A national survey has found that the smoking rate among Canadians is at an all-time low, at 15 percent of the population. (The Star)
Nature, Art and Spirituality May Boost the Body’s Defenses
Taking in the spine-tingling wonders provided by a redwood forest, the Sistine Chapel ceiling or a guided meditation may give a boost to the body’s defense system, according to new research from UC Berkeley.
Researchers have linked positive emotions – especially the awe we feel when touched by the beauty of nature, art and spirituality – with lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which are proteins that signal the immune system to work harder.
“Our findings demonstrate that positive emotions are associated with the markers of good health,” said Jennifer Stellar, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Toronto and lead author of the study, which she conducted while at UC Berkeley.
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While cytokines are necessary for herding cells to the body’s battlegrounds to fight infection, disease and trauma, sustained high levels of cytokines are associated with poorer health and such disorders as type-2 diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and even Alzheimer’s disease and clinical depression.
It has long been established that a healthy diet and lots of sleep and exercise bolster the body’s defenses against physical and mental illnesses. But the Berkeley study, whose findings were just published in the journal Emotion, is one of the first to look at the role of positive emotions in that arsenal.
In addition to autoimmune diseases, elevated cytokines have been tied to depression. One recent study found that depressed patients had higher levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine known as TNF-alpha than their non-depressed counterparts. It is believed that by signaling the brain to produce inflammatory molecules, cytokines can block key hormones and neurotransmitters – such as serotonin and dopamine – that control moods, appetite, sleep and memory.
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In answer to why awe would be a potent predictor of reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines, this latest study posits that “awe is associated with curiosity and a desire to explore, suggesting antithetical behavioral responses to those found during inflammation, where individuals typically withdraw from others in their environment,” Stellar said.
As for which came first – the low cytokines or the positive feelings – Stellar said she can’t say for sure: “It is possible that having lower cytokines makes people feel more positive emotions, or that the relationship is bidirectional,” Stellar said.
A walk in nature, losing oneself in music, or beholding art has a direct link upon health and life expectancy, according to UC Berkeley psychologist Dacher Keltner, a co-author of the study.
(Source: UC Berkeley)
Photo by Craig Goodwin -CC license
UPDATE: Dealership Hands New Car to Detroit Man Who Walks 21 Miles a Day
The Michigan man who ABC News named the “Man of the Week” for his loyalty to work, walking 21-miles to and from his job, was surprised with a new car at a local Ford dealership Friday.
His story became front page news when a college student raised $300,000 to buy him a vehicle following a compelling report in the Detroit Free Press about the man’s dedication to his job, despite grueling winter hikes each day.
56-year-old James Robertson was greeted with a round of applause at Suburban Ford as they handed over a red 2015 Ford Taurus, exactly the car he was thinking about buying. The UBS banker, Blake Pollock, who sometimes gave him rides and told the local newspaper about his plight tricked him into going to the dealership to “pick up a few brochures.”
He almost started to cry when he was ushered into the car, which has a $35,000 sticker price. David Fischer, Jr. of Suburban Ford told him, “James, you can’t do that, you are going to make me cry too.”
(WATCH the videos below or READ an article at MyFoxDetroit.com)
Interview with James and Blake Pollock:
Photo via WXYZ video / Story tip from Anthony Nardelli
Teens Inspired to #ShovelItForward for Elderly in Waterford
Connecticut teens Josh Elphick and Nico Bartelli are following in the boot tracks of the Greenfield Fire Department in Wisconsin that started a #ShovelItForward campaign to rally others to help elderly neighbors dig out after snow storms.
The Waterford teens responded to a plea through the city’s Youth Services Bureau to shovel walkways after a foot of snow fell.
This photo shows Josh clearing a path necessary for a resident’s heating oil to be delivered.
In Canada, the Canadian Tire company has created a dedicated website to share the hashtag and shoveling photos at shovelitforward.ca.
(WATCH the WTNH video below or READ an article at CS Monitor)
Story tip from Leija Haabe
Couple Cancels Traditional Wedding to Give Back to Others
A young couple took their plans for a traditional wedding and honeymoon and turned it in to a beautiful opportunity to give.
In the midst of planning a typical ceremony, with venue, cake and photos, Mark and Ismini Svensson decided to spend their wedding budget by sharing good deeds — one in each of the 50 states — with people they’d never met.
They announced their intention on Facebook and Twitter asking for suggestions of where to go. Soon the couple was overwhelmed with responses.
Some of the acts of kindness already performed include bringing flowers and gifts to cancer patients, assisting the elderly with shopping and participating in an adaptive sports camp for children with disabilities and leaving them with gifts.
CNN reports that they also started a nonprofit, StayUNITED so they could continue their charitable work once their 50-state love-fest was over.
(READ the story from CNN)
Story tip from Brett Weiss
January Produced Great US Jobs Report “Across the Board”
It’s hard to read the latest report on the state of the job market as anything but excellent news for the American economy and American workers.
Employers added 257,000 jobs in January, but the best news was in revisions to previous months.
The New York Times reports, “The nation is now estimated to have added 423,000 jobs in November and 329,000 in December, making them truly blockbuster months for job growth in the United States.”
“And finally — finally — there was meaningful evidence that an improving job market was translating into higher pay for workers.”
(READ the story from New York Times)
Vatican Completes Showers for Homeless in St Peter’s Square
The Vatican has now completed construction work on three showers and a barber’s booth for Rome’s homeless under the colonnades of St Peter’s Square.
The showers, which will be available most days of the year, have been installed in an existing lavatory block used by pilgrims and tourists visiting the Vatican.
Nuns will welcome the homeless to the refurbished facility giving each a shower kit containing a change of underwear, towel, soap, deodorant, tooth brush and tooth paste, according to Vatican Radio.
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Barbers and hairdressing students have volunteered to give cuts and shaves every Monday.
(READ the story from Vatican News)
From Homeless Ugandan Orphan to Forbes List of 30 Young Entrepreneurs
Meeting Christopher Ategeka in San Francisco today, where his three start-ups are headquartered, one would never guess that this urbane young man, named last year as one of Forbes Magazine’s 30 under 30 social entrepreneurs, grew up living in dirt-walled hut in rural Uganda—and was in his teens before he owned his first pair of shoes.
By age seven Chris had lost both his mother and his father to HIV-AIDS and was living in dire poverty, leaving him effectively the head of household for his five siblings.
Five years later, through a church-based NGO and orphanage Y.E.S. Uganda, Americans Martha and Michael Helm learned of 12-year-old Chris’s plight and offered to help the hard-working boy keep going to school.
When they learned of the one-hour hike Chris had to take every day to school, they bought him a bicycle. He used the time saved every day to study hard. His discipline impressed the California couple so much that they sent for Chris, then 20, to come live with them and attend college in California. He attended UC Berkeley, where he received his Bachelors and Masters in mechanical engineering.
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A non-profit organization founded by Chris, Rides for Lives (formerly CA Bikes) started out as a social business to create jobs in Uganda while solving transportation problems for rural Africans. Workers used locally sourced scrap metal to design and build bicycles, three-wheel vehicles and wheelchairs for families, farmers, business persons, and individuals with disabilities.
One of the most compelling applications for the locally made vehicles has, as of September 2014, become the primary focus of the company: to create “bike ambulances” which can be attached to small trailers to transport people in need of medical care and vital medicines to outlying areas. The seed of the idea was born of yet another personal tragedy in his amazing life: When Chris was 9, his younger brother died while Chris tried to carry him to the nearest hospital — 10 miles away.
(READ the full story from Yahoo Business – WATCH Chris’s Ted Talk below)
Story tip from Joel Arellano
The Boat That Landed on a Roof and Saved 59 People
When a tsunami swept through Banda Aceh in Indonesia in 2004, the Basyariah family became trapped on the top floor of a house – the water was up to their necks and rising fast. But they launched an amazing escape when a boat appeared and became lodged on the top of their roof.
Today, among the newly-built homes in Lampulo village you will still find an extraordinary sight: a huge fishing boat perched atop two houses.
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It has also become a popular tourist attraction, which has boosted the revenues of local businesses.
One of the people saved that day by the appearance of the ‘Noah’s Ark’, was local businesswoman Fauziah Basyariah, who told the BBC, “If it had not been for that boat we would all have drowned because none of us could swim.”
(READ more from the BBC) – Photo credit: iloveaceh.blog.com
Target Employees Prep Teen for Job Interview When He Shops for a Tie
A Target shopper snapped a photo on Wednesday of an employee who was providing loving care for a young man who came in looking for a clip-on tie for a job interview.
The Raleigh, North Carolina department store didn’t stock the easy-on ties, so the employee picked out a full sized one, created the knot, and slipped it over the youth’s head.
“The store only had regular ties, so this awesome Target team member took the time to help the nervous teen put on his new tie,” wrote Audrey Mark on Target’s Facebook page, where she shared her photo.
He did more than fix his tie. Several Target employees began giving him tips on how to win over the job interviewer.
Dennis Roberts told local news channel WTVD, “We said, ‘Make sure you look him in the eye … make sure you give him a firm handshake.'” Cathy Scott showed him how.
“As the kid exited the store, a bunch of supportive Target team members cheered him on!” Audrey exclaimed in her Facebook post. “THIS is true customer service!!
“Bought headbands, ham, and had my heart warmed.”
(WATCH the video below or READ the story from WTVD)
Photo credit: Audrey Mark / Story tip from David Eichkorn and Kim Campbell
Results of Trials in Guinea of Anti-Ebola Drug Encouraging
The first human clinical trials of a drug to treat Ebola in Guinea have been “encouraging” and appear to accelerate the recovery process of patients.
The trials, which began at a treatment center in the West African country in mid-December, resulted in a fall in the number of deaths in adults and teenagers and an accelerated recovery process.
(READ the story from Reuters)
File photo by Charles Williams via CC license
Out Of Tragedy, An Unexpected Connection Is Made
From StoryCorps comes this heartwarming story of forgiveness:
Six months ago, Raphael Hameed was walking with his 5-year-old son, Ish, in Colorado Springs, Colo., when they were hit by a speeding car.
Raphael was seriously injured. Ish, his only child, was killed. And while the driver is awaiting trial for vehicular homicide, her sister, Megiddëh Goldston, has formed a bond with the Hameed family. They connected after the accident, and she visits Raphael and his wife, Heidi, to help with their day-to-day life.
Megiddëh’s sister asked for forgiveness. “My heart broke for her, actually, because I know that she has to live for the rest of her life with this. And I told her, immediately, ‘Yes, of course I forgive you.'”
“…We love,” say Raphael. “That’s how we roll. And your sister made a mistake. We all make ’em. That’s why we try to embrace you guys.”
(READ the full story from StoryCorps via NPR)
Photo from StoryCorps.org
Instead Of Arresting a Shoplifter, Officer Buys Single Dad Some Baby Food
On January 17, a single father who had fallen on hard times was caught stealing baby formula at a grocery store in London, Kentucky while shopping with his six-month-old son.
Officer Justin Roby didn’t want to charge him with a crime or haul him into court. Instead he used his own money to buy him a few cans of formula and talked to the man about places in the community — including police departments — where he could find help.
“Behind the uniform, I’m a human being and I’m a person out in this community just like any of them, Roby told WKYT. “I have a little boy”
(WATCH the video below or READ the story from WKYT)
Teen with Autism Meets His Idol Bill Nye the Science Guy
Nothing makes Michael de Groot more excited than being a scientist. His bedroom is full of science experiments and his idol has always been Bill Nye the Science Guy.
The middle school student who has autism got to meet Nye recently when the celebrity scientist was presenting about space exploration before the Senate Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
Michael’s sister had a thoughtful friend who interned for the committee and offered to help set up a meeting. The Richmond, Virginia family made arrangements to travel to Washington, DC, but had no idea if their son would get anything more than a handshake and an autograph — a dream come true for Michael.
After the de Groots arrived they were shocked and delighted when they were ushered into a private room where Nye, who knew beforehand the teen was autistic, provided some major one-on-one time with the budding scientist. The quiet room, with no media having been contacted about the event, was the perfect safe haven for an excitable child with autism.
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The celebrity spent 20 minutes with the family taking pictures and talking. Michael showed Bill some drawings he had created including his elaborate concept for a futuristic “Nye Science Lab.”
On her blog, Seriously Not Boring, Jennifer Roberts Bittner wrote: Bill noticed Michael was wearing a lab coat and offered to sign it, and Michael thought that was incredibly awesome. He also received a Planetary Society pin, which was proudly pinned to his autographed lab coat.
“When it was all over Michael proclaimed, ‘This was the best day EVER!'”
(WATCH the video below from Richmond station WRIC)
Photo credit: de Groot family / Story tip from Joel Arellano
Teen Can Finally Play Guitar Thanks To 3D-Printed Hand
A teen who wanted to play guitar but had no right hand since birth is now rocking out thanks to a new prosthesis by the creative team at 3D Gluck.
The designers worked with Diego Corredor in Colombia, to build the custom prosthetic and even emblazoned the arm with the logo of his favorite band Linkin Park.
(WATCH the video below or READ more from TechCrunch)
Story tip from Mike McGinley
After Rescuing Him From Heart Attack Medics Return to Finish Shoveling His Driveway
On Sunday, after snow walloped the Milwaukee area, one resident of Greenfield suffered a cardiac emergency while attempting to shovel 12 inches of heavy snow from his driveway.
Paramedics took the man to the hospital, but then hatched a plan in the fire station to return and finish shoveling.
The Greenfield Fire Department posted this photo on their Facebook page and wanted the kindness to spread. They started a hashtag, #ShovelItForward, encouraging others to pitch in for those who may need help dealing with heavy snow.
The man’s daughter told WISN-TV, “They just saw that somebody needed help, and they took time out of their day and their busy schedules to do something like that. It’s amazing. It’s awesome.”
Story tip from Kim Campbell
Run on 100% Renewables, Burlington, Vermont Powers Ahead (Video)
“Burlington, Vermont, the state’s largest city, recently became the first in the country to use 100 percent renewable energy for its residents’ electricity needs. In a state known for socially conscious policies, the feat represents a milestone in the growing green energy movement.”
The PBS NewsHour‘s William Brangham reports on the implications for the country’s green movement.
(WATCH the PBS video below)
Photo by Renewable Energy Vermont
SHARE to inform and inspire / Story tip from Madrid Perry
3 Brothers Recreate Childhood Photos as Gift to Mom (Adorable)
Three Pennsylvania men made a calendar for their mom as a Christmas gift by recreating old photos from their childhood.
Now two million people have seen “three grown men in a bathtub”.
Their mother, who maintains very close relationships with her “boys” loved it. She laughed and laughed, and afterward came tears.
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The photos were a big hit on Reddit.com where the older brother, Matt MacMillan, shared them. The men had plenty of pictures to choose from, and got their father to recreate a couple, too, like the heartwarming kiss below.
(SEE more photos at Imgur.com)
Photos via Matt MacMillan
South Carolina Teens Fight Racist Vandalism With Positive Message
After racist graffiti showed up outside a Rock Hill high school, three art students showed the town their true colors Monday afternoon painting a message of equality.
Advanced Placement art students, Andrew Swiger, Madison Wightman and Quinton Cole painted an image of the Earth on a large rock outside South Pointe High School with the words “We are all =”.
“While the district is disappointed in the actions of those who painted the rock, we will not let them take from us our joy or success in the progress our community has made, and will continue to make, in racial relations,” wrote the Rick Hill School District 3 on their Facebook Page.
(READ the story, w/ photos, in the Herald Online)
Photo from Sal Falko – CC license / Story from Maureen Green
Coast Guard Rescues Dog From Frozen Lake Michigan Waters
Coast Guard crews rescued a dog from a frozen channel alongside Lake Michigan lake on Tuesday morning, after the dog jumped into a channel and fell through a sheet of ice.
Lucky for the lab she took the plunge near a Coast Guard station, and a crew of rescuers were able to put their training to use to save a beloved pet.
(WATCH the video recorded by an eyewitness and READ the story from MichiganLive.com)
Photo from YouTube via Oliver Art Center / Story tip from jim kelly