look to the example set by parents to be proved wrong. As she told the Post, “Together they demonstrate that a great love takes kindness and perseverance.”

Hilary Michelson/Hilary Michelson/St. Croix Hospice

And if that doesn’t convince them, the pictures are worth a thousand words—and then some.

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Startup Rethinks Self-Storage: Using Abandoned Offices and Restaurants to Store Your ‘Stuf’

By
Andy Corbley
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Stuf
Stuf

Rather than build depressing warehouses outside of town, a company is rethinking self-storage by flipping buildings shuttered during the pandemic into miniature storage spaces.

In this way the startup, called Stuf, is turning one industry’s problem into another’s solution, offering the landlords of dozens of empty offices, stores, and other buildings a way to utilize empty real estate and avoid dead-weight losses.

The legendary comedian George Carlin once said in an iconic bit, “I’m just tryna’ find a place for my stuff—you know how important that is—that’s the whole meaning of life isn’t? Trying to find a place for your stuff.”

He would go on to comment” “Imagine that, there’s a whole industry based on keeping an eye on your stuff.”

Well that industry, according to reports from Fast Company, is ready to grow past the $100 billion mark over the next half-decade.

Stuf has locations in LA, San Francisco, Oakland, and NYC, with plans to expand to Boston, Chicago, and D.C. They take over empty buildings, like garage space, offices, basements, and install largely automated steel storage units in as little as three weeks.

Their first such building in Brooklyn was a 1,500 square foot restaurant that played host to several failed concepts. The largely windowless brick storefront was painted over with a colorful mural, and within five months was at 90% capacity. In August they opened their second location in San Francisco, at ten-times the space.

“It’s really a different model than traditional self-storage operators, who typically will buy land, [and] do ground-up development,” said the founder and CEO Katharine Lau, in an interview with Yahoo Finance.

MORE: 16-Year-Old Boy Buys Confiscated Storage Units to Help Owners Recover Family Treasures

“It’ll take years to get up and running, whereas we can get up and running in a matter of weeks. So we’re excited to turn these basements, these garages that currently generate $0 into a thriving business and share that with landlord partners.”

During this years-long period of 0-1% interested rates, the borrowing costs for real estate developers has remained ultra-low. When the pandemic arrived, real estate prices began to climb, even as offices closed down and never reopened as managers discovered the cost savings of telecommuting.

The last time such an malinvestment bubble burst it was 2006-07, and it was so large it blew out real estate markets in other countries as well. In addition to giving customers in major cities access to storage within walking distance of their house, Stuf is offering a soft-landing to some over-burdened landlords.

It’s maybe no surprise then that Stuf already has 40 deals waiting to be closed for sites across the country.

Stuf

“Before Stuf moved in, our basement was underutilized,” states Westlake Realty Asset Manager, Jeffrey Bak. “Now our building has tech-enabled storage that is both welcoming and easy to access, and our tenants are actually using it via Stuf. We believe this is a new and unique amenity that office owners will benefit greatly from.”

LOOK: The ‘World’s Longest’ 3D-Printed Concrete Bridge Erected in The Netherlands

It’s not all about pandemic-induced opportunity. Lau, who has already had a career as an asset manager and investment analyst at Prudential, has an admitted fascination with empty or under-utilized space.

“Many spaces that we’ve looked at have been vacant for years, if not decades,” she told Fast Company. “These are spaces that I’ve been looking at for 10 or 15 years and have been kind of obsessed with. So I finally did something about it.”

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