Just as the quarantine was starting to drag down Angela Elsey, she noticed a hummingbird nest right outside her kitchen window and was able to watch the babies grow from eggs to hatchlings—being fed by their mom—and then leave the nest as fledglings.
Normally, the San Jose, California woman enjoys interacting with human newborns—as a volunteer in the neo-natal intensive care unit at Good Samaritan hospital.
Her “cuddlers group” has not been able to volunteer for a couple of months now, so Angela began eagerly sending periodic video updates of the cute and teeny baby hummingbirds so they could get their “tiny baby fix”.
“We were all missing the preemies—and a lot of the cuddlers wrote to say how much they enjoyed seeing the hummingbird babies. One woman wrote, ‘Can we come to your house to cuddle your baby birds?’ and it was hard to resist the temptation!”
In this video, the mama is feeding hatchlings that are a few weeks old. The nest opening is about the size of a quarter.
– Angela Elsey
Angela referred to the hatchlings as “the twins”—and even named them.
“I named the babies after the characters Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth in the Jane Austen novel Persuasion.”
“Watching them was a break from worrying about the current situation, since they were oblivious to the pandemic raging around them. And it was such a joy to see those little eggs, then those tiny babies and watch them grow.”
(WATCH the video below…)
SEND These Hummingbirds to Fly From One Social Media Friend to Another…
For most restaurant owners, such a discovery would feel like bad times getting worse.
In the midst of the pandemic which has cost them so much business, Marco’s Pizza shop in The Colony, Texas, was robbed, along with several other businesses in that community on April 19.
Based on surveillance from security cameras (see below), the burglars appeared to be amateur, fumbling through drawers for five minutes, and even trying to open the safe using a pizza spatula.
The pair of would-be thieves walked away almost empty handed, because there wasn’t much in the store to begin with.
Owner Chamal Kahanawita took it as a reminder of the desperate times we are living in and decided to do something to help. He posted a compassionate message Facebook:
“In the coming months, if you find yourself in a situation unable to put food on the table, please stop by our store. There is no need to be shy or embarrassed. Just speak with the manager and quietly let us know you’ve seen this post. We will make sure your family gets a meal.”
Facebook
“WE are here because of our community and these are very challenging times for all of us. We will do our best to help for as long as we can. Please feel free to share this post so that those who really need our help may see it.”
The post generated an outpouring of support from the community and beyond.
“LOVING THIS ALL THE WAY FROM MEMPHIS!” said Catherine McCraw-Smith, “What a beautiful way to take this and change it for the good.”
Malory Michelle Mudd said “I love this response so much…a terrible situation where you can still empathize with those who have done wrong. This level of compassion is what we truly need. I’ve honestly never eaten at Marco’s but this week I certainly will!”
Marco’s is a counter-serve pizza chain with locations throughout the United States. At The Colony location, about 30 miles from Dallas, the dining area is shut down, but Chamal’s team is currently serving pizzas for delivery and curbside pickup. They also make a variety of subs, salads, and desserts.
SHARE the Inspiring Compassion With Your Community on Social Media…
This is just one of many positive stories and updates that are coming out of the COVID-19 news coverage this week. For more uplifting coverage on the outbreaks, click here.
In a first for any month, renewables from solar, wind, and hydropower generated more electricity than coal on every day in April 2020, according to new data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
This impressive stretch actually began on March 25, when utility-scale solar, wind and hydro collectively produced more than coal-fired generation, and has continued for at least 40 straight days through May 3, the EIA’s Hourly Electric Grid Monitor shows.
These figures are even more remarkable when compared to renewables in 2019, when they only beat coal on 38 days all year.
Last April had a total of 19 days when this happened—the most of any month in 2019—with the longest continuous stretch lasting just nine days.
The transition away from coal for electricity generation has accelerated in 2020 due to a number of factors, particularly low gas prices, warmer weather, a significant amount of new renewable capacity connecting to the grid late last year, and more recently, lower power demand from the economic slowdown because of the coronavirus.
The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) had forecasted that power generation from renewables would likely surpass coal-fired generation only next year, in 2021—and there is an increasing chance that another milestone could occur this year.
Courtesy of IEEFA
Coal’s high cost has made it increasingly one of the last fuel choices for many utilities, a trend reflected by its declining market share for electric generation: just 15.3% in April, according to preliminary EIA figures.
In January, coal’s market share fell below 20 percent for the first time in many decades—and possibly for the first time in the entire history of the U.S. power industry—ending at 19.9%.
EIA figures also show its share continued to erode, falling to 18.3% in February and 17.3% in March. As recently as 2008, coal’s market share was above 50 percent in the months of January, February and March.
Across the paved streets of the UK and France, sidewalk chalk is beginning to be employed by more than just children as rebel botanists regularly break street-chalking laws to write the names of wild plants and flowers growing through cracks in the cement.
Beginning in France—and leading to a campaign called More Than Weeds in London—this act of highlighting the names of wildflowers and other plants has drawn significant attention on social media, where images and videos are racking up hundreds of thousands of fans.
In one video viewed 7 million times from the French website Brut, Boris Presseq, a botanist at the Toulouse Museum of Natural History, walks around his city chalking the names of the plants he finds on sidewalks and walls to help raise awareness of the diversity and richness of plant citizens in the heart of the southern French city.
“I wanted to raise awareness of the presence, knowledge and respect of these wild plants on sidewalks. People who had never taken the time to observe these plants now tell me their view has changed. Schools have contacted me since to work with students on nature in the city,” Presseq told the Guardian.
In one of those “every day you break 3 laws you didn’t know existed” moments, it is illegal to use sidewalk chalk on public pavement without permission for any reason. However, no one in London, Cambridge, or Hackney seems to mind the graffiti, with one selection of identified plants posted by a London resident on Twitter receiving over 100k likes.
Tweet by Elizabeth Archer
Weeds Do More Than Grow
Botanical chalking is a sign of changing attitudes towards plants in English cities. In 2018, the Hackney town council reduced the amount of glyphosate used to control weeds by 50%, and last year trialed a glyphosate-free area to promote biodiversity and see if it was possible to maintain a high standard of sidewalk maintenance without the use of chemical herbicides.
Glyphosate is an ingredient present in many popular industrial and commercial herbicides that the International Agency for Research on Cancer has labeled a probable carcinogen.
Hundreds of insects species are deprived of food when glyphosate is used as an herbicide, which means hundreds of plant species nearby go without the needed pollinators. Critically, many species of plants considered weeds, such as dandelions which can thrive in urban environments actually provide more pollen—and human food—per flower than other, wilder species, according to a study which looked at 65 plants across six UK cities. They found that weed species occupied the top five spots for nectar sugar produced and two spots in the top ten for pollen production.
Boris Presseq with students naming Portulacca on French street
“Every flower counts and will be targeted by pollinators […]If we change our perceptions and see the dandelion flower for what it is – an absolute lifeline to our bees in early spring – we might learn to love them more.” said UK Plantlife Spokesperson Trevor Dines speaking to the Guardian.
“One survey of pavements in Sheffield found 183 different plants, another in Cambridge found 186 species on walls. All these little micro niches build up to a wonderfully complex tapestry,” he added.
Being able to see and identify a plant is important for a person to build an awareness or appreciation for plant life in the city. People who don’t understand the name or function of a particular plant in an ecosystem like their yard are less-likely to be interested in them, just as they would if they were watching a sporting event without knowing the names or roles of any of the players.
“Botanical chalking gives a quick blast of nature connection, as the words encourage you to look up and notice the tree above you, the leaves, the bark, the insects, the sky. And that’s all good for mental health,” said one of the lawless, chalk-armed English botanical enthusiasts who spoke to the Guardian under conditions of anonymity in order to avoid fines up to £2,500 for graffiti.
“It’s brought me a great amount of joy,” they added.
Quote of the Day: “If the darkness is to keep us apart, and if the daylight feels like it’s a long way off, and if your glass heart should crack, before the second you turn back, be strong.” – Bono (turns 60 today)
Photo: by Ravi Sharma, public domain, cropped
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
“There is a beauty in solitude and in connection to nature that people in the city often miss,” says Chris Precht, founder of Austrian design company Studio Precht.
His firm is behind a new idea for helping metropolitan parks and green spaces stay open during COVID-19 social distancing measures.
The concept for Vienna is called “Park de la Distance” and would guide visitors seeking the relief of green urban space through a 20-minute walk through a maze-like structure of spirals.
Parallel lanes of hedgerows lead each person on a walk through an enclosed natural world, occasionally opening up into broader views of gardens, all while keeping effective social distancing measures in place.
“There is something fundamental in spirals,” wrote Precht in an email to Fast Company. “A path to the center. A path to your inner self.”
Many cities worldwide are closing public parks for fears of overcrowding, as citizens worried about COVID-19 are all seeking relief. In this park, gates at each end of the maze’s paths could be closed to maintain a certain number of people walking at once. The total duration of the walk is about 20 minutes.
According to Fast Company, Precht lives and works in the remote Austrian Alps, and is bringing a personal touch to the prospect of natural relief during challenging times.
“There is a beauty in solitude and in connection to nature that people in the city often miss,” he wrote.
She streams video games like Call Of Duty from the basement where she lives every day—which at first sounds like the story of a young gamer going too far. The twist is that Michelle Statham is actually a grandmother living in her kid’s basement.
But don’t call her Mrs. Statham or even Michelle. Instead, use her screen name, TacticalGramma—or just ‘Gramma’.
Statham started streaming online five months ago but already she is a gaming content creator who is filling a void: Every day she listens to visitors who are struggling.
Game streaming is a social format in which content creators like TacticalGramma broadcast live video of the game they are playing. Public forums like Facebook are platforms that allow virtual strangers to tune in—and join in.
The viewer can see the gamer’s face and interact with them, yet remain anonymous. This position of obscurity allows visitors to talk and post a comment while remaining nameless if they want.
TacticalGramma’s viewers come from all walks of life. Many face challenges brought on by COVID 19, while others are a single parent, or dealing with challenges at school or work. In the end, each person she speaks with receives comfort and advice. Someone who calms their fears in a way that only a grandma can do.
“She has been helping so many people, from young single moms to college students to inner city youth,” her husband Shawn told GNN. “She listens and cares for each of these people—all while playing video games.”
Such outcomes are possible when gamers feel they can let down their guard in a safe place. It’s an opportunity to trust—a relationship of support and understanding that can change lives.
What sets Statham apart is not only her age — she’s 55 and has one grandchild — but her skill. Back in the 70s she played instant classics like Pong and Atari. Statham quickly adapted to the evolution of each new gaming platform. Later she became an avid fan of first-person shooter games like Call of Duty and Apex.
“I’m definitely not the best at gaming or anything, but I love chatting with the community, and I love to play,” she explained to ‘Chuck’, a new fan who wanted to donate to her Paypal account.
TacticalGramma FB page
Enjoying games was easier than becoming an online personality. It took years of urging from her children before Statham began streaming. Five months ago she relented and logged in under the username TacticalGramma.
Since then, thousands from around the world have tuned in to watch her play (on her Facebook page Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. PST). But instead of only watching, her viewers began to interact and build a connection. They can even buy personalized gear with her TacticalGramma logo.
Video games often make headlines when violence and controversy are the topic, and most people would never imagine something so positive coming from first-person shooter games. But the story of TacticalGramma reveals a positive example that levels up the entire genre.
LISTEN to this Good News Guru story, which was broadcast on the radio May 25th with Ellen K and Geri on KOST-103.5. (Subscribe to our new podcast on iTunes – or for Androids, on Podbean) — or READ the story below…
The parents who adopted Bruce Hollywood, long ago, urged him to track down his Japanese birth mother, even offering to pay his plane fare, but he never became interested until he had a heart attack, when he was lying in an ambulance and realized he regretted never reaching out to her.
Once he had recovered, he began searching for the woman who had given him up for adoption to an American military couple stationed in Japan in 1960. He called the Japanese and American Embassy with no luck. He then hired a private investigator – but still, nothing.
But the former Air Force colonel found himself sitting next to another Army man at an airport wine bar one day. They struck up a conversation and when Hollywood mentioned his unsuccessful search, the man offered to help.
With low expectations, Hollywood gave the man all of the information that he had collected – and ten days later, he got a call from the Japanese embassy.
Hollywood told The Washington Post that the spokesperson on the phone said: “‘Colonel Hollywood, we’re really pleased to tell you that we found your mother… She’s going to call you at this phone number in 10 minutes, and she doesn’t speak English. Good luck!’”
After finding an interpreter for the phone call, Hollywood finally got to speak to his mother, Nobue Ouchi, who was crying with joy. He was stunned by her love after 45 years of separation.
As they talked, overwhelmed with emotion, the interpreter told Hollywood: “Well, tomorrow is your mother’s 65th birthday, and the birthday present that she dreamed of her whole life is that you would come back to her.”
He learned that it was she who had given him the name Bruce. They starting flying back and forth, learning each others’ languages, and over several years became very close.
He visited the bar and restaurant she had owned for decades in Shizuoka, Japan – and found out she had named it “Bruce.”
She also gave her son a slip of paper with his birth father’s name on it, and with that information Bruce was able to meet a new older brother who responded warmly to the outreach, saying he’d “always wanted a sibling.”
But, by far, the best moment of all must have been during that first call when the interpreter told Bruce that his mother never married because, she said, “in her heart there was only room for one man—and it was you, and she knew you would be back.”
Share This Sweet Story With Every Mother and Son – Photo by Bruce Hollywood
Though it’s difficult for food banks to stock this item, nutrient-dense milk is one of the most-often requested items. Now, in these critical times, the Kroger grocery store chain has ramped-up its Dairy Rescue Program, one that takes donated excess raw milk normally sold to restaurants or hotels, which is now going to waste, and pays for the packaging and processing in order to provide a nutritious food source for communities in need.
The effort also helps support dairy farmers struggling to find enough demand for their supply—especially now that schools are closed.
In partnership with its dairy cooperative, with suppliers and farmers across the Midwest and South, Kroger will use its facilities in Texas, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio to process and donate about 200,000 gallons of additional milk to Feeding America food banks and community organizations through the end of August.
“Kroger recognizes the growing need for fresh, highly nutritious food in our community, especially for children, as schools remain closed to flatten the curve during the pandemic,” said Erin Sharp, Kroger’s group vice president of manufacturing.
“At a time when dairy farmers have surplus raw milk, we’re doubling down on our mission to reduce hunger and waste.”
Through the expanded program, Kroger’s dairy processing plants and suppliers will be donating an additional 50,000 gallons of milk per month to local food banks and community organizations. Feeding America member food banks and other partners will help Kroger to transport the gallons and half-gallons to local hunger relief agencies.
“With so many families struggling with unemployment and food insecurity today, providing access to fresh, nutrient-rich milk has never been more important,” said Blake Thompson, chief supply chain officer, Feeding America. “Kroger’s Dairy Rescue Program is keeping America’s farmers productive, avoiding unnecessary food waste, and helping families in need.”
Some dairy farmers are struggling as demand for milk in America gradually decreases, with alternatives like oat, rice, coconut, almond, cashew, and soy milks are taking huge chunks out of the milk market share.
“Kroger’s Dairy Rescue Program is an invaluable resource for the dairy industry during this crisis and beyond,” said Heather McCann, director of public affairs for Dairy Farmers of America’s Mideast Area.
Even though Kroger is a large corporation, personal human relationships between producers, suppliers, and vendors are often very strong, as the logistical operations behind them require a large amount of cooperation and trust. So helping such farmers be productive during changing or challenging times is a win-win-win.
SHARE the Corporate Kindness to Inspire Friends on Social Media…
This is just one of many positive stories and updates that are coming out of the COVID-19 news coverage this week. For more uplifting coverage on the outbreaks, click here.
Governor Gavin Newsom has announced an exciting new plan in California to bring three nutritious meals a day to seniors in need, while providing meaningful work to those who have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The first program of its kind in the nation, ‘Great Plates Delivered’ will support struggling restaurants to rehire or retain staff, prepare the meals, and deliver them to those in need. Eligible seniors will be provided with 21 meals per week.
All of this will be accomplished through a partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and state and local governments. FEMA will cover 75% of the cost, with the state picking up most of the remaining tab. Restaurants will be reimbursed at rates of $16 for breakfasts, $17 for lunches and up to $28 for dinners.
“This partnership will allow … restaurants to start rehiring people or keep people currently employed and start preparing meals, three meals a day, seven days a week, and have those meals delivered to our seniors all throughout the state of California,” Gov. Newsom said.
The unprecedented effort to support seniors will also bring welcome relief, not only to struggling small business owners, but local governments that are facing major tax shortfalls that make it difficult for them to provide essential services to those in need.
The plan addresses all three of these problems at once, while keeping the mission of supporting the health of seniors who are at increased risk of infection from COVID-19 a top priority. Newsom said they want to “make sure what we are sending to our seniors is low sodium, not high fructose drinks or sugary drinks, and the like.”
The state will focus its resources on helping local growers. “We want to make sure we are focused on locally produced produce,” Newsom said. “We want to connect our farms to this effort. We want to focus our values throughout the state of California to get a lot of independent restaurants up and running again as well, and have a diversity of options.”
The program will be locally managed, in order to best provide for the needs of particular communities. Generally speaking, people over 65 and those from 60-64 defined as high-risk by the CDC are eligible. ‘High-risk’ includes those who are COVID-19 positive, have been exposed to the virus, or have an underlying condition. Individuals must live alone—or with one other program-eligible adult—and must not be receiving other forms of state or federal nutrition assistance.
If you or someone you know in California can benefit from this program, or if you would like to get involved in the relief efforts, more information can be found here, on the state’s website.
SHARE the Good News With Friends on Social Media…
This is just one of many positive stories and updates that are coming out of the COVID-19 news coverage this week. For more uplifting coverage on the outbreaks, click here.
Quote of the Day: “All progress has resulted from people who took unpopular positions.” – Adlai Stevenson
Photo: by Aziz Acharki, public domain, cropped
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
Spared from the ravages of COVID-19 suffered by her neighbor Spain, Portugal is aiming to leap, rather than tip-toe, out of their lockdown initiatives by launching a series of clean energy projects that could generate 5.5 billion euro in European energy investment.
The new solar-powered hydrogen plant near the port of Sines is a modern “green” hydro-electric project that generates electricity through a process called electrolysis, and it could contribute 1 gigawatt of power by 2023 if investment arrives.
“The economy cannot grow along the lines of the past and our post-coronavirus vision is to create wealth from projects that reduce carbon emissions and promote energy transition and sustainable mobility,” Portugal’s Minister of Environment and Energy Transition, Joao Matos Fernandes, told Reuters.
Fernandes detailed that both Portuguese energy firms, and Dutch firms are already showing interest in the hydrogen plant, and it is shaping up to be one of the biggest industrial projects and opportunities in the country.
Matos also said that Portugal will be launching a solar energy licensing auction, where international energy firms will have a chance to bid for prime solar real estate, as Portugal is one of Europe’s sunniest nations.
Initially scheduled to kick off in April, the auctions were delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak, which has taken the lives of fewer than 1,000 Portuguese, out of 24,500 confirmed cases according to Reuters. Up for bidding are 16 sites worth a combined total of 700 megawatts of solar capacity in the southern regions of Algarve and Alentejo.
Portugal has had previous success with energy licensing auctions before, like last June when she sold 1,150 MW of solar energy capacity at a record-low price of 14.8 megawatts per hour—mainly to international energy investors from Britain, Spain, France, and Germany.
Already in 2016, 28% of nationwide power came from renewables. During that year they set a European record for entirely powering the country with renewables for four straight days.
Though just 11 years ago, Portugal was generating more CO2 than Bangladesh, despite having one-sixteenth the population density, their plans for 2030 are to be producing 7,000 MW per hour of clean energy and close to all their remaining coal plants.
Meanwhile, in Germany a string of recent sunny days in April led to record-setting clean-energy production. The solar power was generating around 40% nationwide, with all their renewables together accounting for a whopping 78%—while coal and nuclear less than a quarter.
SHARE the Positive Trends With Friends Who Need Some Sunshine on Social Media…
A new Banksy art piece is inspiring the world since it was dropped off, and later hung on display, at Southampton General Hospital in the south of England Wednesday.
The artwork shows a young boy playing with his favorite new superhero doll—a nurse wearing a cape and face mask. On the floor nearby sits his discarded Spiderman and Batman action figures.
The nurse’s arm is outstretched as if soaring off on a new mission, with the Red Cross emblem emblazoned on her chest.
The artist left a note for hospital workers saying: “Thanks for all you’re doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if it’s only black and white.”
The elusive street muralist named the piece “Game Changer” on Instagram.
Banksy – Instagram
“Here at Southampton, our hospital family has been directly impacted with the tragic loss of much loved and respected members of staff and friends,” said Paula Head, CEO of University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust. “The fact that Banksy has chosen us to recognize the outstanding contribution everyone in and with the NHS is making, in unprecedented times, is a huge honor.”
“It will no doubt also be a massive boost to morale for everyone who works and is cared for at our hospital.”
The painting will eventually be put on public display and ultimately auctioned, with all the proceeds going to NHS charities.
It is now on view to staff and patients on level C of Southampton General, a hospital on the frontline tackling the pandemic.
SHARE This Iconic New Face of the Pandemic on Social Media…
Lucille Ellson on her 102nd birthday in 2019 – Photo by Jane Pickle
People in their golden years have lived through a lot of difficult times. Most remember the six grueling years of World War II, and the rejoicing 75 years ago today when the Nazis surrendered.
People made sacrifices—and weddings were postponed.
Lucille Ellson of Orlando knows a lot of people are in a panic about their weddings, and sees parallels between today and WW II, especially: She was supposed to be married in 1942, but then came the attack on Pearl Harbor and her fiancé enlisted to fight. Their marriage would have to wait.
Maybe living through war and depression strengthens the spirit—because GNN has been logging a lot of reports from around the world about seniors staying strong.
Even with the novel coronavirus, we’re seeing survivors in their 80s, 90s, and even in their 100s.
Married couple Guadalupe and José who live in Madrid, Spain, had just celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary a few weeks earlier when they both became ill with the virus. Although they were both 88 years old—and José had had a stroke in 2012—they both survived the infection in the hospital and now are home together again.
In April, the same Red Cross Hospital in Spain discharged six more patients who had recovered from the virus whose ages were between 78-90.
Another notable recent recovery from COVID-19 was Carrie Pollock, age 99. She was admitted to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, UK after experiencing fever and suspected pneumonia. She is now recovered and back at home, sharing glowing reports about the hospital staff. They were inspired by her, as well.
“These are worrying times for many and to see her leaving hospital after recovering from COVID-19 gave the staff a real boost,” said Karen Clark, senior sister at Queen Alexandra Hospital.
Lucille Ellson on her 102nd birthday in 2019 – Photo by Jane Pickle
Rita Reynolds, a grandmother from Liverpool, has also survived at 99, scoring a tie with Carrie Pollock for the oldest British survivor of the virus so far, reports The Mirror.
104-year-old Ada Zanusso of Biella, Italy is also the picture of recovery. Ada had developed a fever and shortness of breath, and later was diagnosed positive with the virus. The centenarian has recovered well, with no loss of her lucidity and intelligence, according to her doctor.
But the clear winner in any contest to become the oldest survivor of this virus is Cornelia Ras. The Dutch woman who lives in a residential care facility in Sommelsdijk, celebrated her 107th birthday on March 17th with a few visitors and staff members (and greetings from the mayor). The following day, she was not feeling well and had a slight fever, but didn’t think she had the virus until her positive diagnosis was discovered. Despite being disappointed that she can’t have visitors, Cornelia has bounced right back and is “perfectly healthy.”
When asked what advice she had for modern-day people stuck in self-isolation, Mrs. Ellson, who had to cancel her wedding that fateful year, told the Washington Post, “To cope with this virus, and all that’s going on, I would tell people to not get stressed about planning far ahead. You can’t do it.”
“A long time ago, I started making a list every morning of what I had to do that day. It was the only thing I could control, and I stuck to it.”
SHARE the Inspiring News From Seniors With Friends on Social Media…
This is just one of many positive stories and updates that are coming out of the COVID-19 news coverage this week. For more uplifting coverage on the outbreaks, click here.
Electric vehicles (EVs) in their current form are not practical for long distance travel due to the need for multiple or lengthy stops at charging stations. But what if they could—like planes being refueled in the air from another aircraft—get a charge-on-the-go?
The idea sounds like science fiction, but there are already technologies in use that would help facilitate specialized vehicles for charging.
For instance, Tesla cars use radar to detect the speed of other cars around them, which controls the speed of the car in relation to traffic—a feature that would make “docking” possible.
With rural electric charging stations almost non-existent, Swarup Bhunia and engineers at the University of Florida, Gainesville, are postulating that “peer-to-peer charging” and “mobile charging stations” could likely solve this problem faster than the current proliferation of charging points or battery advancements.
Along with the mobile charging stations idea, Bhunia believes that if more and more people buy electric cars, it would be super-efficient if all cars on the road could share charge with one another.
The idea is bold and definitely something out of Blade Runner or Ex Machina, but Bhunia explains that, incredibly, it’s the easiest way to solve the two largest hang-ups that prevent consumers from selecting an EV—battery range, and charging time.
Cloud Technology for Traffic
“A set of cloud-based schedulers decides charge providers and receivers,” begins the hypothesis written by Bhunia et al. in a journal called arxiv that allows non peer-reviewed material to be discussed.
What Bhunia and his team are describing is a cloud system that examines all of the EV drivers on the road, where they are going, and how much charge each vehicle has. The cloud then determines, for example, that EV-A has 89% battery, but requires only 4% to reach its destination, while EV-B has 22% battery, yet requires 31% to reach its destination.
If the rerouting isn’t intrusive, the system would instruct the two EVs to carry out the charge transfer. The system would then link the provider with the receiver, and a credit system would ensure that everyone is paying for the charge they use.
Inside the given traffic network, every vehicle’s charge could be examined against each vehicle’s demand, and “mobile charging stations,” which would be large automated trucks with onboard charging equipment to fill in the demand gaps.
“We envision a safe, insulated, and firm telescopic arm carrying the charging cable,” reads the paper, describing how to get one charge into another car while barreling down the freeway, much like two aircraft during mid-air refueling. “After two EVs lock speed and are in range for charge sharing, they will extend their charging arms.”
They admit this would be just one possible way to tackle this problem. One extremely exciting thing that the team has also imagined would be wireless charging in the future, as we can already do with our phones. Imagine realizing you need a bit of a charge up, and so you simply pull your car alongside an 18 wheeler, set the cruise control, and charge up wirelessly before continuing on your way.
Volkswagen has already unveiled a conceptual design for a little robot that will tug around a trailer of batteries while charging all the cars inside a given parking garage, and if the technology could be adopted onto a mobile charging station like a truck, car, semi-trailer, or even drone, as some have imagined, Bhunia’s dream of a cloud-sharing peer-to-peer charging network is already halfway real.
Quote of the Day: “You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Photo: by Octavio Fossatti, public domain, cropped
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
Marie and Tony Newton of Walsall tend to their beautiful garden during Covid-19 lockdown. May 05, 2020. Stunning drone pictures reveal a couple’s spectacular “four seasons” garden bursting with colour. See SWNS story SWMDgarden. Tony and Marie Newton have spent their time in lockdown, the last 37 years and more than £15,000 transforming their back garden and flowerbeds into a beautiful oasis. Their garden in Walsall, West Mids., is nicknamed "four seasons" on account of its year-round appeal. Exploding with vibrant colours, the third of an acre plot is crammed with 450 azalea, 120 Japanese maples, 15 juniper blue stars. The green-fingered couple, who have four grown-up children and four grandchildren, spend two hours a day lovingly maintaining the plants and bushes.
A couple who created ‘Britain’s best garden’ have outdone themselves with a spring spectacular bursting with color after spending lockdown tending to their oasis.
Retired medical doctor Tony Newton and his wife Marie have nestled 3,000 plants and flowers, including 450 azaleas, 120 Japanese maples and 15 blue star junipers into a one-quarter-acre plot of land.
The couple have spent 38 years transforming their modest yard in the industrial heartland of the Black Country into what is now nicknamed the “four seasons garden”.
Since they began self-isolating, the couple has continued to plant Acers and camellias thanks to online shopping.
Dazzling drone pictures show the garden in Walsall, West Midlands, exploding with pinks, reds, greens, and purples which the couple say is the most stunning display they have ever known.
SWNS
Grandmother-of-four Marie, 72, started tending the garden in 1982 while working as a transport planner and a nurse while Tony, 70, joined her after he retired from medicine.
She said, “Tony and I usually spend two hours a day in the garden but obviously since the lockdown and the fact we are over 70 means we have even more time to spare.”
SWNS
“We are sometimes in the garden all day and only come in when it gets dark.”
They had an open house planned for May 22 and they knew early on that wasn’t going to happen.
SWNS
“One addition was that we put up three bird feeding stations, which we haven’t normally had and that’s given an immense amount of pleasure,” she added. “We’ve got so many different types of birds coming out.”
“We get everything we need for the garden online—a lot of plants, vegetable seeds and bird food.
“We’ve not been able to go out and we really miss the grandchildren because they used to love playing here,” she lamented, though they keep in contact through Skype or FaceTime. “We’ve got fairy houses and the streams they played in. We used to look after them on a few nights a week but that’s all stopped.”
Marie and Tony Newton of Walsall – SWNS
“I always look forward to spring and this year has been especially rewarding. I have never seen the garden look so beautiful. I’m very proud, and it gives me an enormous sense of optimism.
They have also playfully created what appears to be a huge image of an owl using the patio and flowerbeds which is only visible from above.
“It has been very satisfying to use so many skills, and to have done every task ourselves. All but two of all the plants in our garden have been planted by us.”
Pictures from the 1980s show just how much work the couple have done to transform their muddy lawn and broken rockery into the oasis it is today. A lot of the plants are now 30 years old or more.
1992 family photo
The garden has become so popular it even features in unofficial tourist trails of the Black Country.
Tony says, “We’ve had over 14,000 people from 48 different countries come and visit our garden over the years but this year we might not be able to open which is a shame.”
This young karate teacher hopes his YouTube channel is more contagious than the current pandemic—because he wants to keep seniors active, even if they’re stuck inside.
Jeffrey Wall just turned 15, yet he is the founder of Golden Age Karate, an outreach program he began last October to teach seniors at the Friendship Village nursing home in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio.
Then, two days before the final class, the shelter-in-place order came down from the Ohio governor halting his personal fitness crusade for the elderly—or did it?
Wall began studying karate at the age of six and, just four years later, was inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall Of Fame. He earned his black belt at age 13 and—like his personal journey—his dedication to students is unwavering.
“I knew that they would be super disappointed,” Wall said of the new quarantine.
So he started a YouTube Channel to help them keep up their lessons. Now younger students are taking the classes, too—and the love he shows his seniors is spreading.
In fact, many of Wall’s Instagram followers are making ornaments and crafts to help decorate the walls of the nursing home on a future visit.
Before the pandemic began, each hourlong class would attract between 5-10 residents in their golden years—and they didn’t come just to watch.
Wall used demonstrations in the beginning so his seniors would know what to expect. His first example was showing how he does push ups on his knuckles—a good way to take the pressure off your wrists. Suddenly he saw students aged 90 and older on the floor doing pushups alongside him.
“My mom and I tried to help them up, but they wanted to keep going,” he told Good News Network. “One 95-year-old student did 10 pushups in her nice sweater and pearls and she did great! We laugh about that at every class.”
Wall also has a personal client who is 90 and reminds him of his own grandmother. Her soft voice and gentle nature can’t hide her enthusiasm. Before the quarantine she never held back when throwing punches at the target pad, especially when Wall would encourage her to let loose. But at the end of a lesson she would always ask, “That’s not too hard is it?”
“It has never been too hard,” Wall told GNN, “but I always told her, ‘Just a little,’ and she would laugh.”
Golden Age Karate
Before classes stopped, she had six months of perfect attendance. Wall was planning to promote her to a yellow belt.
Videos on YouTube reveal the enthusiasm that Wall’s students bring to each session. Wall holds the target pad and encourages each student to fire punches while seated in a chair. In the video below, one white-haired lady landed a series of seated kicks so hard that he jokingly reminded her not to break the target.
Wall’s growing popularity has led to requests from nursing homes outside of Dayton. His present desire is to stay in his community. However when the shelter-in-place order is lifted, he is willing to consider branching out.
“I hope that I can help in different cities,” Wall said, “and eventually countries.”
WATCH the inspiring video below—and check out his classes on YouTube or Instagram.
SHARE the Online Opportunity With Kids and Elderly on Social Media…
Mother’s Day may feel lonelier than it ever did for some aging moms in senior homes with quarantines that restrict visitors.
That’s why Lowe’s has partnered with local nurseries to bring those moms some flowering love.
In the days leading up to Mother’s Day, the company has been calling Uber to deliver $1 million worth of flower baskets nationwide—while at the same time giving a boost to its local network of growers and nurseries.
The pink, yellow, white, and purple baskets will be delivered to more than 500 long-term care and senior living facilities in ten hard-hit cities, including New York, Seattle, Chicago, Boston, Houston, Miami and more. Each basket will be wrapped individually and include a special note of appreciation from Lowe’s.
“Mother’s Day is a special time of celebration between mothers, grandmothers and their children, and our hearts go out to the millions of families nationwide who won’t be able to be with their loved ones this year,” said Marisa Thalberg, Lowe’s chief brand and marketing officer. (See more inspiring gestures from Lowe’s on GNN, here)
Louise McMillan in Charlotte, N.C.
Lowe’s sourced the flower baskets from local nurseries and growers nationwide that may have experienced slowed or ceased business operations due to the pandemic.
The initiative will also support earnings for Uber drivers who will be delivering flowers in select cities as they continue to “help move what matters” during the pandemic.
“Thank you for your generosity in this difficult time and for for thinking of us,” said a spokesperson at the Sippican Healthcare Center in Massachusetts. “Lowes brought sunshine to both the residents and essential staff.”
This initiative builds on Lowe’s $250 million commitment to COVID-19 relief, including recently announced special payments for associates and $3 million to help support small businesses.
SHARE the Mother’s Day News to Brighten Your Social Media Page…
This is just one of many positive stories and updates that are coming out of the COVID-19 news coverage this week. For more uplifting coverage on the outbreaks, click here.
Andy Serkis, the celebrated actor who played the role of Gollum in The Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit is raising money for COVID-19 response in the UK by reading the entire JRR Tolkien book The Hobbit, live, cover to cover.
“So many of us are struggling in isolation during the lockdown,” he wrote on his GoFundMe page. “While times are tough, I want to take you on one of the greatest fantasy adventures ever written, a 12 hour armchair marathon across Middle Earth whilst raising money for two amazing charities which are doing extraordinary work right now to help those most in need in the UK: Best Beginnings and NHS Charities Together.
Starting at 10am in England on Friday, May 8th, BST (5am EST / 2am PST), he’ll be embarking on a marathon reading he calls a Hobbitathon.
“From an unexpected party to the last stage, join Bilbo and me on this tale of high adventure. Together we’ll face the might of the trolls, journey to the magical Rivendell, encounter the giant spiders in the labyrinths of Mirkwood, and the evil goblins living among the roots of the Misty Mountains, until we meet the dragon Smaug, and see the Battle of the Five Armies.”
He will announce on GoFundMe the link for live streaming—and while you are there, you can donate.
All funds raised will be split equally between NHS Charities Together and Best Beginnings, a charity for which he has been “a proud ambassador” for over six years.
Best Beginnings is working tirelessly during the pandemic to support babies, toddlers, pregnant families and new parents and to reduce inequalities, a cause which Andy says is “close to my heart.”
NHS Charities Together is the umbrella organization that brings together all the official charities of the NHS, which has raised over £100 million in just 6 weeks.
With a reading sure to be true to life—featuring the actual voice of Gollum—the actor promised, “If we hit our target of £100,000, there may be a special surprise later in our journey.”
Already having received donations totaling £35,841, you can promote the adventure on social media, and ensure the delivery of that ‘special surprise’ by using the hashtag #Hobbitathon
(WATCH his video below…)
This is just one of many positive stories and updates that are coming out of the COVID-19 news coverage this week. For more uplifting coverage on the outbreaks, click here.
SLAY The Dragon of Boredom and Share the Literature Lesson on Social Media…
“There is a beauty in solitude and in connection to nature that people in the city often miss,” says Chris Precht, founder of Austrian design company Studio Precht.
