Babcock Ranch is a town in Florida that is being hailed as America’s first ever city that is completely powered by solar panels—and it is quickly shaping up to be an eco-friendly role model for the rest of the nation.
Perhaps most notably, the town is the brainchild of Syd Kitson, the former NFL lineman for the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers—an athlete with a big vision.
He first began development of the 17,000-acre property near Fort Myers by transforming the abandoned mining land into an expansive solar farm comprised of nearly 350,000 panels.
Taking this developmental approach ensured that the town could be self-sustainable, even as it grows exponentially in size and population.
“We think about the way we develop differently… It’s the most environmentally responsible, the most sustainable new town that’s ever been developed,” Kitson told Fox News. “And, it’s the first solar-powered town in America. And we’re very proud of that.”
Eco-friendly Babcock Ranch offers residents a chance to live their environmentally conscientious dreams as they bike to work, or take the electric shuttle bus to the town square.
One resident, Josh Day, tells Fox News why being part of the Babcock community is truly of importance to him: “To be able to be a part of a community of everyone that cares, and wants that for them, not only for themselves but also for their children and their grandchildren, to have it be a more clean Earth whenever our children are older.”
Although the current population is still small, the town is expected to house nearly 45,000 residents in the not-so-distant future – and the houses only cost between $190,000 and $499,000.
(WATCH the news coverage below) – Photo by Babcock Ranch
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Quote of the Day: “Once you have flown… you will ever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you long to return.” – Leonardo da Vinci
Image: by Jason Jacobs, CC license
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Bernie Dalton was a musician with aspirations of having his songwriting heard – and now, despite his medical condition, he finally has.
Several years ago, Bernie began his musical journey by answering a Craigslist ad for voice lessons that was posted by California singer-songwriter Essence Goldman.
Dalton was so excited for his lessons, he showed up early for every session, despite the 90-minute drive from Santa Cruz to San Francisco.
Soon after starting his work with Ms. Goldman, Dalton lost his voice and experienced difficulty eating and swallowing. Upon seeing a doctor, Dalton was diagnosed with early-onset ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Despite his prognosis and the loss of motor function and vocal abilities, he would not defer his dream; Dalton was determined to have his music heard. His teacher began accepting his lyrics by mail, and he continued to book time with her to work on songs.
After months of collaboration, Ms. Goldman eventually became the voice to the voiceless Bernie Dalton, who uses his music to express feelings about his daughter, and his unique world view. She describes it as “the honor of her life.”
Goldman now performs Dalton’s songs alongside a musical group called Bernie and the Believers. They submitted a song to NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Contest in hopes of winning the national competition. They did not win the competition – but the contest producers were so moved by their story, they invited them into the studio for a performance.
“The story of Bernie and the Believers is the most powerful story that has ever crossed my Tiny Desk,” says producer Bob Boilen. “It’s one that stayed with our team since we received the entry in March of 2018. We knew we had to bring them in for their own Tiny Desk concert.”
“Last month, Essence and her band of Believers came to Washington, D.C. to perform Bernie’s songs. All the while, Bernie watched and listened from his hospital bed on the West coast, communicating with us in a live video feed through the eye-gaze device he uses to speak.”
“Watching the performance itself was intense. I felt profoundly moved by Bernie and Essence’s stories and songs… When it was over, everyone around me was wiping their eyes. What we witnessed was an ultimate act of love: Essence had sacrificed her own musical ambitions to fulfill the dreams of Bernie Dalton. Through tragedy, there was beauty.”
(WATCH the emotional performance below) – Photo by Bob Boilen / NPR
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Mesmerizing footage shows how an artistic hairdresser gives a client rainbow-colored hair—using a paint roller and sponge.
37-year-old Kelly O’Leary created the colorful look by dipping rollers normally used for applying paint into various shades of hair dyes.
The Canadian stylist, who runs the Sapphire Hair Lounge in Winnipeg, Manitoba, then applies the dye to strands of 32-year-old model Amanda Legris’s hair.
The end result is an eye-popping blend of orange, purple, pink, blue, green, red and yellow.
A clip of the transformation has been watched more than 100,000 times on Instagram.
Kelly, a color specialist of 20 years, said: “I do a lot of stage shows so I am always trying to come up with new and interesting techniques. My model Amanda lets me use her hair a lot, and I really appreciate how she has complete faith in me.”
SWNS
“I just went down to our local dollar store and picked up the rollers and the trays. The paint rollers take up a lot of space so I wouldn’t say they are for everyday use, but it did work quite well.”
“I also have tried a sponging technique which works a lot better. It is way more practical.”
Kelly first tested the experimental technique during a hair exhibition in the summer.
While Kelly doesn’t plan to introduce paint rollers into her salon’s daily routine, the hair stylist said she would be happy to pull them out for anyone who asked in advance.
SWNS
“When I put it on Instagram, everyone was really excited. If someone wrote to me and asked, I definitely would be down for doing it. I’d just have to be prepared in advance.”
(WATCH the aesthetically pleasing footage below)
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After the small town of Paradise, California, was nearly wiped out by wildfires last week, the local high school girl’s volleyball team was still determined to play their semifinal championship match last Saturday—despite having no uniforms or equipment after having evacuating quickly with only the clothes on their back.
But the opposing team from Forest Lake Christian High School in Auburn was waiting with a big surprise.
Within 24 hours, they had collected donations of $16,000 and when the girls from Paradise Adventist Academy showed up, they were greeted with new custom uniforms, knee pads, and socks—and a whole lot of love.
Not only that, a $300 gift card was provided for each player, along with truck loads of supplies and clothing for their families.
After the game, they were all invited to a banquet of warm food prepared by the Forest Lake families.
Paradise Adventist coach Jason Eyer addressed the packed gymnasium, filled with people who had never watched the Interscholastic sport before, but wanted to show support.
“I’ve never been so overwhelmed by so many things I would have never thought possible, and this is one of the most amazing things I could ever have thought would happen,” he said, according to an article in The Union. “Your community is awesome and we are forever grateful.”
For the first time ever, scientists have identified a way to halt kidney disease brought on by a life-limiting genetic condition—and it is expected to be available within the next three years.
Experts at Newcastle University have shown in a cell model and in a mouse model that gene editing could be used to stop kidney damage that is inflicted in patients with the CEP290 faulty gene related to Joubert syndrome.
Joubert syndrome is a brain disorder that causes varying degrees of physical, mental and sometimes visual impairments. The condition affects approximately one in 80,000 newborns, and one third also get kidney failure.
Not all patients with Joubert syndrome carry the CEP290 gene, but those who do will develop kidney disease during their lifetime and may require a transplant or dialysis.
The study, which was funded by Kidney Research UK, has found it is possible to use a strand of engineered DNA to trick the cells’ own editing machinery to bypass the CEP290 mutation that causes kidney damage—a technique known as ‘exon-skipping’.
Professor John Sayer, from the Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, led the research that was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
“This is the first time that gene editing within the kidney has been performed, even in a mouse model, as the design and delivery of the gene editing to the kidney has previously been thought to be too difficult,” said Sayer. “Our research is a major step forwards as we now know how we may be able to offer a therapy that corrects the gene mistake within kidney cells and prevent the development of genetic kidney disease.
“This work paves the way towards personalized genetic therapies in patients with the inherited kidney disease.”
The European study used kidney cells from patients with Joubert syndrome and a mouse model to progress the research.
Experts used urine samples to grow kidney cells in the laboratory to see how the cells responded to gene editing. They also performed gene editing to halt kidney disease in a mouse that had Joubert syndrome and rodents suffering from kidney cysts and kidney failure.
Professor Sayer, a consulting nephrologist from Newcastle Hospitals, said: “The treatment of genetic kidney disease is challenging, as this requires both the correction of the underlying gene defect and the delivery of the treatment.
“We have shown that the kidney disease in a mouse can be dramatically improved using this exon-skipping gene editing technology.
“This will mean that we can edit out genetic mistakes that are leading to inherited kidney diseases such as Joubert syndrome and we are testing this technology in other mouse models before we move into patient studies.
“We expect that we will start to test treatment of patients with exon-skipping within the next three years.”
Scientists are now looking to work with a drug manufacturing company to bring the exon-skipping technology into patients’ clinics.
The medical breakthrough is in no small thanks to Asher Ahmed, a 19-year-old from Fenham, Newcastle who has Joubert syndrome and will likely need a kidney transplant in the future.
Asher was diagnosed with kidney damage five years ago and is on a number of drugs to keep him well. He has a range of medical issues due to his Joubert syndrome, including visual impairment, communication problems and difficulties with balance and coordination.
The teenager has been instrumental in helping further the research as he has provided many samples over the years, allowing the Newcastle scientists to grow kidney cells, without which the research would not have been possible.
“All throughout Asher’s life, he has lived with the effects of Joubert syndrome,” says Asher’s mother, Nabila. “Anything that helps further understanding into the condition is well worth doing, so it’s great to see the study’s positive results.”
It’s been five years since people from all over the world came together in San Francisco to grant a little boy’s wish of being Batman – and now, people are delighted to find out that he has been thriving after his cancer treatment.
Miles Scott was just twenty months old when he was diagnosed with lymphoblastic leukemia. As he was undergoing chemotherapy when Make-A-Wish asked if he had any wishes they could help to make come true.
While some youngsters might be content to meet Batman at Disney World, Miles said that he wanted to be Batman.
The organization was determined to make the boy’s wish come true, so they put out an international call for people to help orchestrate an elaborate superhero adventure for Miles the “Bat Kid”— and thousands of people volunteered and donated money to bring the tall tale to life; even Lamborghinis were donated to turn into Batmobiles.
Miles was five years old when he finally finished his treatment, and the city of San Francisco was ready to celebrate. Over 20,000 people filled the streets to cheer him on as he battled villainy alongside firefighters, police officers, and the San Francisco Giants baseball team. News outlets televised Miles’s mission to defeat ‘The Joker’ and ‘Riddler’ and celebrities like President Obama tweeted messages of support to the youngster.
Following the crimefighting adventure, the San Francisco Chronicle renamed its paper for a day to the Gotham City Chronicle and published a front-page article with a huge headline reading: “Batkid Saves City”.
An anonymous fan even erected a billboard.
Make-a-Wish Foundation photo
Five years after the incredible event, Miles is reportedly in remission and showing no signs of the disease.
“Many people ask us, ‘How is Miles doing?’ The answer is, he’s doing great!” says the Make-A-Wish website.
“Since his crime fighting day five years ago, Miles has returned to being a typical kid—playing little league, going to school, helping (on) his family farm.
“Now 10 years old and in fifth grade, Miles loves science and robotics. After fighting his own heroic battle with leukemia, Miles visits his oncologist once a year, and has been in remission from leukemia for the past five years. [Mile’s mom] Natalie also wrote to Make-A-Wish recently to ask whether she could become a volunteer wish granter herself.”
If you want to hear more about Miles’s story, you can watch a documentary about the incredible day called “Batkid Begins”.
(WATCH the film trailer below)
Save Your Friends From Negativity By Sharing This Super Story To Social Media
Quote of the Day: “Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one come to you without leaving happier.” – Mother Teresa
Image: by Jill /Blue Moonbeam Studio, CC license
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The Lesson: In a work environment where it is easier to become disconnected than it is to form meaningful relationships, how do we stay plugged in? Not just to our work, but to our employees and co-workers. To Dan Schawbel, it’s all about making the effort to establish and nurture friendships, share knowledge, and engage in face-to-face conversation. By taking a step back from the computer screen, and a step closer to a colleague or employer, we can enrich both our work lives and our personal lives – and when we focus on and develop our interpersonal skills, we can become the leaders we wish to see in the workspace.
Notable Excerpt: “Not having your phone is the new vacation. We’re overworked, we’re burned out, people are working longer hours than ever before, without additional pay, and technology has made us on call, 24/7. People answer business e-mail outside of office hours, on vacation, wherever they are. They’re always kind of working. It’s the new norm. It’s almost expected. Busy is no longer a differentiator. Busy is what we’re all feeling, or we think we’re so busy. We think we have all of these friends, but yet, it’s an illusion. Technology has created the illusion of connection, when in reality we have weaker contacts … So we think we have all of these Facebook friends, but Facebook has changed the definition of friendship. Whereas, ‘Who can you really rely on if you’re mentally ill, or you’re in hospital? Who are the three people who are going to call you?’ Those are your real friends. Those are people who are going to be with you for a long period of time.
“It’s like what [Jay Shetty] said to me, he said, ‘I want to be friends with you forever.’ And that hit home so hard … because people, especially men, don’t talk like that … People don’t talk like that. If someone does say that, it really hits home, because it’s like, ‘Wow! What if I can just walk over to the people I really just want to be friends with for a really long time and say, ‘Hey, I want to be friends with your forever.’ That is so powerful. And just going back to the workplace … People spend a third of their life working. So, if you hate the people you work with and don’t extract meaning from the work that you actually do, you’re going to be disengaged, and 85% of the global workforce is either disengaged, or actively disengaged.”
The Host: After spending years of his young life and athletic career struggling with his own emotional wellbeing, a crippling injury left Lewis Howes without an identity and without any work. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, however, Howes recreated himself as a multi-million dollar media producer, motivational speaker, bestselling author, and podcast host. The ex-football player now spends his days chatting with the most inspirational icons of this generation on his School of Greatness podcast.
Podcast: The School of Greatness podcast is available for download on Soundcloud and iTunes. You can also watch footage of the interviews on Howes’s YouTube channel.
Books: Howes is the author of the New York Times best-selling book “The School of Greatness”: an in-depth collection of lessons and wisdom that he has gathered from interviewing hundreds of the world’s greatest role models and thinkers. Howes’s latest book, “The Mask of Masculinity”, is based on his experience with the dangerous stereotypes and expectations that are placed on men in modern society.
Is “green” the new sexy? According to new research, 62% of Americans consider it a turn-off if somebody doesn’t recycle.
The statistic emerged in a new study of 2,000 Americans examining the country’s relationship with recycling and found that you may want to add “I recycle” to your dating profile bio.
It seems to be a growing trend, too, as the younger generation is the most likely to say they’d be turned off if they saw somebody being wasteful.
The new survey, conducted by The Recycling Partnership, also found that not only is recycling now a dating factor – it’s also influencing where we choose to spend our paychecks.
For example, 74% of Americans said they’d rather shop and spend money at a “green business,” or a business that makes every effort to recycle and reuse materials, than a non-green business.
In fact, the average American would happily spend an extra $151 every month if it meant all their purchases went to supporting green businesses.
When split by age it appears the younger generation is the most ready to switch completely to green companies.
Those aged 18 to 34 would spend an extra $219 a month – or $2,628 a year – if it meant everything they bought came from companies that make every effort to recycle.
Those aged 55 and up, on the other hand, are a bit less concerned – they would only commit to an extra $37 a month to those companies.
“This study reinforces what we’re hearing from cities big and small. Americans value recycling and expect that companies producing products should make sure that their products are one, recyclable and then two, actually recycled,” said Keefe Harrison, CEO of The Recycling Partnership. “It begs the question, however, of what U.S. companies are doing to create that reality. Over the past 15 years corporate giving has declined by over 50%, with consumers now out-giving corporations 14 to one to charitable causes. Corporate America needs to see that in the new generation, giving more means getting more.”
So Americans obviously expect the most out of the businesses they choose to shop at when it comes to recycling, but how are those same Americans at recycling themselves?
According to the results, we need to step up our game.
For example, nearly half of Americans (42%) readily admit they don’t recycle as often they should, with the average American says they will throw away five recyclable items in the trash every week.
TOP 5 REASONS AMERICANS SAY THEY DON’T RECYCLE
I don’t have enough space in my home to recycle – 36%
Recycling is inconvenient – 30%
There’s no financial compensation – 19%
I forget – 17%
I don’t know what’s recyclable and what isn’t – 13%
Almost half of Americans (46%) feel that recycling exactly properly proves to be quite difficult, but that could be because only 27% feel they’re very knowledgeable when it comes to the subject.
“The Recycling Partnership is transforming recycling for good by making sure every American can recycle, and recycles all that they can,” continued Harrison. “This study makes it clear that our younger generations are a galvanized bunch when it comes to recycling, clearly selecting companies that fund the protection of our planet. Now let’s see which companies will open their wallets to boldly lead the way.”
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An Australian city has successfully piloted a simple solution for keeping their water sources free of trash and plastic pollution – and they hope that other towns will start doing the same thing.
Kwinana, a city of roughly 39,000 people, attached nets to two large drainage pipes located in residential areas back in March.
With rainwater carrying pieces of rubbish into the drainage pipes and out to the Henley Reserve, the community hoped that the nets might help to catch some of the litter before it reached the wildlife reserve.
To their delight, the nets worked spectacularly. Over the course of four months, the nets managed to catch 815 pounds (370 kilograms) of trash that would have otherwise ended up in the water.
No animals have gotten trapped in the nets since they were installed, and all of the biowaste that ends up getting collected with the trash is taken to a recycling facility that turns the loose leaves and twigs into fertilizer.
The nets cost Kwinana just under $20,000, which included the cost of design, manufacture, installation and associated civil works. Since city workers were previously required to collect the rubbish scattered around the reserve by hand, the strategy was also proven to be surprisingly cost-effective.
“After seeing the nets in action in other local government areas, the City determined the net to be the most cost-effective and safest option over other methods which can be up to four times the cost per unit and are sealed and submerged structures,” said Kwinana Mayor Carol Adams in a statement.
The city made a Facebook post about the success of their environmental initiative, and within two days, it had gone viral and reached over 2 million people around the world.
“The success of the post with over 27k shares, 92k likes and 13k loves in just 48 hours from people all over the world, just goes to show how important it is for government at all levels to really start to focus on environmental initiatives such as these and realize that small actions can have big impacts,” said Mayor Adams.
Kwinana plans on setting aside room in their 2019 city budget to implement more net fixtures across the city. They also hope that their community-based efforts will inspire other communities around the world to take similar action on a grassroots level.
(WATCH a quick clip of city workers with the nets below) – Photo by City of Kwinana
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A single mom has just won the largest lottery prize in her state’s history, and she has announced that she will be sharing the fortune with those who need it most.
Last month, 51-year-old Lerynne West was celebrating the purchase of her first home. She had just finished moving into the house in Redfield, Iowa when she and her sister stopped by a convenience store for pizza and coffee. While she was there, she picked up a Powerball ticket.
West has regularly played the lottery, but the most that she has ever won from a ticket was $150. When she recently checked her Powerball ticket numbers, however, she realized that she had won the $343.9 million jackpot – the largest lottery prize ever won in the state of Iowa.
Instead of spending the money on extravagant luxuries, she is using the money to set up the Callum Foundation, a charitable organization named after her premature grandson who died the day after he was born.
“I realize this is a life-changing moment,” West said as she claimed her prize at the Iowa lottery headquarters. “I’m excited to share my winnings with family and friends … I also plan to give to the causes and organizations important to my family through our newly-established Callum Foundation.”
The foundation will offer grants to initiatives that alleviate poverty and hunger, and improve education, animal welfare, and veteran affairs.
Additionally, West appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to say that she was kicking off her new career in charity by donating half a million dollars to The Travis Mills Foundation, an organization that facilitates long-term support for veterans and their families.
Though she is taking a charitable approach to her winnings, West did add that she was excited to buy a new car that would be big enough to carry all of her grandchildren for future field trips.
(WATCH the video below to hear her winning story)
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These two intrepid felines have spent the last two years trying to enter an art museum – and the internet has become fascinated by their escapades.
The Onomichi Museum in western Japan first started documenting the efforts of their furry visitors back in 2016 when a black cat, who they later named Ken-chan, spotted a cat photography exhibit that was on display beyond the automatic doors.
Though some people might scoff that a cat would have an interest in feline photography (everybody knows that cats prefer oil pawstels anyway), Ken-chan started regularly trying to get into the museum.
“I’m guessing that Ken-chan spotted some of the exhibits through the glass, and since the photos included those of black cats, he must have thought he had found a new friend,” the museum’s curator, Shinji Umebayashi, told the Guardian. “And then he just kept coming back.”
Soon, Ken-chan picked up a partner in crime: a ginger cat that the museum named Go-chan.
Over the course of the last two years, Ken-chan and Go-chan have made dozens of valiant attempts to get into the gallery. Though they have developed a sweet rapport with the security guard, he has always dutifully sent them away – after giving them a quick pat on the head, of course.
Since the museum started posting pictures and videos of their little patrons to their official Twitter page, social media users have implored the staffers to let the cats inside for a visit.
Despite the internet pleas, we’re sure that the museum staffers would agree with Indiana Jones in saying that cats do not belong in a museum.
They have not excluded the dynamic duo from their museum entirely, however; the staffers have started selling Ken-chan and Go-chan merch in their gift shop, although they have had trouble keeping up with demand since their cat photos started being shared by news outlets around the world.
Perhaps Ken-chan and Go-chan are long lost cousins of the Pink Panther and they’re simply staking the joint before their heist; or maybe they just have an appreciation for the finer things in life.
Regardless of their intentions, we’re waiting for the museum to hire an illustrator who can turn this story into the purrrrfect children’s book.
(WATCH the video below) – Photos by Onomichi Museum
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Quote of the Day: “Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” – Harriet Beecher Stowe
Image: by Stewart #123 456 789, CC license
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An inspiring new report from Facebook shows that social media can be used as an invaluable tool for good.
The platform recently announced that their fundraising tool and “Donate” buttons have collectively raised over $1 billion for nonprofits and personal causes since it was launched in 2015.
According to Facebook’s newsroom, over 20 million people have utilized the tools by either donating or creating their own fundraiser.
The initiative have been so successful with over 1 million nonprofits across 19 countries receiving direct donations from social media, Facebook says that they will soon be launching the fundraising tools in Australia and Canada.
Additionally, the company plans on celebrating this year’s Giving Tuesday by matching up to $7 million in donations for all US-based nonprofit fundraisers happening on Facebook that day.
“We want to celebrate and express our gratitude to the community of people and organizations who have used our tools to support the causes they care about, making a meaningful and lasting impact in their communities,” says Naomi Gleit, Facebook’s Vice President of Social Good.
“None of this would be possible without people in our community who passionately support and raise awareness for the causes and people they care about,” she added. “We can’t wait to see the impact we can continue to make together.”
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This unlikely duo is a perfect example of how every stranger has the potential to be a friend.
28-year-old Eric Haralson went to a McDonald’s in Noblesville, Indiana last week with the intention of eating breakfast by himself – and as fate would have it, so was Jan.
Jan is a 70-year-old woman who approached Haralson in the restaurant and asked if she could sit down with him and eat breakfast. Haralson enthusiastically said ‘yes’.
The two of them spent the next 45 minutes enjoying each other’s company and swapping stories about their lives. Haralson talked about his son and girlfriend, while Jan talked about how she used to be an artist. When their time together came to an end, Haralson walked her to her car and they exchanged numbers with the intention of having breakfast again soon.
“She is a wonderful woman,” Haralson told TODAY Food about his new friend. “She mentioned many times how we all should love one another. And how we should not judge anyone because you never know how their day is going and what they’ve been through.”
It was only later that Haralson saw a picture of him and his new friend on Facebook. A school teacher named Amanda Marquell Craft had snapped a photo of their exchange and published it to social media so she could praise him for his compassion – and the post ended up being shared thousands of times.
“Shout out to this guy! This elderly lady (seemed to be a little lonely) came up to him and asked if she could sit with him,” Craft wrote. “My friends and I watched him introduce himself and shake her hand. They talked and laughed together like they were friends. They didn’t know each other, and they couldn’t be more different. But today they shared a meal together and it touched our hearts.”
Haralson is glad that his sweet conversation with Jan could inspire so many people, but he says that he is mostly just happy to have a new friend.
Although she has not yet responded to the voicemail he left about how they are now internet famous, he says he is excited to set up another breakfast date.
“I’ll keep trying,” said Haralson. “I know if we had forever she would have a story for me for everyday.”
Be Sure And Share This Sweet Stories With Your Own Friends On Social Media
In a world first, Japanese neurosurgeons have implanted a Parkinson’s disease patient with “reprogrammed” stem cells – and if the treatment continues to show success, then it could be sold to other patients as early as 2023.
The devastating disease is caused by a lack of cells in the brain that produce dopamine, which is an essential neurotransmitter in the brain. The decrease in dopamine causes trembling, a decline in motor functions, and – if the disease progresses – dementia.
Scientists from Kyoto University in Japan are attempting to reverse the disease by using donated adult stem cells that have been taken from another patient so they can then “reprogram” them into embryonic cells. These reprogrammed embryonic cells, which are called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, can then be developed into dopamine-producing neurons.
Some scientists have expressed concern that the application of these cells would result in malignant tumors, but the research team received permission for the first-of-its-kind clinical trial back in July after they successfully used iPS cells to restore normal brain function in monkeys without any sign of tumors over the course of their 2-year study.
According to Nature, the research team injected 2.4 million of the special cells into the brain of a Parkinson’s patient in his 50s – and in the weeks following the 3-hour procedure back in October, “the patient [has been] doing well and there have been no major adverse reactions so far,” says scientist Jun Takahashi.
If the patient continues to respond well to the therapy, then the team will implant another 2.4 million cells into the patients brain in 6 months. After that, they plan on testing the therapy on 6 more patients by the end of 2020 to prove its efficacy and safety.
The researchers hopes to have enough evidence to make the treatment commercially available to patients by 2023 as a fast-tracked therapy for neurodegenerative diseases in Japan.
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A husband booked his wife a surprise birthday holiday and managed to get her all the way to Greece without her knowing her destination – and even the pilot kept it quiet.
Romantic Steve Millar, 53, took wife Nicola, 50, out to dinner and broke the news they were going on a surprise holiday in a few days time.
But he kept the destination secret – confiscating her boarding pass, getting her to shut her eyes at the gate and covering her ears during the airport announcements.
On the plane, the Easyjet crew got on board and the pilot announced on the tannoy: “I won’t say where we are going because you all know, apart from a lady in seat C20.”
It wasn’t until 1,766 miles later when she was walking through Corfu airport she realized where she was.
Amazed Nicola, a financeworker from Shrewsbury, said: “It was magical.
“Steve will be able to live off the brownie points for a long time. I just couldn’t keep from smiling for the whole time. It’s why I married him in the first place. If I could I choose, I’d choose to marry him again.
“It was surreal and spectacular. I found myself crying with happiness.”
SWNS
Steve, a baker, managed to get Nicola through check-in, security, passport control and the three hour flight without her picking up any clues, last month.
Staff at Manchester Airport arranged for aircraft staff to keep Nicola completely in the dark about where she was going.
They enjoyed a three-night stay at the four star Ela Beach Hotel. Since their vacation was at the end of the tourist season, there were only 17 other guests – and on three occasions, the couple had the hotel dining room to themselves.
Nicola, who is also a mum-of-three, is normally “impossible” to surprise and the holiday was a “magical” way to celebrate a landmark birthday.
She said: “We were out for dinner with friends and Steve just told me to pack a case because he had a surprise for me. I was so excited, but I can usually guess a present from a mile away. But even when we were in the air, I had no idea. I kept second guessing the whole time, but I didn’t have a clue.
SWNS
“Even when Steve has tried to surprise me in the past, it’s been impossible. I tried to avoid clues because I knew that if I looked, I’d find them.
“I was sure that I’d hear someone talking on the plane or it’d slip out. I didn’t go looking for clues because I wanted the surprise. It was fabulous to land without knowing. I don’t think anyone will ever be able to repeat it.
“I knew I recognized the airport. I had been to Corfu before. It didn’t click until I saw some Greek writing inside the airport. I just yelled ‘oh my god, I’m in Corfu’.
“Everyone in the queue cheered and clapped. I was really excited and overwhelmed. There was hardly anyone around at the hotel. It felt like I had the whole hotel to myself.
Steve said he usually relies on his wife of 28 years to do all of the holiday booking. He said the experience was “nerve-wracking” and stressful, but all of the effort was worth it.
He said: “I was thinking about it for two or three weeks. I wanted to do something special because Nicola didn’t like the thought of getting older. She has always hid her age where she could.
“I was going to throw a big party but everywhere was booked up with it being so close to Halloween.
“It was very difficult to keep it a secret. Even I didn’t think I’d manage it but I was excited to see how far we could get without her finding out.
“What they did at the airport for us was amazing. To see her face when she realized was incredible. I can’t believe we got that far.
“It was a brilliant moment and we had a fantastic weekend. It was perfect for what she wanted.
“I’ve been getting some stick from my friends saying that I’ve set the bar high. But Nicola doesn’t owe me anything. She does enough for me every day.”
(WATCH the SWNS video below)
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Quote of the Day: “I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life, and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing that I’ve wanted to do.” – Georgia O’Keefe (on the date of her birth, in 1887)
Image: Cropped Georgia O’Keefe painting
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The Lesson: The decorated psychologist Steven Pinker outlined in his recent book, Enlightenment Now, a convincing case that the world is far better off than modern media would lead us to believe.
In Africa, ‘homegrown philanthropy’ is rising from all parts of the local and national economies there, in countries like Kenya, Nigeria, and others. This episode of a BBC radio documentary series, Africa’s Big Philanthropy, highlights how many of the more fortunate members of the world’s fastest growing economies are not forgetting their often disadvantageous roots, returning to support education and healthcare, with sometimes breathtaking sums of capital. Joining the host is Tsitsi Masiyiwa, who co-founded the Higherlife Foundation based on her passion to provide education to young African men, who can lead the next generation into self-sufficiency.
Notable Excerpt: “Africa’s a continent on the move. Middle classes are growing, there’s more money available to spend, and we can see philanthropy rising all over Africa… It is the only continent in the world where philanthropy among its people is growing. For instance, 93% of Kenyans give, or donate.”
The Host: Alan Kasujja was born in Uganda, but fled to Kenya where he spent the first 12 years of his life. He later returned to his home country to study law. In Uganda he began working in radio, and became the first ever host of Uganda’s own Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Kasujja is one of the main presenters of Newsday on the BBC World Service, and in 2016 co-moderated the first ever televised Ugandan presidential debate. His documentary series is called Africa’s Big Philanthropy.
(LISTEN to the BBC radio show below) – Featured photo by Rod Waddington, CC license
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