Quote of the Day: “A problem is never as permanent as a solution.” – from the 1988 film, Torch Song Trilogy
Photo: by bartb_pt, CC license
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This birthday gift to the United States may have gone down in history as one of the sweetest gestures of international appreciation for the country’s independence.
Two years ago, the Library of Congress’s website published the entirety of a Polish birthday card that was given to the United States on the 150th anniversary of when America claimed independence.
And when we say entirety, we mean all 111 volumes of well wishes – including 5.5 million signatures from the Polish people.
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The Polish Declarations of Admiration and Friendship, which also served as a thank you from the Polish people who were grateful for American aid during World War I, were presented to President Calvin Coolidge in 1926. The collective 30,000 pages are rich in color and history, with pressed flowers, drawings from famous Polish artists, and notes from religious, social, business, military, and educational institutions.
The signatures basically serve to represent about one sixth of the Polish population from that time. As the volumes took eight months to create, they were also delivered some time after the Fourth of July.
But they were appreciated all the same.
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To summarize the message of the Declarations, the Polish committee in charge of the project wrote: “Noble Americans, your national holiday is sacred not for you alone. It finds a warm reverberation over the whole world.”
“We, the people of Poland, send to you, citizens of the great American union, fraternal greetings [and] . . . our deepest admiration . . . for the institutions which have been created by you.
“In them, Liberty, Equality and Justice have found their highest expression and have become the guiding stars for all modern democracies.”
“With eternal gratitude in our hearts,” the Poles declared, “we . . . desire . . . to wish your country and your nation all possible prosperity. . . . Long live the United States of America!”
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In what is being called a “world-first”, Nestlé will begin wrapping their Yes! snack bar range in a new kind of recyclable paper that can biodegrade in six months.
Researchers working at the company’s English confectionery R&D center in York have found a way to use a recyclable paper wrapper in a high-speed “flow wrap cold seal” packaging line, which – thus far – has been a process that has only been suitable for plastic films and laminates.
The Yes! range of fruit- and nut-based bars, which will become the first brand to convert to the new recyclable paper wrapper, will be rolled out this month.
Additionally, the Swiss company says that they have not patented the technology as a means of encouraging other companies to adopt the packaging method starting from April of next year, according to the Financial Times.
“We’ve turned our attention to the wrapper so that the packaging is sustainable and easy to recycle. It’s an important step as we work to make all of our packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025,” said Stefano Agostini, CEO for Nestlé in the UK and Ireland.
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Though Nestlé did not disclose when their other products would adopt the biodegradable packaging, the company has already made notable strides towards their sustainability goals. At the start of the year, Nestlé began to replace all of the plastic straws from its products with eco-friendly materials like paper; they started rolling out paper packaging for Nesquik; and they announced that Smarties candy would soon begin using plastic-free packaging.
Additionally, the company announced in April that they had managed to certify three-quarters of their supply chain as deforestation-free ahead of their deadline for being entirely deforestation-free before 2020.
Now with their latest packaging breakthrough for the Yes! brand, the snack bar wrappers will now carry the message “carefully wrapped in paper” in order to reflect the work that has been done in adapting production lines to handle the new packaging more gently during the manufacturing process.
The new packaging is made of a coated paper that is widely recyclable with other paper. The paper itself comes from sustainable sources, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification.
The innovation has been a significant project for the company’s R&D centre in York and a small team has worked independently and creatively to focus on finding the breakthrough required over the course of the last ten months.
The challenge for experts was to find a way to use paper on high speed production lines that have been designed for more durable plastic or laminate packaging. The new wrapper then had to be tested extensively to make sure it would keep Yes! bars in perfect condition during production, transport and storage.
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“This launch is the result of a lot of hard work at speed with our R&D teams delivering a recyclable paper solution for our YES! bars in less than 10 months,” said Jas Scott de Martinville, Global Confectionery R&D lead for Nestlé. “It is an incredible achievement and one that we are all very proud of.”
Although the bars are not yet available in the United States, the new paper wrapped-bars are now being launched in more countries, including Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, and the United Kingdom. More countries in Europe and beyond will follow soon.
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Most Americans enjoy the fireworks displays that light up the skies every 4th of July – but dogs generally aren’t as thrilled, especially shelter pups living in crowded kennels.
Over the years, more and more animal shelters have recruited community volunteers to comfort their shelter dogs during Independence Day firework shows, but one Florida police department has found the perfect team of helpers to look after anxious pups.
Spending time with canines has been shown to be particularly therapeutic for inmates – and that’s why the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office of Florida recently announced that they would be employing a team of inmates to comfort the dogs at the local Animal Care Center on Independence Day.
Throughout the holiday, the inmates will be snuggling, comforting, offering treats, and reading to the dogs to keep them calm.
The department’s Sheriff Wayne Ivey made the announcement on Facebook after he received several calls from concerned community members about the wellbeing of the shelter animals in anticipation of the holiday.
“While we greatly appreciate the offer of assistance and truly love the fact that our community partners with us to help our homeless pets, our agency has designed a new program that will not only help our dogs, but will also help add purpose to the lives of inmates incarcerated at the Brevard County Jail,” wrote the sheriff.
“Our goal is to not only help calm the dogs but also to help build and instill a sense of purpose and compassion in the inmates that will hopefully aid them as they transition back into society once the have served their time,” he continued.
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Quote of the Day: “I believe in America because we have great dreams, and because we have the opportunity to make those dreams come true.” – Wendell L. Wilkie (Happy Independence Day!)
Photo: by Michael Dougherty, CC license
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Summer is the time to chow down at a good old-fashioned barbecue, especially for the Fourth of July in the United States– but what about the vegans?
A new survey examined how the traditional concept of barbecue can accommodate those with meat-free and alternative-diets, and explored the lengths hosts go to in order to cater to guests with dietary restrictions.
The survey conducted by OnePoll in conjunction with Sabra examined the summer hosting habits and behaviors of 2,000 Americans and discovered that two in five expect to host a guest with dietary restriction this summer.
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For starters, if you get anxious over hosting vegan guests, then you’re not the only one; the survey results say that 47% of hosts are likely to panic or get nervous during their event planning. Furthermore, men are far more likely than women to stress about pleasing their guests with dietary restrictions (52% versus 40%).
While 58% of Americans have a family member who is vegan, vegetarian or both, 71% hope these guests will be fine with a veggie platter and “get by” with what is already offered at a barbecue.
Four out of five Americans believe they are accommodating towards those who eat vegan—and the top five go-to dishes that hosts put out to please everyone are salad, grilled vegetables, fruit, corn, and refrigerated or fresh dips like hummus.
TOP 10 GO-TO SAFE FOODS FOR DIETARY RESTRICTIONS? SURVEY SAYS…
1. Salad 72%
2. Grilled vegetables 67%
3. Fruit 65%
4. Corn 50%
5. Refrigerated/fresh dips 46%
6. Meatless hamburgers 46%
7. Hummus 46%
8. Crudite (raw vegetables) 45%
9. Crackers 44%
10. Meatless hot dogs 38%
That being said, these snacks are apparently not enough to please. Over half (52%) of Americans with dietary restrictions admit to bringing their own food to barbecues to make certain that their stomach growls on low volume.
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Those over the age of 55 were the least likely to become annoyed at hosting a vegan. Not only that, they largely disagreed with their younger counterparts by reporting that it’s not at all rude to “BYOF (bring your own food).”
Of those surveyed with a dietary restriction, half reported feeling judged by their host during a barbecue—and they rated the most common annoying questions that have been posed to them by party-goers who can eat everything.
MOST ANNOYING QUESTIONS TO ASK SOMEONE WITH A DIETARY RESTRICTION? SURVEY SAYS…
1. Do you get enough protein? – 43%
2. Aren’t you hungry all the time? – 43%
3. Do you miss foods you can’t eat? – 34%
4. Why do you choose to eat this way? – 27%
5. Are you trying to lose weight? – 21%
The top challenge hosts will face this barbecue season is making sure the food offered is tasty (48%).
Next in line for the biggest challenges facing barbecue hosts this year is a tie between providing a variety of options (47%) and making sure guests with restrictive diets have enough food (47%).
TOP 9 CHALLENGES FACED BY HOSTS? SURVEY SAYS…
1. Making sure the food offered is tasty – 48%
2. Providing a variety of options for everyone – 47%
3. Making sure guests have enough food to eat – 47%
4. Knowing what a guest with a dietary restriction can or can’t have – 45%
5. Making sure vegan options can be enjoyed by all – 42%
6. Knowing how to cook food items that they aren’t used to cooking – 38%
7. Making sure cross-contamination doesn’t occur – 31%
8. Buying more than initially expected – 29%
9. Confusing the vegan hamburgers with the real ones – 22%
That being said, both hosts and those with dietary restrictions are happy to see hummus on the menu at a barbecue. More than 70% of barbecue hosts and guests with restrictive diets say they would be happy to see hummus on the menu – and more than 46% say that they already put it out on the picnic table.
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Sabra, a manufacturer of hummus, is kicking off the busy summer barbecue season by coming to the rescue of panicked barbecue hosts nationwide. They can call 1-866-Code-Vegan or visit CodeVegan.com for recipes, inspiration and, while supplies last, free Vegan Rescue Kits featuring vegan recipes for barbecue flatbread, product coupons, and quirky laptop stickers all designed to remind vegans and meat-lovers alike that the answer to your menu challenges is likely already in your fridge.
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If you have ever ridden an underground subway system in the summer, then you’re probably familiar with the crippling heat and humidity that can come with it.
Thankfully, researchers now believe that we may be able to use the varying temperatures of transit systems to air condition and warm our homes instead.
The researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) have precisely quantified convection heat transfer in rail tunnels. Using the new model, they estimated how much energy the city of Lausanne could save by fitting the future M3 metro line with a geothermal heat-recovery system, in what would be a world first.
Heat transfer happens in various ways in rail tunnels. For instance, when trains brake or accelerate, they produce heat that warms the surrounding air. That hot air mixes with other air in the tunnel and with heat radiating from the ground.
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Until now, engineers have been unable to accurately calculate the amount of heat that tunnel air contains. Researchers at EPFL’s Soil Mechanics Laboratory (LMS) have overcome that problem by precisely estimating the convection heat transfer coefficient. Their findings have been published in Applied Thermal Engineering.
This breakthrough paves the way for innovative applications involving so-called energy tunnels that can supply energy to built environments. The team also tested its model on Lausanne’s future M3 metro line which, once complete, will carry passengers between the city’s train station and the Blécherette district to the north.
“Our research shows that fitting the heat-recovery system along 50 to 60% of the planned route – or 60,000 square meters of tunnel surface area – would cover the heating needs of about 1,500 apartments,” explains Margaux Peltier, a scientific assistant at the LMS whose Master’s research forms the basis of the article.
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The system also allows heat to be stored so it can be supplied to homes when needed. “Switching from gas-fired heating would cut the city’s CO2 emissions by two million tons per year,” adds Peltier. Her calculation does not include the savings gleaned from metro stations or at the planned rolling-stock depot in the north of the city, which could also benefit from the system.
As the temperature naturally stabilizes in underground tunnels, excess heat or cold is evacuated to the surface. The resulting warm airflow can often be felt at metro tunnel entrances. The idea behind the innovation is to harness this surplus warmth in addition to heat naturally present in the ground.
The system works in a similar way to a refrigerator, with plastic pipes containing heat-transfer fluid, or simply water, placed at regular intervals inside the concrete tunnel walls and connected to a heat pump. In winter, cold water will be pumped into the pipes, emerging hot at the surface. The opposite will happen in summer. According to the researchers, the system would be cheap and energy-efficient to install and would have a lifespan of between 50 and 100 years, with only the heat pumps having to be replaced every 25 years.
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Once equipped, heat from the tunnel would cover up to 80% of the heating needs of local apartments throughout winter, with the shortfall preferably coming from other renewable sources. But what makes geothermal systems like these unique is that they work in summer too. “The tunnel would act like a highly reliable, year-round heating and air-conditioning system,” says Peltier, adding that it would make a real difference to keeping Lausanne’s homes cool during hot weather. The system could even chill the ice rink set to be built in the city’s new Métamorphose eco-district.
“This article underscores the fact that energy-tunnel technology is mature and could be deployed at district-wide scale,” explains LMS head Lyesse Laloui. “It remains to be seen whether Swiss companies are now prepared to take the lead. Globally, we’ve only seen systems like these used on test sections so far.”
The researchers have presented their findings to Lausanne’s utility agency, local public transport operator, the Canton of Vaud, the prime contractor working on the new metro line, and the City of Lausanne.
Reprinted from EPFL
Be Sure And Share This Cool News With Your Friends On Social Media – Photo by Maurice Schobinger / EPFL
my parents are such goofs they drove out to the backroads so my dad could play the cows the songs he’s been learning on the saxophone pt.1 pic.twitter.com/IHzgxtvo0N
— Erin Herrmann (@erinmherrmann) June 26, 2019
Rick Herrmann has only been playing the saxophone for seven months, but he has already accumulated a heifer of a fanbase.
Herrmann’s daughter recently published two videos of the jazzy dad from McMinnville, Oregon using his saxophone to serenade his herd of cows – and the footage has already been shared millions of times since it was uploaded last week.
In the video, Herrmann kicks off his impromptu concert with a cover of “Isn’t She Lovely?” by Stevie Wonder closely followed by a version of George Michael’s “Careless Whisper”.
By the end of the 2-minute clip, Herrmann is surrounded by starstruck bovines.
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The saxophonist’s daughter then captured a second video of Herrmann playing the iconic melody of “Tequila” – which was punctuated perfectly by their neighbor chiming in from a nearby field.
The videos have already racked up over 12 million collective views, and Herrmann told KPTV that he was shocked by how quickly his “goofy” performance was shared across the internet – but he is happy that so many people have enjoyed his musical shenanigans.
“It just seemed to resonate with so many people. So many people said they had a hard day and they watched it and it put a smile on their face,” he told the news outlet.
(WATCH the second video below)
pt.2 listen for the neighbor at the end pic.twitter.com/qdMCnZRzqh
— Erin Herrmann (@erinmherrmann) June 26, 2019
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In a major collaborative effort, researchers have for the first time ever eliminated all traces of HIV from the genomes of living animals.
The study, which was reported online in the journal Nature Communications this week, marks a critical step toward the development of a possible cure for human HIV infection.
The research was carried out by a team of scientists from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (LKSOM) and the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
“Our study shows that treatment to suppress HIV replication and gene editing therapy, when given sequentially, can eliminate HIV from cells and organs of infected animals,” said Kamel Khalili, Director of the Comprehensive NeuroAIDS Center at LKSOM.
Current HIV treatment focuses on the use of antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART suppresses HIV replication but does not eliminate the virus from the body. Therefore, ART is not a cure for HIV, and it requires life-long use. If it is stopped, HIV rebounds, renewing replication and fueling the development of AIDS. HIV rebound is directly attributed to the ability of the virus to integrate its DNA sequence into the genomes of cells of the immune system, where it lies dormant and beyond the reach of antiretroviral drugs.
In previous work, Dr. Khalili’s team used CRISPR-Cas9 technology to develop a novel gene editing and gene therapy delivery system aimed at removing HIV DNA from genomes harboring the virus. In rats and mice, they showed that the gene editing system could effectively excise large fragments of HIV DNA from infected cells, significantly impacting viral gene expression. Similar to ART, however, gene editing cannot completely eliminate HIV on its own.
For the new study, Dr. Khalili and colleagues combined their gene editing system with a recently developed therapeutic strategy known as long-acting slow-effective release (LASER) ART.
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LASER ART targets viral sanctuaries and maintains HIV replication at low levels for extended periods of time, reducing the frequency of ART administration. The long-lasting medications were made possible by pharmacological changes in the chemical structure of the antiretroviral drugs. The modified drug was packaged into nanocrystals, which readily distribute to tissues where HIV is likely to be lying dormant. From there, the nanocrystals, stored within cells for weeks, slowly release the drug.
“We wanted to see whether LASER ART could suppress HIV replication long enough for CRISPR-Cas9 to completely rid cells of viral DNA,” said Khalili.
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To test their idea, the researchers used mice engineered to produce human T cells susceptible to HIV infection, permitting long-term viral infection and ART-induced latency. Once infection was established, mice were treated with LASER ART and subsequently with CRISPR-Cas9. At the end of the treatment period, mice were examined for viral load. Analyses revealed complete elimination of HIV DNA in about one-third of HIV-infected mice.
“The big message of this work is that it takes both CRISPR-Cas9 and virus suppression through a method such as LASER ART, administered together, to produce a cure for HIV infection,” Dr. Khalili said. “We now have a clear path to move ahead to trials in non-human primates and possibly clinical trials in human patients within the year.”
Reprinted from Temple University
Cure Your Friends Of Negativity By Sharing The Good News To Social Media – Photo by Temple University
Thanks to @Pharrell for guaranteeing an internship to every one of our 114 @hczorg #PromiseAcademy graduating seniors - all of whom have been accepted to college - and urging them to be leaders for justice and change in the world. #NewHarlemRenaissance #ClassOf2019 pic.twitter.com/KkzwW4YYBp
— Anne Williams-Isom (@MsAnneHCZ) June 26, 2019
Famed musician and producer Pharrell Williams has just guaranteed internships to 114 graduating Harlem high school students.
Williams made the announcement during his speech as the 2019 keynote speaker for the Harlem Charter Zone’s Promise Academy.
According to the New York City-based organization, every single one of their graduating high school students has already been accepted into college or university – and thanks to Williams, they will now have an “A-list internship” waiting for them after their first year of higher education.
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“The world is watching Harlem, but this renaissance will be different,” Wiliams said in the speech. “Believe it or not … it’s going to actually be better. The reason why is because the new Harlem Renaissance has education at its core.”
Harlem Charter Zone CEO Anne Williams-Isom told Buzzfeed News that the charter school staffers have been working with Pharrell to create the internship program as a means of helping their students forge meaningful business relationships that “can open doors for them” throughout their academic career.
“In order for us to get our community, these children, and these families out of poverty, we want to make sure that they are connected to a livable wage, and we know that for so many of our young people, the way that they’re going to be able to do that is with that college degree in their hands, but also with some experience from very good internships that they will be able to do while they’re in college,” she said.
The gesture is reminiscent of when billionaire Robert F. Smith told 396 graduating college students in May that he would be paying off their collective student debt, an estimated $40 million.
Though the details of Pharrell’s internship program are limited, reporters say that each student will be assigned a paid internship that will give them experience in their respective career field after their first year of college.
(WATCH the announcement below) – Feature photo by Harlem Children’s Zone
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Quote of the Day: “Respect is the younger brother of love.” – English proverb
Photo: by Luis Sarabia, CC license
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A homeless man and his beloved senior dog named Lucky have been given a new lease on life after a concerned animal shelter staffer wrote a Facebook post about their predicament.
Last week, Mr. Williams was evicted from his home in Lawrenceville, Georgia. With just $40 in his pocket and all of his possessions packed into his car, he was forced to make a difficult choice.
Williams did not want his 14-year-old furry friend to endure the difficulties of sleeping in his car – so with a heavy heart, he took Lucky to the Gwinnett County Animal Welfare shelter in hopes of giving his pup a better chance for stability.
As Williams filled out the paperwork to relinquish Lucky, all of the rescue center workers were heartbroken by the situation. Shelter staffer Katie Corbett was so emotional over the exchange, she decided to snap some photos of the dynamic duo and post them to her Facebook page with a plea for help.
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After Williams said a sad farewell to his best friend, Corbett and her colleagues knew that they could not let Lucky and his dad be separated for long – so the team immediately leapt into action.
Thanks to some fast-acting staffers, several anonymous donors, and various representatives from the county’s Senior Services Department, the crew managed to get Williams into a hotel for a week so he wouldn’t have to sleep in his car. Corbett then asked her Facebook followers if anyone would be willing to foster Lucky until Williams was in stable housing.
“Lucky’s dad knows that he could get adopted or rescued,” wrote Corbett. “In fact, he would be ecstatic if somebody could rescue his boy from a loud, stressful environment. He understands that risk. But what would be even better is if we could find a foster to keep Lucky while his dad gets back on his feet so that we could be able to reunite them.”
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The very next day, a man walked into the shelter and said he would be happy to take Lucky home so that the senior canine wouldn’t have to spend another minute in the noisy shelter.
Corbett then launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for Williams – and since she created it two weeks ago, it has raised over $10,000, which is more than twice their original goal.
“I shared Lucky and Mr. Williams’ story on social media … hoping to secure a temporary foster for the dog until we could come up with another plan,” wrote Corbett on the crowdfunding page. “Never in a million years would I have expected the outpouring of support that was displayed.”
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“Thank you all so much for wanting to help Lucky and his dad. Lucky really is so lucky,” she added.
Since Williams is disabled and unable to work, he says that a van is his preferred form of housing. With hundreds of people donating to the GoFundMe page, Corbett says that it will only be a matter of time before Williams and his pup are reunited under a new roof of their very own.
“We have talked with Nissan Sutherlin at Mall of Georgia and have found a great vehicle that will fit both of their needs,” says Corbett. “Other funds will be used for Lucky’s vet care, food and joint supplements (as needed), and setting up the van to have the proper insulation, wiring, and solar power that is needed to sustain the two of them.”
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Researchers have successfully teleported quantum information securely within the confines of a diamond – and the study has big implications for quantum information technology, the future of how sensitive information is shared and stored.
The researchers from the Yokohama National University published their results earlier this week in Communications Physics.
According to the American Physical Society’s physics page, quantum information is spy-proof. When an eavesdropper attempts to intercept a message encoded in a quantum state, the message is altered by the eavesdropper’s measurement. Quantum bits, or “Qubits”, also cannot be copied – any attempt to do so instead creates an entangled state.
“Quantum teleportation permits the transfer of quantum information into an otherwise inaccessible space,” said Hideo Kosaka, a professor of engineering at Yokohama National University and an author on the study. “It also permits the transfer of information into a quantum memory without revealing or destroying the stored quantum information.”
The “inaccessible space”, in this case, consisted of carbon atoms in diamond. Made of linked, yet individually contained, carbon atoms, a diamond holds the perfect ingredients for quantum teleportation.
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A carbon atom holds six protons and six neutrons in its nucleus, surrounded by six spinning electrons. As the atoms bond into a diamond, they form a notoriously strong lattice. Diamonds can have complex defects, though, when a nitrogen atom exists in one of two adjacent vacancies where carbon atoms should be. This defect is called a nitrogen-vacancy center.
Surrounded by carbon atoms, the nucleus structure of the nitrogen atom creates what Kosaka calls a nanomagnet.
To manipulate an electron and a carbon isotope in the vacancy, Kosaka and the team attached a wire about a quarter the width of a human hair to the surface of a diamond. They applied a microwave and a radio wave to the wire to build an oscillating magnetic field around the diamond. They shaped the microwave to create the optimal, controlled conditions for the transfer of quantum information within the diamond.
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Kosaka then used the nitrogen nanomagnet to anchor an electron. Using the microwave and radio waves, Kosaka forced the electron spin to entangle with a carbon nuclear spin – the angular momentum of the electron and the nucleus of a carbon atom. The electron spin breaks down under a magnetic field created by the nanomagnet, allowing it to become susceptible to entanglement. Once the two pieces are entangled, meaning their physical characteristics are so intertwined they cannot be described individually, a photon which holds quantum information is applied and the electron absorbs the photon. The absorption allows the polarization state of the photon to be transferred into the carbon, which is mediated by the entangled electron, demonstrating a teleportation of information at the quantum level.
“The success of the photon storage in the other node establishes the entanglement between two adjacent nodes,” Kosaka said. Called quantum repeaters, the process can take individual chunks of information from node to node, across the quantum field.
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“Our ultimate goal is to realize scalable quantum repeaters for long-haul quantum communications and distributed quantum computers for large-scale quantum computation and metrology,” Kosaka added.
The National Science Foundation says that quantum effects have already been used to create unbeatable codes. Previous studies have also shown that the defects in a diamond’s atomic structure could be used to store vast amounts of data similarly to how CDs and DVDs store information on their discs.
Since one of a diamond’s atomic defects measuring just billionths of a meter wide could be used to store data, researchers say that diamonds could very well be the future of computer storage – and now with the research from Yokohama National University, they could be the future of cyber security as well.
Be Sure And Share The Fascinating News With Your Friends On Social Media – File photo by Jurvetson, CC
An airline passenger is being praised for showing bottomless kindness and patience towards a boy with autism who was traveling alone for the very first time.
7-year-old Landon was flying solo from Las Vegas to Portland in order to visit his father earlier this week. His mother, Alexa Bjornson, was concerned for her son’s safety – so she wrote out a note for Landon to give to whomever sat next to him on the plane.
In the note, Bjornson explained how her son had high-functioning autism and he may be prone to asking “Are we there yet?” during the flight. She went on to reassure the reader that although he sometimes got anxious during takeoff, she had packed plenty of snacks and games to keep him busy throughout the rest of the trip.
“If you could please find it in your heart to make him feel comfortable and safe, I would be forever grateful!” she added.
In addition to including her phone number, Bjornson folded a $10 bill into the letter in hopes that it would incentivize the passenger to be extra patient with Landon.
When Landon’s plane finally arrived in Portland, she received a text message that brought her to tears.
The text was from a man named Ben Pedraza who had sat next to Landon on the plane. When Landon gave him the note, he was more than happy to accommodate the youngster.
Pedraza detailed how he and Landon had chatted, played some video games, and cracked jokes throughout the flight. After snapping a selfie with his new friend, Pedraza sent the photo to Bjornson to reassure her that everything had gone smoothly.
Not only that, he said that he donated the $10 to the Autism Society.
Pedraza later told Yahoo! Lifestyle that he was particularly moved to befriend the youngster after Landon mentioned that he was often bullied for having autism.
“I have a nephew with facial cranial deformities and he hates school for this very reason,” Pedraza told the news outlet. “I think more needs to be discussed and done to thwart this behavior by other children and adults. It starts at home, I believe.”
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Needless to say, Bjornson was overwhelmed with gratitude for Pedraza’s compassion. She later published a screenshot of his text to Facebook in order to highlight his compassion, and the post has already been shared thousands of times.
“I am so grateful to this individual, and that there are still kind people in the world who make a difference like I try myself to do as well,” wrote Bjornson.
Be Sure And Share The Sweet Story Of Kindness With Your Friends On Social Media – Photo by Ben Pedraza
PepsiCo has just announced that they will begin using more sustainable packaging for their water brands as soon as 2020.
Starting next year, the company’s LIFEWTR product will be bottled in containers made of 100% rPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate), while their Aquafina and Bubly sparkling water brands will soon be sold in aluminum cans in US food service outlets.
The changes are expected to eliminate more than 8,000 metric tons of virgin plastic and approximately 11,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in the company’s pursuit of contributing towards a more circular and sustainable economy.
According to data from a 2017 EPA report, aluminum cans are successfully recycled by consumers almost twice as often as plastic bottles. Furthermore, metal cans are typically made out of 70% recycled materials while plastic bottles only use about 3%.
This latest initiative reinforces and advances PepsiCo’s goals of making 100% of its packaging recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable and use 25% recycled plastic content in all its plastic packaging before 2025.
PepsiCo is reportedly one of the largest users of food-grade recycled PET in the world, and the company is also working to help reliably increase the supply needed to meet its packaging goals in tandem with current suppliers and partners like The Recycling Partnership, Loop Industries, Alliance to End Plastic Waste, and the World Economic Forum’s Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP).
“We are really excited to evolve our packaging across PepsiCo’s water portfolio to make a positive impact,” says Stacy Taffet, Vice President Water portfolio for PepsiCo. “We created LIFEWTR to be an inspirational and purpose-driven brand, and we’re expanding that vision by using recycled packaging to deliver our premium water. At the same time, Bubly, our sparkling water brand that is full of flavor and personality, has already shaken up the sparkling water category and will continue to do so with this bold move.”
Package Up The Positivity By Sharing The Good News With Your Friends On Social Media – File photo by Mark Hillary, CC
A clever wildlife rescue group is showing that bras can support much more than just women’s bodies – they can also support the shells of injured turtles.
The Carolina Waterfowl Rescue has been recycling worn-out bras by using the clasps to secure cracked and broken turtle shells.
It can take anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks for a fractured turtle shell to heal completely. Over the course of the last month, the organization says that they have been treating about 40 turtles every week.
Many of the turtles have suffered damage to their shell after being hit by a lawnmower, car, or motorized vehicle. Thankfully, the rescuers have managed to fix the reptile shells by gluing the pieces together and using bra clasps to secure the shell with wire.
LOOK: When Bird Rescuers Ask for Help During Nesting Season, Thousands of People Donate Hand-Knitted Nests
This is not the first time that the Carolina Waterfowl Rescue has come up with a clever solution for wildlife medical treatment. In April, the group asked their supporters to send them hand-knitted nests for rescued baby birds who had been abandoned or injured during nesting season.
The rescue organization, which is based out of Indian Trail, North Carolina, recently made a Facebook post asking if women could send in their old bras for recycling – but since news outlets began sharing the group’s innovative medical technique, rescuers say that they have been inundated with old bras.
The group has reassured concerned Facebook readers that they only use the clasps from bras that are no longer suitable for everyday use. If they receive any bras that still seem to be in relatively good shape, then the reptile rescuers simply donate them to charity.
“We work closely with our friends at Common Heart who run a thrift store and a food pantry,” writes the Waterfowl Rescue Facebook page. “If we get any bras and they are usable, they will be donated there. Unusable ones will have the clasps recycled for the turtles.”
That being said, the Carolina Waterfowl Rescue asks that readers support their rescue mission by either sponsoring a rescued turtle or making a donation on their website.
Save Your Friends From Negativity By Sharing The News To Social Media…
Quote of the Day: “Beware negative people; they have a problem for every solution.” – Anonymous
Photo: by James Broad, CC license
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
Correction: We previously incorrectly attributed the quote to Albert Einstein.
Today is MOTH Monday on Good News Network: In partnership with The Moth, a nonprofit dedicated to the art of storytelling, we bring you the most uplifting speakers from live stages across the world.
Harwood Taylor has always had a difficult relationship with his father – especially since his father struggled with bipolar disorder.
So when Taylor’s father was eventually diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, he was faced with the challenge of trying to reconnect with his dad and overcome the weight of their past.
Thankfully, Taylor describes how he was finally able to reconnect with his father through a very simple gesture in the car.
Listen to his inspiring story below…
The Moth gives people an opportunity to tell a true story in front of a live audience, and sometimes their stories are chosen to air on the radio show, now celebrating its tenth year, and broadcasting on 485+ public radio stations—and on The Moth podcast, which is downloaded over 52 million times a year.
The Moth’s third book, Occasional Magic: True Stories About Defying the Impossible is now available for purchase through your favorite booksellers.
Be Sure And Share The Inspiring Tale With Your Friends On Social Media…
The group from Eindhoven whose prototype car won the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge for three years, just introduced the world’s first long-range solar car—the four-passenger all-electric vehicle called Lightyear One.
The prototype, which has already sold 100 orders to be filled in 2021, was presented to a select audience of investors, customers, partners, and press last week at the break of dawn in the Netherlands.
“This moment represents a new era of driving,” said Lex Hoefsloot, CEO and co-founder of Lightyear. “Two years of dreaming, thinking and working hard have led to this milestone, which is a giant leap towards achieving our mission of making clean mobility available to everyone.”
Lightyear was founded in 2016 after receiving enough accolades, grants, and investment that they were able to develop their working prototype in just two years.
RELATED: Tesla’s Solar Roof May Actually Be Cheaper Than Your Own Roof
The Lightyear One has been engineered using only the principles of physics to produce maximum efficiency for their plug-in car to get “the most out of every ray of sunshine.”
They were able to produce a 4-passenger luxury car that requires only half the energy consumption of other cars in its class—with a battery two-thirds the size of a Tesla S but providing longer range, up to 800 kilometers (497 miles) if driving in full sun.
Hoefsloot continued, “The main goal of the car is to fill in where electric cars fall short. Research has shown that range and the lack of charging options are still the top concerns that people have when considering electric cars.”
RELATED: Germany Debuts First Overhead Power Lines for Keeping Electric Trucks Charged on the Highway
It can charge directly from the sun, but also can be plugged in. So effectively, you charge a lot faster from any power outlet. You can charge up to 400 km (248 miles) at night from an ordinary household electrical outlet.
Hoefsloot and his team of international engineers—some coming from Ferrari and Tesla—believe that with advancements in solar cars, making them cheaper in the future, they can make a big dent in world CO2 emissions.
Since new technology has a high unit cost at the beginning, they have to start in an exclusive market—the first production vehicles cost $127,000. But the next models Lightyear plans to develop will have a significantly lower purchase price.
Combined with the low operating costs of the vehicle—a low price per kilometer—the third, final step will be to provide truly sustainable cars that are more affordable to use than the cost of gas you would need to drive a combustion car.
“This will prove to be our most important tipping point in the near future, and it will pave the way for a car fleet that is one hundred percent sustainable.”
They have yet to ramp up production of the Lightyear One in their new facility in Helmond, but buyers can reserve one of the 500 electric vehicles for a reservation fee of €119,000 on their website (with expected delivery in 2021).
(WATCH the car driving in the video below)
Race to Be the First to Post About This New Solar Car on Social Media…
This adorable photo of a little boy proudly embracing his tearful younger sister is melting hearts across social media.
The children’s mother, Aundrea Smith, described the sweet moment in an Instagram post last week.
The Connecticut parent says that her 5-year-old daughter Charlee had just finished her honorary Pre-K graduation ceremony when she was approached by her 8-year-old brother Derek.
In her Instagram post, Smith writes: “After the ceremony, my son walked up to her and gave her a hug. ‘I’m just so proud of you,’ he said.
“Then of course my daughter started crying. As we wiped away our tears, my husband asked her, ‘Pumpkin, why are you crying?’ She responded, ‘I’m just so happy.’”
Since publishing the photo to Instagram, it has been shared thousands of times across social media and national news outlets.
Smith says that she posted the photo in hopes of inspiring other people to express their emotions as fearlessly and honestly as her kids – and based on the amount of positive feedback she has received on social media since publishing the picture, her wish has come true.
Be Sure And Share This Sweet Story Of Sibling Love With Your Friends On Social Media…
