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Apr 19, 2020

What do you have planned for your retirement? While enjoying your grandchildren or traveling across Italy might be some things you’re considering, we can not imagine that many of you would answer: “I’m going to scour the wilderness of America looking for abandoned and forgotten pioneer homesteads in the hope of discovering forgetting genetic strains of common crops”.

Well, this pair of retirees have been scouring the Pacific Northwest for abandoned pioneer-era fruit orchards, and have successfully discovered numerous lost species of apples.

During the autumn of 2019, EJ Brandt and David Benscoter—the Vietnam-veteran and former FBI agent who became amateur botanists for their nonprofit, the Lost Apple Project—made a remarkable discovery that was confirmed by the experts at Temperate Orchard Conservatory.

The apples they found growing in orchards around abandoned homesteads in Genesee, Idaho, led to the re-discovery of 10 forgotten varieties of apples that were believed to be extinct.

“It was just one heck of a season. It was almost unbelievable. If we had found one apple or two apples a year in the past, we thought we were doing good. But we were getting one after another after another,” EJ Brandt told the AP. “I don’t know how we’re going to keep up with that.”

Apple Sleuthing

Their apple sleuthing is worthy of a documentary, as it involves hunting lost orchards in the forests, mountains, and canyons relying only on newspaper clippings, old maps, county fair records and nursery sales ledgers that contain records of homesteaders purchasing trees to begin their orchards with. The ledgers often contain some information on the buyer, which can help triangulate a possible orchard location.

Whenever a suspected location is discovered, EJ and David trek by ATV, truck, and hiking shoe, to log hundreds of miles and countless hours over the course of a reconnaissance mission.

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Once an apple orchard location is discovered, they will tag it with a GPS pin, ribbon the old apple trees, and bag whatever specimens they find to be shipped off to the experts at the Temperate Orchard Conservatory.

“The locations of old homestead orchards are surprisingly consistent. Settlers always planted their orchards in low spots like ravines or along a water source like a stream if they had access to one,” Brandt wrote on Facebook.

“When I find an apple that’s lost, I want to know who homesteaded it, when they were there, who their children were, when they took their last drink of water,” Brandt said. “We cannot afford to lose the name of even one of these landowners.”

Olden Delicious

Even if you threw your children in the back of your car and went on a cross-county search to catalogue the number of species of apples you could find at local supermarkets, you might not manage more than 10 of the 4,500 named varieties that exist in the country today.

Even that number, as shocking as it is, can’t compare to the 17,000 individual apple varieties that spread across the length and breadth of North America during the heyday of homesteading.

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The Lost Apple Project believes that many hundreds of these varieties were planted by settlers, and the experts use old botany textbooks and watercolor illustrations of apples made by the Department of Agriculture in the 1800s to confirm the varieties’ identities.

In this way the Temperate Orchard Conservatory has confirmed 23 species of apples re-discovered by EJ and David. Among these are the ancient Turkish apple called Sary Sinap, the Streaked Pippen which may be pre-Declaration of Independence, and the Buttersweet which emerged in Pennsylvania in 1901.

One apple which seemed to be called the Gold Ridge was difficult to nail down due to a lack of documentation or illustrations of it in public and private records. According to one AP report, botanist Joanie Cooper went “page by page” through a 100-year-old botanical reference book written by a botanist who died in 1912 before finally finding a report of the illusive juicy orb.

From Hunting to Horticulture

Lost Apple Project has several function, and now that the hunting season is over, the nonprofit looks to continue its reintroduction efforts in regional markets—raising awareness of the value of lost apples.

When a recent airport expansion was set to wipe out an orchard, a relocation project was launched by Washington State University, which Lost Apple Project supported by volunteering to help graft 100 trees. They placed existing apple wood cuttings onto generic root stalks to create apple orchard seedlings, including several of their own rediscovered species, to be planted in a preserved portion known as heritage orchards.

On a post at Lost Apple Project’s Facebook page, EJ and David say that there could be as many as 300 varieties in the orchard when the project is finished, and the first 50 should be ready by June.

WSU, which spends a lot of time thinking about Washington State apples, recently made headlines by producing the first new apple to be introduced there in more than a century (the Cosmic Crisp)—despite being the apple capital of the United States, and one of the world’s leading apple producing regions.

According to USA today, scientists at WSU’s Tree Fruit Research Center in Wenatchee spent 20 years breeding and tinkering around to get the desired apple tree seeds.

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Support Them During COVID Shutdown

Lost Apple Project had to cancel their largest fundraiser event of the year—a fair where they sell their time-lost apples, as well as grafts, and hosting classes teaching people how to graft apple trees—due to coronavirus outbreaks in the state. However, EJ Brandt takes this time when he isn’t sure how the nonprofit will pay its bills to imagine the difficulties faced by the pioneers whose legacy is preserved by his work.

25% of homesteads didn’t make it, according to Brandt, with many settlers succumbing to starvation, predators, or other hazards.

“It was a hard life. I can’t even imagine what they went through, but they survived and they went on with their lives,” he said. “It’s hard now, too, but it’s going to be OK. It’s all a part of life.”

Support the Lost Apple Project by sending a check to: WCHS (Whitman County Historical Society) attn Lost Apple Project, PO Box 67, Colfax, WA 99111

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Dogs Are Joining the Fight Against COVID-19 By Learning to Sniff Out the Virus

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Apr 19, 2020

Coronavirus Sniffing Dog-Medical Detection Dogs Released — Photo by Medical Detection Dogs

For years, dogs have been helping to keep humans safe by sniffing out narcotics, improvised explosive devices, pests, natural disasters, cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and now—yes, you guessed it—the novel coronavirus.

A medical charity in England that has successfully trained dogs to detect malaria is now attempting to train man’s best friend to identify the smell of COVID-19.

The charity, called Medical Detection Dogs, is partnering with the Tropical Medicine and Hygiene School in London along with Durham University to begin trialing dogs for the job. Dr. Claire Guest, a behavioral psychologist and principal member of the charity told CTV News that there is “absolutely no reason why a dog can’t detect the virus.”

Describing its approach as “rigorously scientific,” Medical Detection Dogs has produced more than a dozen peer-reviewed papers during their work training dogs to smell and detect cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and most recently malaria, the people behind which have reunited to give COVID a shot.

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“The aim is that dogs will be able to screen anyone, including those who are asymptomatic and tell us whether they need to be tested. This would be fast, effective and non-invasive and make sure the limited NHS testing resources are only used where they are really needed,” writes Guest on the Medical Detection Dogs website.

“We know that other respiratory diseases like COVID-19, change our body odor so there is a very high chance that dogs will be able to detect it. This new diagnostic tool could revolutionize our response to COVID-19 in the short term, but particularly in the months to come, and could be profoundly impactful.”

According to CTV News, who 4 years ago covered the enterprising Kiwi—a Golden Retriever being trained to sniff out disease—Medical Detection Dogs has previously worked with prostate cancer and the detection rate was catalogued at as high as 80%.

Professor Steve Lindsay at Durham University says: “If the research is successful, we could use COVID-19 detection dogs at airports at the end of the epidemic to rapidly identify people carrying the virus. This would help prevent the re-emergence of the disease after we have brought the present epidemic under control.”

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.

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“When humor goes, there goes civilization.” – Erma Bombeck

Quote of the Day

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Apr 19, 2020

Quote of the Day: “When humor goes, there goes civilization.” – Erma Bombeck

Photo: 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?

Musician Uses Truck Bed to Play Drive-By Concerts for Friends in Quarantine – and the Video is Incredibly Heartwarming

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TannerHowe

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Apr 18, 2020

This blog was submitted to GNN by one of our readers for publishing. If you have a similar story of COVID-inspired kindness, be sure and send it to us for review.

Last week, Tanner Howe and his family got tired of sitting at the house and looking at each other, so they decided to put together a surprise show for a couple of close friends and family members.

Since Howe is a singer-songwriter from Huntington Beach, California, he and his family put together a list of songs, decorated the truck, and brought cameras to record the reactions—all while making sure to maintain a safe social distance and wear masks.

Initially, they were only planning to visit their grandparents in Long Beach and three other family members and friends in the Orange County area—but then they decided to stop and play for their neighbors along the way, hoping that it would brighten their day in self-isolation.

Needless to say, it surely did, and the results are incredibly heartwarming.

(WATCH the music video below)

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More Than 20,000 WiFi Devices Are Being Donated to Hospitals So Patients Can Talk With Family in Quarantine

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Apr 18, 2020

Challenging times are made more challenging without the support of friends and family—and for COVID patients isolated in the hospital, visited only occasionally by doctors and nurses, the challenge is even greater still.

That’s why grassroots nonprofit COVID Tech Connect (CTC) is asking tech manufacturers to donate WiFi-enabled devices for hospital patients to video chat with their loved ones while they undergo medical treatment. Their goal is to collect 20,000 donated devices.

On their website, CTC explain that hospitals are no longer admitting family members or friends due to heightened demand on services and the risks of spreading the disease.

CTC came about after Sara Rodell, CEO of technology logistics company Loop and Tie, heard that people in the New York Nurses Union where trying to organize donations of smart devices so that family members could stay in touch with their loved ones during the chaos of the COVID-19 outbreaks.

Rodell was so touched by the thought, she reached out to a team of female executives with decades of combined experience in logistics and technology solutions to help her makes sure the nurse’s union got what they were looking for.

She also organized the infrastructure of her own company, headquartered over 1,000 miles away in Texas, to help receive donations, distribute orders of devices to hospitals, and manage the shipping and handling.

“We have over 3,000 devices committed and more conversations are underway to get us to that goal,” Rodell told Good News Network. “We’ve received some great responses from partners willing to donate devices, including Microsoft, PCS Wireless and Presto with more announcements coming soon.”

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Despite how the CTC’s GoFundMe campaign was launched only ten days ago, the grassroots movement has already raised over $100,000 dollars and is making a real difference in people’s lives—which has actually included giving some individuals an opportunity that would have been beyond tragic if lost: the opportunity for patients and loved ones to share a final goodbye.

People looking to donate money or devices to COVID Tech Connect can visit their website for the relevant links.

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.

–Photo by Andy Bullock, CC license

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UC Berkeley is Offering Up Their Popular ‘Science of Happiness’ Course for Free Online

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LOOK: Boy Was Inspired to Become Youngest Yogi in US After Seeing How Yoga Healed His Mom After Chemo

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Apr 18, 2020

What does it mean to be happy?

While these 7 words have aroused philosophers for centuries—like so many things in life—there’s an ancient aspect to this question, but a modern scientific answer.

And what science says in response to “what does it mean to be happy” is rooted in decades of psychological research—all of which you can now learn about for free through the online “Science of Happiness” course available through the UC Berkeley website ad gratis.

Written and led by UC Berkeley professors of psychology Dacher Keltner and Emiliana Simon-Thomas, the course explores the fundamentals of a happy and meaningful life through established and avant-garde research into the nature of happiness.

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Launched in 2014, “The Science of Happiness” features compelling video lectures, distinguished guests, actionable happiness exercises, and reading materials in one happy package along with a week-by-week emotional “check in” which can help participants to observe their progress.

According to the Greater Good Science Center, the organizers and producers of the course, previous participants have reported their positive feelings went up the longer they stayed with the course.

“… [120,000] students from around the world—representing 208 countries in total—watched a carefully crafted series of videos of myself and Dacher Keltner covering the science of connection, compassion, gratitude, mindfulness, and more,” writes Simon-Thomas on the GGSC website.

“Key insights that arise from this work, taking multiple methods and perspectives into account, is that happiness hinges upon the strength and authenticity of a person’s social connections, their aptitude for human kindness, and their constructive role in meaningful community,” she adds.

“Spreading this message is key to the mission of the Greater Good Science Center.”

Similar to “The Science of Happiness”, Yale is also offering their most popular course, “Psych 157: Psychology and the Good Life”, for free through the online college platform Coursera.

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Psychology and cognitive science professor Laurie Santos teaches the modified 6-week course which starts by revealing “misconceptions we have about happiness and the annoying features of the mind that lead us to think the way we do.”

The second half of the course focuses on activities that have been proven to increase happiness along with strategies to build better habits.

Sign Me Up

Since “The Science of Happiness” is hosted on an edX.com platform, you must first make an account with them before registering for the course. After that, the UC Berkeley website says: “Please note this course can be taken for free; simply choose “Audit This Course” to register at no charge. You will have 10 weeks from date of registration to complete the course. After that time, course materials will no longer be available for you. In addition, Audit learners do not see sections of the course that allow learners to earn credit (e.g. Problem Sets or Exams).”

Similarly, participants must make an account with Coursera in order to access Psychology and the Good Life.

Lasting 11 weeks, and spanning about 4-5 hours of coursework for per week, the content will be posted every Tuesday on which participants will receive emails regarding what is available and when.

For those who work in counseling, or are simply an enterprising homeschooling parent, Dacher and Emiliana also offer a facilitator’s guide to transform the course into one fit for a classroom, study group, or any size gathering.

The guide offers help on the most common student questions, how to address topics in a group setting, as well as group happiness and mindfulness exercises.

(WATCH the Science of Happiness teaser video below)

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For the First Time in 240 Years, White-Tailed Eagles Spotted Flying Over England

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Apr 18, 2020

White-Tailed Eagle-Emma Thurlow : Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation — White-tailed eagle – Photo by Emma Thurlow / Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation

Eagles had been nearly hunted to extinction throughout England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales—but researchers are saying they are now making a triumphant return.

In Ireland’s majestic Glenveagh National Park, golden eagles had disappeared until 2001 when—with the help of the Golden Eagle Trust—birds collected from eyries in Scotland were released into the park, which now boasts a stable population of the majestic birds.

In England, white-tailed eagles had become extinct on the coasts and cliffs of Great Britain. Also known as sea eagles, they are one of the largest eagle species on Earth.

Now, 240 years after the last sighting, a mature white-tailed eagle was confirmed soaring in the wild high over the North York Moors. This is the direct result of several eaglets that were released onto the cliff sides on the Isle of Wight.

Also collected under a Scottish National Heritage license from the same populations that Glenveagh drew from, the sea eagle project is part of a 5-year strategy managed by the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Forestry England to bring eagles back.

A team of experts and dedicated volunteers insured the birds were happy and healthy all the way to adulthood when they were released back along the wilds of the south coast, where the team has worked to provide feeding stations that would encourage the majestic birds to make that area home, rather than journey into human civilization and risk the danger of being struck by a windmill, glass building, or some other hazard.

White-tailed eagle (Photo by Emma Thurlow / Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation)

Roy Dennis, the man behind the plan said:

“I have spent much of my life working on the reintroduction of these amazing birds and so watching them take to the skies of the Isle of Wight has been a truly special moment. Establishing a population of white-tailed eagles in the south of England will link and support emerging populations of these birds in the Netherlands, France and Ireland, with the aim of restoring the species to the southern half of Europe. The team is pleased that the project fulfills one of the specific aims of the Government’s 25 year Environment Plan.”

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Due to its central position, the Isle of Wight is the perfect habitat for these birds’ reintroduction into the English coastline, as they have ample opportunity to spread out along for tens miles of coastland both east and west. The cliffs are secluded and predator-free environments for chicks to grow up in, and the surrounding sea provides ample sources of food, like grey mullet.

On the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation website, Roy blogs semi-regularly about the wanderings of the eagles around the country, tracking them via radio-transmitters on their legs. After a sedentary winter, one of the eagles flew from Oxfordshire to North York Moors National Park, a distance of 200 miles in 15 days.

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“It’s amazing how a little tomorrow can make up for a whole lot of yesterday.” – John Guare

Quote of the Day

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Apr 18, 2020

Quote of the Day: “It’s amazing how a little tomorrow can make up for a whole lot of yesterday.” – John Guare

Photo: by Savitri wendt, 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?

Next Time You’re Feeling Particularly Stressed or Anxious, This Study Says You Should Play Tetris

By

Ryan Morris

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Apr 17, 2020

It can be easy to let yourself become overwhelmed by stress or anxiety during these turbulent times of social restrictions and coronavirus concerns—but this new study says that there is a very simple (and fun) way to ease your worried mind.

Research from the University of California shows that playing Tetris has a remarkable effect on a person’s mental health and performance.

Psychologist Kate Sweeny led the research by studying the game’s effects on the welfare of the university’s student population. During times of immense stress, such as undergoing final exams and considering future careers, Sweeny instructed the students to play the arcade game before measuring their relative levels of perceived anxiety.

Her research shows that by playing Tetris, overworked individuals often experienced a significant reduction in stress and anxiety and an influx in positive emotions.

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While most video games offer similar kinds of distraction, Tetris offers the perfect balance of challenge and accessibility; it’s difficult enough to keep players engaged, but simple and intuitive enough to allow players to stay relaxed and enjoy the experience. This specific mental state is referred to as “flow”—or “being in the zone”.

“Flow requires a delicate balance,” Sweeny said. “Flow is most readily achieved with activities that challenge the person somewhat, but not too much; have clear, achievable goals; and that provide the person with feedback about how they’re doing along the way.”

This is not the first study that has shown the benefits of Tetris, either—a 2009 study showed that people who practiced the arcade game over time experienced improved mental performance. This makes it a perfect activity for distraction, and a fantastic way to improve your mental wellbeing in a short amount of time.

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It has also been used to help addicts cope with their withdrawals and curb food cravings.

“The Tetris study is key because it experimentally manipulates flow and shows effects of that manipulation, which provides convincing evidence that flow actually causes well-being during waiting periods, not that it just happens to coincide with well-being,” Sweeny said.

Be Sure And Pass On This Fun Piece Of News To Your Friends On Social Media – Photo by UC Riverside

This Therapy ‘Dogtor’ is Delivering Thousands of ‘Hero Healing Kits’ to Hospital Workers on the Frontlines

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WATCH: 17-Year-Old ‘Angel’ Cashier Picks Up $173 Grocery Bill for Senior Shopper Who Found Himself Short on Cash

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Apr 17, 2020

This “dogtor” may not have a degree in medicine, but she has been helping to treat hardworking healthcare employees with joy and care packages.

Prior to the COVID-19 outbreaks, Loki the Rottweiler and her owner, Caroline Benzel, were familiar faces at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. Since Loki had such a friendly reputation with the hospital staffers and patients, she and Benzel would visit the hospital and cheer up the residents three days a week.

Because Benzel is just a second-year medical student, however, she was pulled out of school and off of the hospital frontlines after the novel coronavirus outbreaks.

Rather than spend her time in quarantine twiddling her thumbs beside her therapy dog, she began thinking up new ways to help her hospital community.

At first, Benzel and Loki would use FaceTime conversations to offer some virtual comfort and relief to the staffers—but Benzel eventually found the inspiration for her new passion project after she noticed the physical toll that protective medical gear had on healthcare workers.

Since the doctors and nurses have been forced to wear gloves and masks around the clock, many of them have been developing rashes and skin irritation from the constant friction.

Benzel and Loki then took to the internet and started asking their social media followers for donations to make “hero healing kits” with hydrating skin lotion, boxes of tea, baby powder, chapstick, chewing gum, and moisturizer for healthcare workers.

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In just a few short weeks, the dynamic duo has used their Amazon Wishlist to raise thousands of dollars and collect hundreds of gift donations.

“So far we have raised over 1,400 total kits, but are closer to +1,600 incomplete kits,” Benzel wrote on Loki’s Facebook page. “The donations keep coming in!! Needless to say, we are blown away by the kindness and generosity of people.”

Not only has their internet campaign helped to fuel their labor of love, Benzel says that community members across the country have reached out to her about launching “hero healing kit” initiatives in their own cities.

”We will be distributing the majority of these to 4 different hospitals over the next week,” continued Benzel, “AND THAT IS JUST THE BEGINNING.

“The hope was people would see what we are trying to do and be inspired to do the same in their respective areas, and that HAS HAPPENED! … [we have] inspired others to do similar projects in New Jersey, North Carolina, [Pennsylvania], and other parts of Maryland.

“THIS was was the dream, and it is coming to fruition: not only to help frontline workers/first responders, but to inspire others to do the same in their counties and states for their respective hospitals,” added Benzel. “Thank you again for all the love and support shown through all of this. We wanted to show our people keeping us safe some love, and because of you, we have been able to do that.”

Benzel says that she just started distributing her first batch of care packages this week to four different hospitals, and she is excited to deliver many more in the weeks to come.

If you would like to donate to Benzel’s mission, you can check out her Amazon Wishlist—otherwise, you can follow their progress on Loki’s Instagram and Facebook pages.

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.

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It’s official: today is the day the first round of kits goes out!! Hero Healing Kits are a go, I repeat, Hero Healing Kits are a go!! . . . . . . . . . . . #rottie #rotties #dogtorloki #therapydog #dogsofdc #dogsofmaryland #dogs #dog #rottiesofinstagram #dogsofinstagram #Rottweiler #fundraising #rottweilerpuppy #herohealingkits #dogsofig #dogsofinsta #puppy #puppies #puppylove #petstagram #rottweilersofinstagram #rottweilervideos #dogoftheday #cutepup #dogvideos #ilovedogs #doggo #dailyfluff #ellenratemydog #charity

A post shared by Loki the Therapy Rottweiler (@dogtor.loki) on Apr 14, 2020 at 4:43am PDT

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As Coal Usage Declines, New Study Finds Dramatic Decrease in Asthma Symptoms and Hospitalizations

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MORE: One of the Largest Native American Tribes Has Just Voted to End Their 100-Year Dependency on Coal

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Apr 17, 2020

After several years of researching four coal-fired power plants, scientists have found that local residents experienced fewer asthma symptoms and related hospitalizations as the plants either retired coal as their energy source or installed stricter emissions controls.

Not only that, emergency department (ED) visits dropped dramatically along with the decrease in coal usage.

The research conducted in Louisville, Kentucky was published in Nature Energy this week by the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in collaboration with several other universities and research institutions.

Starting with a pilot in 2012, the city of Louisville embarked on a project called AIR Louisville, which aimed to use data from Propeller Health’s digital inhaler sensors to gain insights into the impact of local air quality on the burden of respiratory disease in the community. The public-private collaboration equipped more than 1,200 Louisville residents with asthma and COPD with Propeller sensors, which attach to patients’ existing inhalers and deliver insights on medication use, symptoms and environmental factors to the Propeller app on their smartphone.

Coal-fired power plants are known to emit pollutants associated with adverse health effects, including increased asthma attacks, asthma-related ED visits and hospitalizations.

In 2014, coal-fired power plants accounted for 63% of economy-wide emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in the US. Historically, Kentucky has ranked among the top five states in the U.S. for emissions from power generation.

“AIR Louisville brought together local government, public and private partners and residents for a common mission: to leverage local data to make our city better and more breathable,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. “We are still seeing the results of AIR Louisville in this research, which demonstrates the public health impact of retiring coal as an energy source or further controlling coal-fired emissions.”

CHECK OUT: CO2 Emissions Stopped Rising Last Year Says IEA, Thanks to Growth in Renewables, Shunning of Coal

Between 2013 and 2016, one coal-fired power plant in the Louisville area retired coal as an energy source, and three others installed stricter emission controls to comply with regulations from the US Environmental Protection Agency. Researchers took advantage of these circumstances to analyze the impact of the coal-fired power plant energy transitions on residents’ respiratory health, using data from Propeller and local hospitals to assess how asthma-related symptoms, ED visits, and hospitalizations changed over time.

The study looked at the frequency of the total number of asthma-related ED visits and hospitalizations per ZIP code in Jefferson County, as well as the frequency of asthma rescue medication use among 207 people. Data on rescue medication use for asthma was used as a proxy for patients’ symptoms, as patients use their rescue medication for acute relief from symptoms such as coughing and shortness of breath.

“This study was unique in its ability to measure asthma morbidity based on both hospitalizations and daily symptoms, and to leverage an abrupt change in environmental exposure to more directly attribute changes in asthma exacerbation to changes in coal-fired power plant emissions,” said Dr. Joan Casey, lead author of the paper and assistant professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

The researchers found that energy transitions in the spring of 2015 resulted in three fewer hospitalizations and ED visits per ZIP code per quarter in the following year, when comparing areas that had high coal-fired power plant emission exposure prior to the transition to those with lower levels. This translates into nearly 400 avoided hospitalizations and ED visits each year across Jefferson County.

At the individual level, the Mill Creek SO2 scrubber installed in June 2016 was associated with a 17% immediate reduction in rescue medication use, which was maintained thereafter. The study also found the odds of having high rescue use throughout a month (on average more than four puffs per day) was reduced by 32% following the June 2016 energy transition.

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“This is the first study to use digital inhaler sensors to understand the health effects of reducing emissions from coal-fired power plants,” said study author Dr. Meredith Barrett, head of population health research for Propeller Health.

“We hope this evidence will encourage government officials to support stricter standards when regulating coal-fired power plants and encourage us towards cleaner power options, thereby protecting the health of the people who live near these facilities.”

Reprinted by Columbia University Mailman School of Health

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Swiss Village Has Been Projecting World Flags Onto One of Their Tallest Mountains in Solidarity of Pandemic

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Apr 17, 2020

Rather than raising a flag up on a flag pole, the nation of Switzerland is paying homage to their international neighbors struggling against COVID-19 by projecting different world flags onto the front of one of their most iconic Alpine mountains.

Light artist Gerry Hofstetter was commissioned to illuminate the famous Matterhorn mountain in Zermatt with different national flags to show solidarity towards countries that have been hit hardest by the novel coronavirus.

Now on every night since March 24th, the Matterhorn has displayed the flag of France, the US, India, Japan, Germany, the UK, Portugal, Spain, and many others.

“With this light projection, Zermatt wants to give people a sign of hope and solidarity in these difficult times,” reads the Zermatt Matterhorn tourism website. “The village shows solidarity with all the people who are currently suffering and is grateful to all those who are helping to overcome the crisis.”

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Bonjour du Cervin à la Tour Eiffel! 👋💕 . . #zermatt #matterhorn #thankful #thankyou #stayhome #keepsafe #keephealthy #covid_19 #staystrong #zusammensindwirstark #westandtogether #solidarity #hope #corona #coronatime #soschützenwiruns #swissalps #earth_shotz #inlovewithswitzerland #bestearthscapes #earthpix #iloveswitzerland #amazingswitzerland #gameoftones #myswitzerland #thisweekoninstagram #feelthealps #switzerlandpictures #solidarity . . 📷 Frank Schwarzbach

A post shared by Zermatt - Matterhorn (@zermatt.matterhorn) on Apr 9, 2020 at 12:10am PDT

Americans have been particularly touched by the gesture since the Zermatt website published a photo of the Star-Spangled Banner on the front of the 14,690-foot tall mountain with a caption reading: “As it stands, the USA is the country that has been most impacted by the COVID-19 crisis with the highest number of confirmed cases. Our thoughts are with all American people at this unprecedented time.

“May our message convey solidarity and give you hope and strength,” they added. “We look forward to meeting again at the foot of the Matterhorn. We are all in this together.”

WATCH: Beloved Opera Singer Unites Millions of Viewers With Livestreamed Easter Performance in Empty Cathedral

If you want to check out additional photos of the light displays or watch the livestreams of the illuminations, check out the Zermatt Matterhorn website.

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.

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We send you a sign of hope from the Matterhorn. 😘 . . . #zermatt #matterhorn #thankful #thankyou #stayhome #keepsafe #keephealthy #covid_19 #staystrong #zusammensindwirstark #westandtogether #solidarity #hope #corona #coronatime #soschützenwiruns #swissalps #earth_shotz #inlovewithswitzerland #bestearthscapes #earthpix #iloveswitzerland #amazingswitzerland #gameoftones #myswitzerland #thisweekoninstagram #feelthealps #switzerlandpictures #stayhomesavelives . . . 📷 Gabriel Perren

A post shared by Zermatt - Matterhorn (@zermatt.matterhorn) on Apr 10, 2020 at 11:20pm PDT

Be Sure And Share This Inspiring Story Of Unity With Your Friends On Social Media…

We’ve Survived Before: NASA Invites Workforce to Stream Apollo 13 Film Tonight on 50th Anniversary of Rescue

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Apr 17, 2020

Apollo 13 crew before their bad luck space mission-NASA — NASA

On this day 50 years ago, the determined astronauts who averted disaster aboard Apollo 13 landed safely back on Earth after four days fighting for their lives—and NASA is celebrating again, uniting with all its workers orbiting their homes in self-isolation.

Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise were on a mission to land on the moon—the third such mission conducted by NASA after President Kennedy had rallied the country for the challenge the decade before.

The 7th crewed mission of the Apollo space program was launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 11, 1970, but the Moon landing never took place. It was aborted after an oxygen tank in the Service Module (SM) exploded during routine tests two days after leaving Earth.

“Houston, we’ve had a problem.” Those were the famous words heard in the control room back in Texas.

The contents of the oxygen tanks leaked into space from the gaping wound in the wall. Without oxygen, needed for breathing and for generating electric power, the vehicle’s propulsion and life support systems could not operate. The smaller Lunar Module (LM), which was built only to land on the moon became the crew’s lifeboat.

Back home, engineers, mathematicians, and designers worked frantically in teams using simulators to figure out the correct emergency measures that would bring the crew home alive.

View of crippled Service Module after separation – NASA

Although the LM was designed to support two men on the lunar surface for two days, Mission Control in Houston improvised new procedures so it could support three men for four days. But, the crew experienced great hardship caused by limited power, a cold and wet cabin, and a shortage of potable water.

In order to get it pointed in the direction of Earth for reentry, their craft needed to be looped around the Moon.

There was also a critical need to adapt the ship’s cartridges so that the carbon dioxide removal system would work. The crew and mission controllers were successful in improvising a solution—a device constructed using duct tape, maps, and other materials they had on board, as instructed by Houston control.

Inflight photo of device constructed by the crew from duct tape, maps, and other materials

All three astronauts had been U.S. Navy test pilots, accustomed to working in critical situations with their lives on the line—a fact which some have credited with the ultimate success of the rescue.

The astronauts’ peril briefly renewed interest in the Apollo program as tens of millions watched the splashdown in the South Pacific Ocean on television.

Jim Lovell reads a newspaper on the way back home –NASA

The story of the mission was dramatized, most notably, in the 1995 film Apollo 13, based on the memoir co-authored by Lovell the commander, entitled Lost Moon.

MORE: Teen Discovered New Planet 6.9 Times Bigger Than Earth Just Days into NASA Internship

NASA to Stream ‘Apollo 13’ for Families of its Workers at Home

Yesterday, NASA issued an agency-wide message to all NASA employees announcing a special viewing opportunity after obtaining licensing permission from Universal Studios:

“We would like to invite the NASA workforce and their families to collectively stream the 1995 movie ‘Apollo 13’ on Friday, April 17, at 8 p.m. Eastern.

“This is an inspiring story with much to remind us about perseverance, the importance of teamwork and how our culture of safety has advanced. With employees unable to gather at the centers while most of NASA is teleworking, NASA is bringing the movie to you.”

Streaming the heroic story—dramatized brilliantly by director Ron Howard and the actors Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, and Ed Harris—is the first agency-wide test of their new OCIO system, an innovative solution that could improve NASA’s telework capabilities.

Below is the 50th anniversary video published by NASA on YouTube remembering the teamwork that triumphed over adversity.

SHARE The Inspiration With Self-Isolating Friends Orbiting Social Media…

“It is the long history of humankind that those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.” – Charles Darwin

Quote of the Day

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Apr 17, 2020

Quote of the Day: “It is the long history of humankind that those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.” – Charles Darwin

Photo: by Carl Jorgensen, public domain

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?

Lonely From Social Distancing? Here is One of Our Favorite Videos of Humanity Hugging It Out

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Apr 16, 2020

It has been almost 14 years since Australian man Juan Mann first stood in a city square with a large cardboard sign that read “Free Hugs”—but his iconic campaign has left a lasting imprint on the world.

Mann popularized the slogan after he filmed his Free Hugs Campaign music video to the Sick Puppies song “All the Same” back in 2006—and it has since been viewed a whopping 78 million times.

So for all of you who may be feeling down and lonely during these turbulent times of social distancing, we’re reposting this video for #ThrowbackThursday to remind you that these stay-at-home restrictions are only temporary and our communities will be stronger as a result of it.

For more inspiration, here is Mann’s story about how he was first inspired to launch his Free Hugs campaign.

I’d been living in London when my world turned upside down and I’d had to come home. By the time my plane landed back in Sydney, all I had left was a carry on bag full of clothes and a world of troubles. No one to welcome me back, no place to call home. I was a tourist in my hometown.

Standing there in the arrivals terminal, watching other passengers meeting their waiting friends and family, with open arms and smiling faces, hugging and laughing together, I wanted someone out there to be waiting for me. To be happy to see me. To smile at me. To hug me.

So I got some cardboard and a marker and made a sign. I found the busiest pedestrian intersection in the city and held that sign aloft, with the words “Free Hugs” on both sides.

And for 15 minutes, people just stared right through me. The first person who stopped, tapped me on the shoulder and told me how her dog had just died that morning. How that morning had been the one year anniversary of her only daughter dying in a car accident. How what she needed now, when she felt most alone in the world, was a hug. I got down on one knee, we put our arms around each other and when we parted, she was smiling.

Everyone has problems and for sure mine haven’t compared. But to see someone who was once frowning, smile even for a moment, is worth it every time.

(WATCH the heartwarming video below)

Multiply The Good By Sharing This Inspiring Story With Your Friends On Social Media…

Sam’s Club is Offering ‘Hero Shopping Hours’ to Healthcare Workers Regardless of Memberships

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Apr 16, 2020

As a means of providing extra support to the healthcare workers and first responders on the frontlines of the novel coronavirus outbreaks, Sam’s Club has announced that they will be offering their exclusive “hero” shopping hours to medical employees, regardless of membership status.

Currently, company employees are given an exclusive 2-hour block of shopping time between 8AM to 10AM on Sunday mornings.

Starting on April 19th, however, the store associate “Hero Hours” will also be open to healthcare workers for free. Complimentary face masks will also be provided to shoppers at the door.

The company says they were inspired to launch the initiative after several individual branch managers took it upon themselves to invite local hospital workers to shop with the store associates.

“Mr. Sam once said that the best ideas come from our associates and we believe this to be true now more than ever,” said Lance de la Rosa, Executive Vice President and CEO of Sam’s Club.

“Previously, a few of our clubs invited healthcare workers and first responders for early shopping hours with our associates,” he continued. “It’s inspiring to watch the ways our associates serve those around them. We’re following the lead of those thoughtful clubs by expanding the audience for this shopping period to include healthcare workers and first responders.”

CHECK OUT: 99-Year-Old WWII Veteran Raises $3.3 Million for Hospital Workers Simply By Walking Laps of His Garden

The expanded Hero Hours will reportedly continue until further notice across all Sam’s Club stores.

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.

We’re proud to help the first responders and healthcare workers who help all of us. Every Sunday from 8-10 a.m. we’ll offer special hero hours nationally to help your community’s heroes do what they do best – keep you safe. pic.twitter.com/lhTB76PbzY
— Sam's Club (@SamsClub) April 14, 2020

Be Sure And Share The Inspiring Example Of Kindness With Your Friends On Social Media…

Mom Has Been Bringing Joy to Neighbors By Drawing Amusing Chalk Cartoons on Her Sidewalk

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Apr 16, 2020

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Wouldn't you think my collection's complete.... Also, Ariel is everyone missing a hair appointment right now. Roots for days. . . . . . #art #chalkthewalk #chalk #chalkart #crayola #disney #ariel #thelittlemermaid #quarantinelife #quarantine2020 #quarantine #winterpark #orlando

A post shared by Casey Drake (@caseydrakemakes) on Apr 13, 2020 at 3:37pm PDT

A Florida mom has been taking to her sidewalk to spread some laughter and cheer amongst her community—and she has been doing it all with a few pieces of chalk.

Casey Drake is a former science teacher, a mother-of-two, and a sidewalk artist who has been brightening up the streets of Winter Park with humorous illustrations of Disney characters coping with social distancing.

One of her drawings depicts Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz reminding people that there is “no place like home” during the outbreaks; another sidewalk drawing features an amused Rapunzel boasting about her social distancing skills.

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Today's chalk art brought to you by Rapunzel. The queen of social distancing. . . . . . #art #chalkthewalk #chalk #chalkart #disney #tangled #quarantinelife #quarantine2020 #quarantine #socialdistancing #orlando

A post shared by Casey Drake (@caseydrakemakes) on Apr 8, 2020 at 4:06pm PDT

“Laughter is the best medicine,” Drake told WKMG in the interview below. “We could all use a little bit of humor right now, I think.”

Drake says she was inspired to start drawing the cartoons after she saw other social media stories and news reports of people writing chalk messages of hope for passerby during the COVID-19 outbreaks.

In addition to the artworks brightening up the sidewalks, Drake says that drawing has become a much-needed source of therapy and stress relief during the shutdowns.

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A post shared by Casey Drake (@caseydrakemakes) on Apr 6, 2020 at 3:01pm PDT

Although Drake admits that her labor of love does not have the same social impact as other national volunteer efforts, she hopes that her drawings can at least bring some joy to her neighbors.

“We need a mental break every once and a while from this,” she told reporters. “I know some people are sewing masks and donating things so even though this isn’t as important as those things, it still has a role. If somebody can just smile as they’re walking down the street and for a second kind of break out of the sadness of the moment and the fear, I think that’s a win.”

To check out more of Casey Drake’s artwork, be sure and visit her Instagram 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.

(WATCH the interview below)

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Scientists ‘Blown Away’ By Discovery of Longest Animal Ever Recorded—And It’s Quite Beautiful

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LOOK: ‘Unprecedented’ New Photos of the Sun’s Surface Are Being Hailed as Landmark Achievement for Science

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Apr 16, 2020

Siphonophone-Schmidt Ocean Institute — Photo by the Schmidt Institute

Check out this beautiful *giant* siphonophore Apolemia recorded on #NingalooCanyons expedition. It seems likely that this specimen is the largest ever recorded, and in strange UFO-like feeding posture. Thanks @Caseywdunn for info @wamuseum @GeoscienceAus @CurtinUni @Scripps_Ocean pic.twitter.com/QirkIWDu6S
— Schmidt Ocean (@SchmidtOcean) April 6, 2020

An estimated 150-foot siphonophore—seemingly the longest animal ever recorded—was discovered during a month-long scientific expedition exploring the submarine canyons near Perth, Australia.

Additionally, up to 30 new underwater species were found by researchers from the Western Australian Museum aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel Falkor.

The discovery of this massive gelatinous string siphonophore—a floating colony of tiny individual zooids that clone themselves thousands of times into specialized bodies that string together to work as a team—was just one of the unique finds among some of the deepest fish and marine invertebrates ever recorded for Western Australia.

Scientists from the Western Australian Museum, led by Chief Scientist Dr. Nerida Wilson, were joined by researchers from Curtin University, Geoscience Australia and Scripps Institution of Oceanography in exploring the Ningaloo Canyons in the Indian Ocean. Using an underwater robot, ROV SuBastian, they completed 20 dives at depths of up to 4,500 meters (14,700 feet) over 181 hours of exploration.

During the expedition, scientists collected the first giant hydroids in Australia, discovered large communities of glass sponges in Cape Range Canyon, and observed for the first time in Western Australia the bioluminescent Taning’s octopus squid, long-tailed sea cucumber, and a number of other molluscs, barnacle and squat lobster species. Some of the species collected will be exhibited at the Western Australian Museum.

The team have amassed an incredible collection of organisms which will help to shed new light on the biodiversity of Cape Range Canyon and Cloates Canyon off Ningaloo (Credit: Greg Rouse (Scripps Oceanography), Nerida Wilson (Chief Scientist) and the FK200308 team).

The team also found the largest specimen of the giant siphonophore Apolemia ever recorded—video of which was posted on Schmidt Ocean Institute’s Twitter account.

“We suspected these deep sea areas would be diverse but we have been blown away by the significance of what we have seen,” Wilson said. Added Dr. Lisa Kirkendale, head of aquatic zoology at the Western Australian Museum and co-principal investigator, “These specimens represent so many extensions in depth and range records for so many species, and will form an important new part of WA Museum collections.”

The expedition is part of Schmidt Ocean Institute’s year-long initiative in Australia and the Pacific to conduct a number of science and engineering expeditions with teams of scientists and researchers from around the world. Using the underwater robot SuBastian, scientists for the first time are able to explore deep sea canyons and coral reefs around Australia that have never been seen before. The footage and samples collected from the oceans that surround Australia will have important implications for the sustainability and protection of these underwater ecosystems—and for similar habitats worldwide that are in peril because of rising ocean temperatures and other environmental threats.

Owned and operated by Schmidt Ocean Institute, a philanthropic nonprofit established by Eric and Wendy Schmidt in 2009, Falkor is the only year-round seagoing philanthropic research vessel in the world. The vessel is equipped with a state-of-the-art 4,500 meter-capable underwater robotic system, ROV SuBastian, that was used to visually explore and collect samples from critical deep ocean areas that had not been explored before.

The ship and ROV are both made available to the international science community at no cost, and the scientists agree to make their discoveries publicly available. The collection data for these specimens will be made publicly available.

“There is so much we don’t know about the deep sea, and there are countless species never before seen,” said Wendy Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt Ocean Institute. “Our planet is deeply interconnected–what happens in the deep sea impacts life on land–and vice versa. This research is vital to advance our understanding of that connection–and the importance of protecting these fragile ecosystems. The Ningaloo Canyons are just one of many vast underwater wonders we are about to discover that can help us better understand our planet.”

CHECK OUT: Scientists Detect Tone Pattern in the Ringing of a Newborn Black Hole for the First Time, Proving Einstein Right Again

The science completed will allow the research team to formally describe many of the new species of animals that were found, develop ROV methodology for monitoring Marine Parks in Australia and screen deep water samples for environmental DNA in the Indian Ocean. The ROV SuBastian dives were livestreamed and are available in perpetuity on Schmidt Ocean Institute’s YouTube page, including video highlights, making the incredible diversity in the Ningaloo region available for the public to explore. The footage and specimens collected are important records within the Gascoyne Marine Park, serving as a permanent record of biodiversity in the canyons to build on in the future.

“Ongoing scientific exploration is vital to the effective management of our marine parks,” said Dr. James Findlay, director of Australia’s National Parks, who has been closely following the Falkor expedition, “and we are committed to partnering with other agencies to record and monitor these precious places.”

Reprinted from Schmidt Ocean Institute

(WATCH the video below)

"You go out and are expecting certain things...all of a sudden you are taken sideways+in the moment of discovery-doing something you never expected and seeing something you've never seen. It is just magic."

Full #NingalooCanyons wrap up video is AMAZING: https://t.co/wmjMsugbDt pic.twitter.com/IS38E3Twvo
— Schmidt Ocean (@SchmidtOcean) April 12, 2020

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Watch Notre Dame Cathedral Bell Ring Out for Healthcare Workers on the One-Year Anniversary of Its Fire

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