US Factories Are More Active Yet Spewing Far Less Pollution

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Feb 16, 2015

Here is a significant but under reported environmental success story from the US economy: Between 1990 and 2008, output by US manufacturers grew by one-third, yet air pollution from their factories was reduced by about two-thirds.

Vox reports, “Georgetown economist Arik Levinson estimated that more than 90 percent of the drop in US factory pollution since 1990 was due to companies adopting cleaner production techniques — things like switching fuels, becoming more efficient, recycling, or adopting pollution-capture technology.”

(READ the story from Vox.com)

Graph: Levinson, 2014

Tearful WWII Vet Reunited With Love Letter Penned to Future-wife 70 Years Ago

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Feb 16, 2015

A World War II veteran broke down in tears and nostalgia when an old love letter made its way back to him, written while at war 70 years ago, to woo his future-wife.

A Colorado woman found the letter inside an old record she bought at a thrift store. She asked the local news media to help find the owner. Surprisingly, the letter’s author was a 90 year-old widower still living and located in nearby Aurora.

“My darling, lovable, alluring, Bernadean,” began the letter, dated 1945. “I ran out of space, but I could have written a lot more adjectives describing you. You are so lovely, darling, that I often wonder how it is possible that you are mine. I’m really the luckiest guy in the world, you know. And you are the reason, Bernadean. Even your name sounds lovely to me.”

It is the only surviving love letter between the two, who were married for 63 years.

(WATCH the video above or READ the story from the Denver Channel)

Story tip from Erika Arreola

Teen is Called Hero After Saving Woman from Jumping off Bridge

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Feb 16, 2015

A Menominee, Michigan teenager is being called a life-saving hero after preventing a woman from jumping off a bridge.

Brennan Bardowski was driving home when he saw a woman climbing over the rail of the Hattie Street Bridge.

He turned the car around and approached her with caution, offering a string of comforting words asking her to come back over the barrier.

“There will be a lot of people devastated if you do this,” he told her. “I was like, ‘Why don’t you come on over?’ and I just kept comforting her like that.”

(WATCH the video above or READ the story from WRIC)

(Homepage photo by Moon Man Mike, via CC license)

Can’t Sing? Keep At It, Practice May Be Key

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Feb 15, 2015

If you’ve ever been told that you’re “tone deaf” or “can’t carry a tune,” don’t give up.

New research out of Northwestern University suggests that singing accurately is not so much a talent as a learned skill that can decline over time if not used.

The ability to sing on key may have more in common with the kind of practice that goes into playing an instrument than people realize, said lead researcher Steven Demorest, a professor of music education at Northwestern’s Bienen School of Music.

“No one expects a beginner on violin to sound good right away, it takes practice, but everyone is supposed to be able to sing,” Demorest said. “When people are unsuccessful they take it very personally, but we think if you sing more, you’ll get better.”

Published in a special February issue of the journal Music Perception, the study compared the singing accuracy of three groups: kindergarteners, sixth graders and college-aged adults. One test asked the volunteers to listen to four repetitions of a single pitch and then sing back the sequence. Another asked them to sing back at intervals.

The study showed considerable improvement in accuracy from kindergarten to late elementary school, when most children are receiving regular music instruction. But in the adult group, the gains were reversed — to the point that college students performed at the level of the kindergarteners on two of the three tasks, suggesting the “use it or lose it” effect.

Singing on key is likely easier for some people than others. “But it’s also a skill that can be taught and developed, and much of it has to do with using the voice regularly,” Demorest said. “Our study suggests that adults who may have performed better as children lost the ability when they stopped singing.”

By eighth grade, just 34 percent of U.S. students participate in elective music instruction — a number that declines throughout high school, says Demorest. Children who have been told they can’t sing well are even less likely to engage with music.

Better data could also be used to determine whether an inability to imitate certain pitches is linked to communication deficits or language impairments. Only a tiny subset of the population is truly tone deaf (a condition known as amusia), which means they can’t hear most changes in pitch. For these people, singing becomes difficult.

Teens and adults need to have low-stakes opportunities in music that don’t require the commitment of time that playing in a band or an orchestra does, Demorest added.

(SEE the full article by Julie Deardorff, Northwestern)

Photo by: Sheba Also (CC license)

Thrift Shopper Unwittingly Buys $20,000 Vince Lombardi Jacket

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Feb 15, 2015

A tattered vintage sweater from West Point bought at a Goodwill outlet store for fifty-eight cents could fetch more than $20,000 at auction.

The sweater belonged to legendary football coach Vince Lombardi, who had served as an assistant coach at the school just before landing his role with the champion Green Bay Packers.

Sean McEvoy, who purchased the sweater in North Carolina, later saw a TV documentary about Lombardi and saw a photo of the coach wearing the same sweater.

Nativity’s Incredible Return to Son Decades After Mom’s Death

He told his wife and she remembered seeing a tag inside with a name written in ink. Lombardi: the name honored every year when the Super Bowl victor wins ‘Lombardi Trophy.’

The circa 1950 sweater is now being auctioned online at Heritage Auctions.

(WATCH the video above or READ the story at WLOS-TV)

Story tip from Joel Arellano

Man Writes 10,000 Love Notes to His Wife Over Last 40 Years

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Feb 15, 2015

74-year-old Bill Bresnan has written a love letter to his wife Kirsten every day for nearly 40 years.

The proof is found in the more than 10,000 notes filed chronologically in 25 boxes at the couple’s home in Toms River, New Jersey.

(WATCH the video above, or READ the love story at KRQE)

Story tip from Joel Arellano

Love Advice From Seniors: How to Keep Your Relationship Going & Going

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Feb 14, 2015

For Valentine’s Day, Sunrise Senior Living polled its residents across the nation to find the key to achieving a long and happy marriage.

The results were compiled into these Top 10 Love Tips and Relationship Advice.

1) Take Your Time

Love yourself first before you commit to another person and make sure the emotion involved is love and not simply infatuation. Follow your heart, but also use good judgment so that you aren’t rushing into anything.

2) Embrace the Romance

Do not be afraid to fall in love with someone and once you do, never forget the reason why you fell in love initially. One resident put it best, “Love is grand if you have the right person.”

3) Spend More Time Together

Companionship was their favorite aspect of being in love. Many couples enjoyed sharing interests, trying new things together and especially traveling with one another, which all help to keep the love alive.

4) Express Your Love

Whether it is a kiss goodbye or saying “I love you” every night before bed, it is important to remind your partner of your feelings toward them, especially the intimate ones.

5) Be with Someone Who is Kind

Love can be a beautiful thing, but kindness is necessary for a successful relationship. According to one resident, “Kind people will love you with all of their heart and don’t forget it.”

6) Love is a Two-Way Street

A successful relationship takes teamwork. Do away with the “me” and focus on remaining true to the person you love. Trust and understanding contribute to a happy, healthy relationship!

7) Be Patient With Each Other

Partners must have a lot of patience. Be understanding and supportive of each other’s dreams and take one another’s advice. Listening to one another is important.

8) Communicate Emotions

Be comfortable enough with each other to express your feelings, most importantly when you’re upset. Discuss things that are bothering you, instead of making them guess what you need so that you never go to bed angry.

9) Respect is Key

A majority of residents said that respecting their partner was an integral part of their relationship’s success. Respect and be true to each other even if opinions may differ.

10) Never Give Up

A successful relationship takes work. One resident explained how, “You don’t always have to like each other, but always love each other.” Working together will help the relationship overcome any difficulties.

Oklahoma Boy Sends Valentine to Every Girl in School – More Than 1000

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Feb 14, 2015

An Oklahoma boy delivered anonymous candy and Valentine’s Day cards to every girl at his school on Friday to make sure no one was feeling left out.

The student secretly surprised all 1076 girls at Edmond High School, but eventually everyone learned who the Romeo was.

Dan Williams, an Eagle Scout who doesn’t have a girlfriend of his own, worked all summer to raise enough money for his Valentine’s Day surprise.

“To know somebody out there cares about them,” Dan pondered. “That’s one of the best feelings in the world, I think.”

(WATCH the video above or READ the story from KFOR)

Story tip from Kim Bagley and Myra Kemna

Mom Prays, and Sees “Dead” Son Comes Back to Life

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Feb 14, 2015

“He was ‘dead’ for 45 minutes.”

That’s what doctors said after treating 14-year-old John Smith, who spent 15 minutes underwater in an icy lake. Now they are calling his recovery a “miracle.”

Dr. Kent Sutterer and his team performed CPR on John for 27 minutes with no success, reports KSDK-TV.

After wondering how long they should continue, his mother was called in to the room. She came in and started praying loudly.

“They hadn’t been getting a pulse at that time,” said Joyce Smith of St. Charles, Missouri. “All of a sudden I heard them saying, ‘We got a pulse, we got a pulse.'”

(WATCH the video below or READ the story at WTSP *Note: Adjust your speakers for auto-play video)

Story tip from Judy Ritchie

Double Decker Driver Reverses So Man Can Jump From Burning Building

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Feb 13, 2015

Bus driver Andy Waterman backed-up his double-decker so a man could make the jump from a burning top floor flat to safety.

“The naked man, who is thought to have been in the shower, leapt 10ft (3m) from a second-story window in Braintree, Essex,” reports the BBC.

Waterman will receive a chief fire officer’s commendation for his actions.

(READ the story from the BBC)

Photo released by Essex Fire and Rescue / Story tip from Teresa

Unsold Flowers Become Bouquets for Hospice Patients on Valentine’s Day

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Feb 13, 2015

17 volunteers busily sorted through roses, carnations, lilies and other flowers Tuesday morning, discarding wilted plants, trimming stems, and arranging flowers into bouquets destined for hospice patients.

With the help of florists and grocery stores that donate unused flowers, The Bloom Project in Oregon works with 20 hospices to brighten the surroundings for people nearing the end of their life, and gives them something pleasant to talk about.

“Berkman, a former meeting and event planner, founded the nonprofit in Bend in 2007, after she noticed perfectly good flowers being thrown away after events,” The Oregonian reports. “She heard about restaurants giving away leftovers to food banks, and thought she could apply the idea to flowers.”

The nonprofit has gifted more than 78,000 bouquets to Hospice patients since 2009.

(READ the full story from The Oregonian or Watch their video below)

Photo via The Bloom Project FB Page / Story tip from Mike McGinley

Hotel’s Devotion to Service Includes Delivering Nic Cage on Guest’s Pillow

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Feb 13, 2015

Hotel Indigo delivers Nic Cage photo on pillow

Hotel Indigo in San Antonio is trying to be one of those great hotels with a staff that goes out of their way to meet every need a customer might have.

A series of text messages posted online in late January documents the lengths to which the hotel’s concierge created a memorable experience for one lodger.

The Current reports, the guest received a message from the Riverwalk hotel by text messaging after check-in saying if there was anything they could do to assist, simply text.

What happened next began as a lark and ended in over-the-top customer satisfaction involving Hollywood superstar Nicolas Cage.

Posting photos online at Imgur, FreePsychicReadings wrote:

”For giggles during my boring work conference,” he texted back, ‘Can I please have a framed picture of Nic Cage in Con Air on my bed by 6?'”

“When I got an affirmative response, I thought it was auto generated and went about my day.

Hotel Indigo Front Office Manager Ramon Rangel followed through by having a framed photo of Cage’s character in Con Air sent to the room, with a sticky note saying, “Sweet Dreams. Enjoy” The guest found it “resting on the pillow, like a tiny chocolate, only a million times better.”

Rangel told the Current that this was not the weirdest request he’s had from a guest, “but it was definitely fun.”

(READ the full story from San Antonio Current)

Story tip from Julia Frerichs, LMT / Photo via Imgur

Humble Powerball Winner

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Feb 13, 2015

One of three winning tickets in the Powerball jackpot was purchased in Shallotte, North Carolina by a humble 26-year-old mother of four.

Marie Holmes said she had quit working at Wal-Mart and McDonald’s and was caring for her four children, one of whom has cerebral palsy.

She said the first thing she’s going to do with her $188 million is tithe to her church because, as she puts it, “I wouldn’t have any of it if it wasn’t for God.”

(WATCH the video from WECT or READ the story from WTVR)

Story tip from Frank

Dog Tracks Owner to Hospital 20 Blocks Away and Walks Right In

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Feb 13, 2015

Sissy, a 10-year old Miniature Schnauzer, escaped her house and walked nearly 20 blocks to a Cedar Rapids hospital where her owner was recovering from cancer-related surgery.

“She was on a mission,” owner Nancy Franck told KWWL-TV.

Surveillance cameras showed her marching right into the hospital lobby. She walked through the hallways searching for her owner.

The hospital allowed the dog to visit with Nancy, giving much needed comfort, before a family member took her home.

(WATCH the video below or READ the story from KWWL)

Photo from Mercy Medical Center / Story tip from Kim Campbell

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Protein Treatment Protects Against Alzheimer’s Disease Symptoms

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Feb 12, 2015

A protein called klotho has been shown to protect against learning and memory deficits despite the accumulation of Alzheimer-related toxins in the brain, according to a new report in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Scientists from the Gladstone Institutes and the University of California, San Francisco tested klotho’s protective capacity by creating a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease that produced higher levels of this protein throughout the body. Ordinarily, Alzheimer’s-model mice have cognitive deficits, abnormal brain activity, and premature death, but raising klotho levels ameliorated these problems. The cognition-enhancing effects of the protein were powerful enough to counteract the effects of Alzheimer-related toxins, whose levels were unchanged.

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“It’s remarkable that we can improve cognition in a diseased brain despite the fact that it’s riddled with toxins,” says lead author Dena Dubal, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of neurology and the David A. Coulter Endowed Chair in Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease at UCSF. “In addition to making healthy mice smarter, we can make the brain resistant to Alzheimer-related toxicity. Without having to target the complex disease itself, we can provide greater resilience and boost brain functions.”

Klotho’s benefits may be due to its effect on a certain type of neurotransmitter receptor in the brain, called NMDA, that is crucially involved in learning and memory. While Alzheimer’s impairs NMDA receptors, the mice with klotho elevation maintained normal receptor levels.

Old Man In Nursing Home Comes Alive Hearing Music From His Era (WATCH)

“The next step will be to identify and test drugs that can elevate klotho or mimic its effects on the brain,” says senior author Lennart Mucke, MD, director of the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease and the Joseph B. Martin Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience at UCSF. “We are encouraged in this regard by the strong similarities we found between klotho’s effects in humans and mice in our earlier study. We think this provides good support for pursuing klotho as a potential drug target to treat cognitive disorders in humans, including Alzheimer’s disease.”

(READ more at the Gladstone Institutes)

Photo by elaine faith (CC) / Story tip from Joel Arellano

The 9 Orphan Siblings Who Raised Themselves Rather Than Split Up

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Feb 12, 2015

When their mother Mary died during childbirth in a Charlotte, North Carolina hospital there was no one left to raise her nine children. “The only realistic option appeared to be to divide up the siblings and ship them off to relatives or foster parents.”

A senior in high school, 19-year-old Kayle Mingo decided not to allow that.

Together with Karen, Kathy, Kelda, Kaiser, Kasper, Karla, Kertis and Kemuel, they fought for the opportunity to raise themselves. Miraculously, the Charlotte Housing Authority who ran the low-income housing project where they lived, allowed them to stay.

Last week, 35 years later, Mary’s kids reunited at Charlotte’s Veterans Park to honor their mother. “The first-time family reunion surely exceeded their mother’s wildest dreams,” the Charlotte Observer reported. “Eight were able to be there – an artist, two shop owners, an attorney, a contractor, two college students and a former professional boxer who was a one-time Olympic hopeful.”

Mexican Orphans Win Fishing Tournament, Bring $250,000 Home to Orphanage

“Their story is amazing,” John T. Crawford, 77, told the newspaper. He is the retired Charlotte Housing Authority staffer who convinced that agency to let the Mingo kids stay after their mother’s death.

Together they raised the newborn baby, cleaned the house, cooked, made sure homework was done, and enforced rules for behavior. Neighbors, who had often received help from Mary, paid back the favor whenever they were needed.

(READ the amazing story from the Charlotte Observer)

Photo of Mary with 4 oldest children via Kayle Bernadete Mingo’s Facebook Page/ Story tip from S. Ghent

People Refuse to Take Free Cash on the Street…Would You?

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Feb 12, 2015

In a new campaign, an online lotto company in the UK tries to give away free money on the streets of cities like Newcastle, Edinburgh and Sheffield.

Many people keep walking as the GeoLotto representative approaches asking if they want some cash. “No catch,” he assures them. But they are either too busy or too wary.

To fulfill his mission to finally find someone who will accept the big prize in Newcastle, a woman tries to hurry past saying her mum was sick. When he heard that, the GeoLotto guy pushes extra hard to get her to take it. When Mrs. Neal finally opened the envelope, she found £1000 ($1500).clover

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“I really can’t believe it. I’ve never won anything in my life,” said the woman, who wants to share it with her married son and mother. “I’m absolutely delighted.”

Others were just as thrilled to get a simple five pound note. It changes their whole day.

(WATCH the videos below)

It is fun to watch people breaking into grins and disbelief, but also interesting to see how many people will refuse to take money being waved in front of them by a friendly stranger.

QB Tom Brady Gives MVP Truck to Super Bowl Hero Malcolm Butler

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Feb 11, 2015

Rookie cornerback and last-minute Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler picked up a new Chevy truck yesterday, courtesy of his Patriots teammate, quarterback Tom Brady.

Brady was named the Most Valuable Player following the game and was given the 2015 red truck, but he told the once-unknown Butler to pick up the keys and said ‘Congrats on the big play’.

From Fast Food Fail to Unlikely Super Bowl Hero: Malcolm Butler’s Story

A parade is waiting to honor him in his hometown of Vicksburg, Mississippi.

(WATCH the video above, or READ the story from the Boston Herald)

Digital Jobs Drive Hollywood Employment to Highest Level in Decade

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Feb 11, 2015

A surge in digital entertainment jobs for new streaming programming on YouTube and other new-media outlets has re-energized the Hollywood employment scene.

Some 8,000 new jobs were added to the motion picture and sound recording sector in Los Angeles County last year — a 6.5% growth from the previous year.

January Produced Great US Jobs Report “Across the Board”

“The dramatic recovery of the entertainment sector is crucial,” according to the L.A. Times, “because it pumps billions of dollars into the region’s economy.”

(READ the story from LA Times)

Photo by Rego Korosi (CC license) / Story tip from S. Ghent

5 Side Effects of Kindness on Health: It’s Random Acts of Kindness Week

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Feb 11, 2015

This week (February 9-16) is the tenth annual Random Acts of Kindness Week in the United States. Do something this week (see a couple ideas here) to take advantage of the benefits that kindness bestows on health and well-being. Dr. David R. Hamilton looked at the mind-body science and offers this summary of the five positive side effects:

1) Kindness Makes us Happier

When we do something kind for someone else, we feel good. On a spiritual level, many people feel that this is because it is the right thing to do and so we’re tapping into something deep and profound inside of us that says, ‘This is who I am.’

On a biochemical level, it is believed that the good feeling we get is due to elevated levels of the brain’s natural versions of morphine and heroin, which we know as endogenous opioids. They cause elevated levels of dopamine in the brain and so we get a natural high, often referred to as ‘Helper’s High’.

2) Kindness Gives us Healthier Hearts

Acts of kindness are often accompanied by emotional warmth. Emotional warmth produces the hormone, oxytocin, in the brain and throughout the body. Of recent interest is its significant role in the cardiovascular system.

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Oxytocin causes the release of a chemical called nitric oxide in blood vessels, which dilates (expands) the blood vessels. This reduces blood pressure and therefore oxytocin is known as a ‘cardioprotective’ hormone because it protects the heart (by lowering blood pressure). The key is that acts kindness can produce oxytocin and therefore kindness can be said to be cardioprotective.

3) Kindness Slows Aging

Aging on a biochemical level is a combination of many things, but two culprits that speed the process are Free Radicals and Inflammation, both of which result from making unhealthy lifestyle choices.

But remarkable research now shows that oxytocin (that we produce through emotional warmth) reduces levels of free radicals and inflammation in the cardiovascular system and so slows aging at source. Incidentally these two culprits also play a major role in heart disease so this is also another reason why kindness is good for the heart.

Woman Celebrates 34th Birthday with 34 Random Acts of Kindness

There have also been suggestions in the scientific journals of the strong link between compassion and the activity of the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve, as well as regulating heart rate, also controls inflammation levels in the body. One study that used the Tibetan Buddhist’s ‘Loving Kindness Compassion’ meditation found that kindness and compassion did, in fact, reduce inflammation in the body, mostly likely due to its effects on the vagus nerve.

4) Kindness Makes for Better Relationships

This is one of the most obvious points. We all know that we like people who show us kindness. This is because kindness reduces the emotional distance between two people and so we feel more ‘bonded’. It’s something that is so strong in us that it’s actually a genetic thing. We are wired for kindness.

Couple Cancels Traditional Wedding to Give Back to Others

Our evolutionary ancestors had to learn to cooperate with one another. The stronger the emotional bonds within groups, the greater were the chances of survival and so ‘kindness genes’ were etched into the human genome.

So today when we are kind to each other we feel a connection and new relationships are forged, or existing ones strengthened.

5) Kindness is Contagious

When we’re kind we inspire others to be kind and studies show that it actually creates a ripple effect that spreads outwards to our friends’ friends’ friends – to 3-degrees of separation. Just as a pebble creates waves when it is dropped in a pond, so acts of kindness ripple outwards touching others’ lives and inspiring kindness everywhere the wave goes.

People Turn-up the Kindness During Govt Shutdown

A recent scientific study reported than an anonymous 28-year-old person walked into a clinic and donated a kidney. It set off a ‘pay it forward’ type ripple effect where the spouses or other family members of recipients of a kidney donated one of theirs to someone else in need. The ‘domino effect’, as it was called in the New England Journal of Medicine report, spanned the length and breadth of the United States of America, where 10 people received a new kidney as a consequence of that anonymous donor.

David R Hamilton earned an honors PhD, specializing in biological chemistry in England. Fascinated by the placebo effect while working in the pharmaceutical industry, he studied mind-body interactions in his spare time. He is now a bestselling author of 7 books, including Why Kindness is Good For You and How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body. He offers talks and workshops that use science to inspire others toward self-improvement. Learn more at drdavidhamilton.com.

Photo (top) by Ed Yourdon, via CC license