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Your Weekly Horoscope: A ‘Free Will Astrology’ From Rob Brezsny

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Our partner Rob Brezsny, who has a new book out, Astrology Is Real: Revelations from My Life as an Oracle, provides his weekly wisdom to enlighten our thinking and motivate our mood. Rob’s Free Will Astrology, is a syndicated weekly column appearing in over a hundred publications. He is also the author of Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How All of Creation Is Conspiring To Shower You with Blessings. (A free preview of the book is available here.)

Here is your weekly horoscope…

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY – Week of November 18, 2023
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Icelandic singer Bjork is a triple Scorpio, with sun, moon, and ascendant in your sign. Neptune is there, too, giving her even more Scorpionic intensity. It’s not surprising that she describes her daily practice like this: “I have to re-create the universe every morning when I wake up and kill it in the evening.” In another quote, she places greater emphasis on the rebirth: “To wake up in the morning and actually find the day exciting is the biggest victory you can have.” In accordance with current astrological omens, I invite you to exalt and celebrate the post-resurrection aspects of your life’s work. It’s time for you to shine and sparkle and shimmer and bedazzle.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
At the risk of sounding melodramatic, I prophesy that what has been lost will be found. What was last may not catapult all the way into the first spot, but it might—and will at least be close to the first. Here are more zingers for you as you move into the climactic stages of the Season of Turnarounds and Switcheroos: A difficult test will boost your intelligence; a rut will be disrupted, freeing you to find a smooth new groove; an unsettling twist will ultimately bring you delightful support. To get the best out of the upcoming challenges, Sagittarius, welcome them as opportunities to expand your understanding of how the world works.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Many cultures throughout history have staged rites of passage to mark the transformation from childhood to puberty. In ancient Greece, for example, kids formally relinquished their toys, symbolizing the intention to move into a new phase of their destinies. In accordance with astrological omens, I want to tweak this custom for your use, Capricorn. I propose that you embrace your second childhood. Fantasize about how you might refurbish your innocence, curiosity, playfulness, and spontaneous joy. Then select an object that embodies a burdensome or unpleasant aspect of adulthood. Discard it. Find an object that signifies the fresh young spirit you’d like to awaken within you. Kiss it, sing to it, and keep it in a prominent place.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
For advice about money, I talk with a banker who sometimes analyzes financial trends using Tarot cards. To keep abreast of politics on the ground level, I consult with a courtesan who has a Ph.D. in political science and cultivates intimate relations with governmental leaders. For guidance about rowdy ethics and etiquette, I seek input from an activist singer in an all-women punk band. How about you, Aquarius? Now is a favorable time to take an inventory of your posse of teachers, helpers, and counselors. Make sure it’s serving you well and providing maximum inspiration and support. Hot tip: It may be time to add a new facilitator or two to your entourage.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Now and then, you glide through a phase I describe as Freedom from Cosmic Compulsion. During these grace periods, fate has a reduced role in shaping your destiny. Your past doesn’t have its typical power to limit you or entrance you. According to my astrological analysis, you are now enjoying such a chapter. That’s why I predict that an infertile status quo will soon crumble. A boring, inflexible rule will become irrelevant. These and other breakthrough developments will give you extra leeway to innovate and invent. You will have a big, bright emptiness to work and play around in.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
In accordance with astrological omens, I would love you to experiment with blending the sacred and mundane. Bring your deep self into the daily routine and imbue ordinary rhythms with tender care. Here are a few fun rituals to get you in the groove: 1. Say prayers or chant ecstatic poems while you’re shopping. 2. Build a shrine in a parking lot. 3. Stir up an inspired epiphany while doing housework. 4. If you find yourself in a confusing or awkward situation, dance like a holy person to conjure a blessing. 5. Commune with the Divine Creator during crazy-good sex.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
I’ve met many people who feel their love lives are jinxed. Often, they believe this nonsense because a creepy fortune-teller declared they will forever be denied a satisfying intimate relationship. I hate that! Any astrologer who delivers such crippling bewitchments should be outed as a charlatan. The good news for you, Taurus, is that you are in a grace period for all matters regarding romance, intimacy, and togetherness. If you have ever worried there is a curse, obstruction, or bad habit inhibiting your love life, the coming weeks will be a favorable time to free yourself from it.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Gemini comedian Drew Carey says, “If I didn’t run from my fears, I wouldn’t get any exercise at all.” Let’s discuss his approach in relation to you. After analyzing the astrological omens, I believe that as 2023 draws to a close and 2024 unfolds, you will feel less and less motivated to run from your fears. In part, that’s because you will face them with more courage and poise; they won’t have the same power over you. In addition, I suspect your fears will become objectively less scary. They will be less likely to come to pass. More and more, your fine mind will see how they trick you into imagining they’re more threatening than they truly are. Congratulations in advance, Gemini!

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
I would love to see you intensify your devotion to your masterpiece—however you understand “masterpiece.” It could be a work of art or an innovation in your job or business. It could be a new baby, an adopted pet, a redefinition of what family means, or an invigorated community. Might even be a beautiful alliance or enhanced connection with the divine or a refinement of the best gift you give the world. Life will conspire to help you in unexpected ways during the coming months if you rededicate yourself to this treasure.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Dear Sun, our one and only star: We love you and appreciate you! It’s amazing that you consume five million tons of yourself every second to generate the colossal energy you send in our direction. Thank you, beloved Sun! Is it OK with you if we think of you as a god? You are a superpowered genius of nourishment! And by the way, do you know who adores you the best? I’ll tell you: the Leo people here on Earth. They comprehend your grandeur and majesty better than anyone else. Would you consider giving them extra rewards in the coming weeks? They need and deserve a massive delivery of your bounty. Please fill them up with even more charisma, personal magnetism, vitality, and generosity of spirit than usual. I promise they will use it wisely.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Virgo musician and actor Shirley Manson has a message for you. She testifies, “I say embrace the total geek in yourself and just enjoy it. Life is too short to be cool.” This will be especially helpful and inspirational counsel for you in the coming months, dear Virgo. The wish to appear chic or trendy or hip should be so far down on your list of priorities that it drops off the list entirely. Your assignment is to be passionately devoted to your deepest truths, unique desires, and imaginative experiments.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
If you’re given a choice to advocate for either a dull, mediocre truth or a beautiful, invigorating truth, give your love to the latter. If you wonder whether you should ask a polite question that engenders harmony or a provocative question that pries loose agendas that have been half hidden, opt for the latter. If you feel nostalgic about an old tradition that stirs up little passion or fresh insight, let it go. Instead, dream up a new tradition that moves you emotionally and excites your mind.

WANT MORE? Listen to Rob’s EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES, 4-5 minute meditations on the current state of your destiny — or subscribe to his unique daily text message service at: RealAstrology.com

(Zodiac images by Numerologysign.com, CC license)

SHARE The Wisdom With Friends Who Are Stars in Your Life on Social Media…

“To wake up in the morning and actually find the day exciting is the biggest victory you can have.” – Bjork

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “To wake up in the morning and actually find the day exciting is the biggest victory you can have.” – Bjork

Photo by: Moritz Knöringer

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?

 

Removing Just One Spoon of Salt from Diet Can Lower Blood Pressure as Well or Better Than Medications

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Andy Corbley
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Even patients already on blood pressure medication can bring theirs down further by not adding additional salt above a certain limit to their food, scientists from a trio of universities found in a new paper.

Consuming one less teaspoon of salt a day resulted in a systolic blood pressure decline comparable to the effect achieved with medications, proving that prevention often does beat a cure.

Furthermore, the study of American participants is the first to show that people already on blood pressure drugs could further lower the crucial reading by reducing salt consumption.

The research was conducted by Northwestern Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and the University of Alabama.

“We found that 70 to 75 percent of all people, regardless of whether they are already on blood pressure medications or not, are likely to see a reduction in their blood pressure if they lower the sodium in their diet,” said Professor Norrina Allen of Northwestern University, a co-principal investigator on the study who added that they didn’t know beforehand if people already on blood pressure medication could lower it further by reducing sodium intake.

The study is one of the largest to investigate the effect of reducing salt in the diet on blood pressure to include people with high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, and already on medications. It was a randomized controlled trial, the gold standard of research, and one that’s often difficult to use in dietary interventions.

Professor Allen said the total daily sodium intake recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA) is less than 1,500 milligrams, and the study was designed to decrease it even lower than that.

“High blood pressure can lead to heart failure, heart attacks, and strokes because it puts extra pressure on your arteries. It affects the heart’s ability to work effectively and pump blood,” said Allen’s colleague Deepak Gupta, associate professor of medicine and director of the Vanderbilt Translational and Clinical Cardiovascular Research Center.

Just putting table salt on your food is a difficult way to create these outcomes, especially if balanced out by exercise, and most of the risk associated with high sodium intake comes from salt’s hidden presence in packaged and processed foods.

WORRIED ABOUT YOUR HEALTH?: New Study Shows Healthy Sleep Habits Help Lower Risk of Heart Failure by 42%

Participants in their 50s, 60s, and 70s from Birmingham, Alabama, and Chicago were put on either a high-sodium diet (2,200 mg per day on top of their usual diet) or a low-sodium diet (500 mg in total per day) for a week, after which they crossed over to the opposite diet for a week.

On the day before each study visit, participants wore blood pressure monitors and collected their urine for 24 hours.

Among the 213 participants, systolic blood pressure was “significantly lowered” when they were on the low-sodium diet compared with the high-sodium diet.

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS: Bone Broth Strengthens Immunity, Body, and Joints, And You Don’t Need To Spend A Bunch To Make It

“Just as any physical activity is better than none for most people, any sodium reduction from the current usual diet is likely better than none for most people with regards to blood pressure,” said Professor Gupta.

The blood pressure-lowering effect of dietary salt reduction was achieved rapidly and safely within one week, according to the research team; a real strong point of the study because it means folks interested in lowering their blood pressure can go out and make the consumer choices to do so immediately.

SHARE This One Step One Outcome Research With Your More Senior Friends…  

Satellite Images Reveal Serbia’s Hidden Bronze Age Settlements–100 Previously Unknown Sites ‘Connect the Dots’

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Andy Corbley
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credit - NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SERBIA
credit – NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SERBIA

In 2015, a research team got the idea to use aerial surveying and satellite imagery to map the expanse of Bronze Age settlements in Northeast Serbia’s Pannonian Plane. What they found was shocking—over 100 previously unknown habitations that pull the history of the Balkans down squarely into the time of the Myceneans, the ancient Egyptians, and Babylon.

The character of society on the Pannonian Plane 3,000 years ago, the authors write, was almost unique in the world, as it consisted of dozens of large enclosures protected by ditches and earthen ramparts, some of which were over 2,400 acres in internal area, with over 15 miles of defensive works.

These enclosures were built close to major rivers like the Tisza, Bega, and Timis, and ran about 100 miles along a north-south corridor which the researchers believe was part of a key trading network for bronze that was going down to the Mediterranean, part of what is now being called the Lower Pannonian Network, and which crosses into Romania as well.

So that’s the macro element of the discovery, but what about the micro; who were the people who made these enclosures and what were their lives like?

The discovery was made by a large international team from Serbia, Ireland, England, and Slovenia, and it started in 2015 when they began to use satellite photos to look at the flat agricultural area in the northeast of the country. Once they identified unusual shapes in the land, the team used a small aircraft to survey them from the sky before visiting some on foot and conducting excavations.

The excavations turned up a lot of household refuse, animal bones, pottery shards, and other everyday elements that provided a way to radiocarbon date the sites, which produced the timeline of about 1,600 BCE to 1,200 BCE.

Aerial surveys made it possible to see the long-degraded sites. credit – BARRY MOLLOY AND DARJA GROSMAN

“It’s a new story that changes our knowledge of the late Bronze Age and the Balkans,” study co-author Dragan Jovanović, an archaeologist at the City Museum of Vršac, told Science Magazine. “It’s pretty amazing it remained hidden until now.”

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Dazzling Ancient Bronze Sword Found in Germany ‘Still Shines’ After 3,400 Years

Hard details about the people and their culture remain unknown, including evidence of buildings, and so historians are hesitant to ascribe any certainty to the character of the sites. They could be ceremonial centers or even a way to protect cattle or sheep.

However, one aspect which is noteworthy is the proximity of each one to all the others. From the top of the raised earth walls, a Bronze Age Serb would have been able to see another such enclosure or even several others. The researchers hypothesize that they were made and maintained by something like a clan, or a small collection of families, that may have collectively been involved in the bronze trade.

A recent analysis of tin collected from shipwrecks in the Mediterranean found that in order to satisfy the market demand for bronze in the civilizations of the time, tin to make bronze had to be imported all the way from Uzbekistan.

This necessitated a network of small-scale local communities of middlemen or nomads, or both, that had to be able to negotiate, protect their goods, and travel within a vast, disparate network that relied on inter-lingual, inter-cultural, and inter-geographic exchange.

MORE ON THE BRONZE AGE: Historians Stunned: Uzbekistan Nomads Supplied a Third of the Bronze Used Across Ancient Mediterranean

Certain evidence of warfare is present, such as a bronze sword and clay models of chariots discovered in cemeteries in the enclosures, but the builders of the enclosures were doing their construction within sight of their neighbors.

“They’ve opened up a whole new avenue for excavation and research,” University College London archaeologist Miljana Radivojević, who was not part of the new research, told Science. “These dots weren’t connected before, which makes this research valuable.”

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Iowa Teen Has Donated 7,000 Pounds of Produce from Her Own Garden to Food Banks: ‘A really good feeling’

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Andy Corbley
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Lauren Schroeder - FFA, Facebook.
Lauren Schroeder – FFA, Facebook.

When Iowa teen Lauren Schroeder showed up to a community food drive during COVID, she didn’t see a lot that actually nourished people—just a lot of boxed and canned goods.

She decided to become the change she wanted to see, and after receiving a half-acre of land from her parents, she grew 7,000 pounds of produce with a market value of around $15,000 and gave it all away to food banks and non-profits in the Quad Cities area.

The senior from Calamus-Wheatland High School likes to tend cattle and play softball, and had never managed a garden before, but according to her mother Katie Schroeder, she took studies of agronomy and gardening to heart.

Her work drew the attention of the education-industry organization called Future Farmers of America, which gave her a small grant for supplies and seeds. She received help from her younger siblings, but still put in the hard yards of watering and deweeding—2 to 3 hours in total every day.

MORE BRILLIANT TEENS: Teens Transform Liquor Store into a Needed Food Market, Choosing The Best Way To Serve Chicago

Her work, and FFA’s trust, soon bore fruit, and she began donating 15 types of veggies to organizations like Carroll Assistance Center, Wheatland Nursing Home, Café on Vine, River Bend Food Bank, Lost Nation Food Pantry, Family Resources, Lady of the Prairie, and Community Action of Eastern Iowa.

“It was a really good feeling to know that anyone who wanted fresh vegetables would be able to get them,” Lauren told the Washington Post. “I knew that I wanted to keep going.”

After receiving a second grant from Future Farmers of America, she turned her half acre into a full acre, and expanded the number of vegetables to 20 different species.

MORE NEWS FROM THE HEARTLAND: Minnesota Teens Hook Wallet Full of Cash on a Lake Then Return it to Iowa Farmer–WATCH

Her goal is to donate 20,000 pounds of vegetables by the time she graduates next June.

“How could you not be proud,” said her mother Katie, “she really chose to focus on learning about agronomy, learning about gardening, learning about vegetables, but just really taking it to the next level and actually helping people out with it.”

SHARE This Inspiring Teen Greenthumb With Your Friends… 

Robotic Hand with Bones, Ligaments and Tendons Created for First Time Using 3D Printing

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Andy Corbley
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Soft robotic hand – ETH Zurich / SWNS
Soft robotic hand – ETH Zurich / SWNS

Using new innovations in 3D printing, scientists at ETH Zurich have succeeded for the first time in printing a robotic hand with bones, ligaments, and tendons—all made of different polymers in one go.

The various polymers can be fine-tuned to replicate the elasticity or rigidity of a human hand, representing a major advancement over existing 3D-printed prosthetics.

While 3D printing technology was previously limited to fast-curing plastics, researchers have now made it suitable for slow-curing plastics as well.

They say these materials have “decisive” advantages as they have enhanced elastic properties and are more durable and robust.

The use of such polymers is made possible by new technology developed by researchers at ETH Zurich in Switzerland and a US startup from Mass. Institute of Technology which can be used to create delicate structures and parts with cavities as desired. InkBit from MIT now offers the technology and prints complex objects on customer request.

The technology also makes it easy to combine soft, elastic, and rigid materials.

MORE FROM ETH ZURICH: ‘Wearable Muscles’ Restore Mobility in Those Who Have Trouble Moving Their Arms

“We wouldn’t have been able to make this hand with the fast-curing polyacrylates we’ve been using in 3D printing so far,” said Thomas Buchner, a doctoral student from ETH Zurich who led the authorship of the paper published on their work.

“We’re now using slow-curing thiolene polymers. These have very good elastic properties and return to their original state much faster after bending than polyacrylates,” he said, adding this makes them ideal for making complex prosthetics.

3D-PRINTING FEATS: Chinese Scientists Create Way to 3D Print Ceramic Engineering Components Suspended in Air Without Support

“Robots made of soft materials, such as the hand we developed, have advantages over conventional robots made of metal,” said ETH Zurich robotics professor Robert Katzschmann. “Because they’re soft, there is less risk of injury when they work with humans, and they are better suited to handling fragile goods.”

Usually, 3D printers produce objects layer by layer: nozzles deposit a given material in viscous form at each point; a UV lamp then cures each layer immediately.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: This Man Learned Robotics on YouTube, Now He’s Creating Affordable 3D Prosthetics For Others—WATCH

To accommodate the use of slow-curing polymers, the researchers added a 3D laser scanner that immediately checks each printed layer for any surface irregularities.

A feedback mechanism compensates for these irregularities when printing the next layer by calculating any necessary adjustments to the amount of material to be printed in real-time and with pinpoint accuracy.

The researchers from Switzerland and the US jointly published the technology and their sample applications in the journal Nature.

WATCH the details of their innovations in this cool video…

SHARE This Futuristic Advancement From MIT And Zurich With Your Friends…

“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” – Carl Sagan

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” – Carl Sagan

Photo by: Johannes Plenio

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?

 

Young Inventor Surprised With 2023 Dyson Award for ‘The Life Chariot’ Designed to Save Lives in Ukraine

By
Andy Corbley
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Life Chariot and its inventor Piotr Tłuszcz - James Dyson Foundation
Life Chariot and its inventor Piotr Tłuszcz – James Dyson Foundation

As he watched the conflict unfold in Ukraine, young Polish inventor Piotr Tłuszcz observed the challenges of medical evacuations across the rough terrain of the frontline.

This inspired him to design The Life Chariot, a MEDEVAC off-road ambulance that can attach to any vehicle with a towing hook or eye.

The vehicle’s low weight and suspension make it safer for a casualty to travel in than the boot of a car—the typical method for the often-stretched Ukrainian Defense Forces.

Piotr’s interest in designing trailers started with off-road trips with his family through the Balkans and Pyrenees. He then spent the next 10 years and the course of his bachelor’s and master’s degrees designing off-road and cave rescue trailers, before creating The Life Chariot which debuted at the Łódź Design Festival this year.

The Life Chariot increases the evacuation capabilities of rescue teams by adding room for one injured person on a stretcher and two more seats for medics or the lightly wounded. (Watch it in action in a video below…)

The first two trailers were given to the Ukrainian Medical Military Unit and the Polish Voluntary Medic Unit of Damian Duda “W Międzyczasie” Foundation, having been tested in terrains such as mountain trails, forests, caves, and mines. Their feedback provided and informed weatherproofing upgrades.

SHE WON A 2022 DYSON AWARD: New Scoliosis Brace that Grows With Patients Wins Dyson Award For Grad Student Who Wants to Make a Difference

“This year the James Dyson Award gives a special Humanitarian prize to Piotr, who has designed an ingenious way of recovering injured people from challenging terrain,” said Sir James Dyson, Founder and Chief Engineer at Dyson in a statement.

“The Life Chariot can be towed by anything—allowing medics to do their life-saving work with the resources they have at hand. It’s also brilliant to see his iterative design process continue in response to feedback from those using it on the ground.”

GREAT YOUNG INVENTOR: 12-year-old Develops Fire Detection System That Wins Her $25,000 and Top Junior Scientist Award

Piotr is continuing to implement upgrades to The Life Chariot based on feedback received from medics working on the front line. He is also working on adapting the vehicle for mountain rescue purposes.

“I hope that The Life Chariot, with support from the James Dyson Award, will continue to save lives, whether in frontline evacuations or rescues from accidents in inaccessible places,” Piotr said on the occasion of the award.

SEE Piotr’s invention and THEN his reaction to his recognition by Dyson…

SHARE This Young Man’s Achievement And Invention With Your Friends… 

Bumper Snowfall to Start Early Ski Season in Europe: ‘One of the best starts I can remember’

By
Andy Corbley
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The slopes in Cervinia, Valle d'Aosta. © Andrew Corbley
The slopes in Cervinia, Valle d’Aosta. © Andrew Corbley

Last week, ski resorts from the French Alps right the way down to the Dolomites are reporting over 3 feet, or a meter of fresh powder, kicking off an early start to the skiing season.

It was assumed that Europe’s favorite winter pastime was going to be delayed after a persistently warm October, but November temps fell to a crisp 1990s sort of climate.

In dozens of locations across the Alps, towns and communes experienced 2 meters of snow, or over 6 feet, falling on them in just 24 hours.

Big resorts in France, Switzerland, Italy, and Austria have all moved the opening date of the season up at least a week to November 18th. This includes big resorts like Tignes and Val Thorens in France, Passo del Tonale, Temu, and Madonna di Campiglio in Italy, Kitzbühel in Austria, and Davos, Zermatt, and Verbier in Switzerland, with the latter opening three weeks earlier than last year.

“Storms have been piling into the Alps for the last two weeks, with snow accumulations of more than 100cm quite widespread now on the upper slopes,” managing director of Ski Solutions holiday company, Ian McIlrath told Travel Weekly.

CHECK OUT: Minnesota Snow Sculpting Team Takes First Over Artists From Germany, Finland in World Championships–LOOK

“This will ensure a solid base for the winter ahead, and with a lot more snow in the forecast, it’s shaping up to be one of the best starts to the winter ski season that I can remember.”

Some ski resorts lower down the mountains have been forced to close as the climate changes, and like the record snowfall in California and Utah last spring, the news comes as a nice reminder that you can always count on the weather, precisely because you can never count on the weather.

SHARE This Winter Wonderland With Your Friends Planning A Winter Getaway…

Flying Car You Can Park in Your Garage Lifts Off on Maiden Voyage: Meet the $200,000 Switchblade

By
Andy Corbley
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The Samson Sky Switchblade – SWNS
The Samson Sky Switchblade – SWNS

Last year, GNN reported on the Samson Switchblade, a street-legal car that had received its airworthiness certificate from the FAA, and was ready to begin testing.

Last week, a veteran pilot took the Switchblade up on its maiden flight; driving it to the airport, deploying its wings and tail, and taking off for a 6-minute flight 500 feet above the ground.

The highly-anticipated two-seater received 2,300 reservations from 57 countries and all 50 states in the US, and the news of the successful maiden flight will likely see that grow.

Here’s exactly how it works. It needs an airport runway to take off and a private pilot’s license to fly. It uses unleaded gasoline rather than leaded airplane fuel and needs three minutes to switch into flying mode.

The aircraft can then be flown to the airport nearest your destination at up to 200mph and within a range of 450 miles. It can reach altitudes of 13,000 feet supposedly. Once landed, it folds in its wings and tail and is small enough to be parked in a normal garage.

“Today is the culmination of many years of hard work and persistence to make the vision of a flying sports car a reality,” said Sam Bousfield, Samson Sky CEO and designer of the Switchblade. “This puts us on the path towards producing thousands of Switchblades to meet the large and enthusiastic demand we’re receiving.”

The Samson Switchblade in Flight – SWNS via Samson Flight

The Samson Team will use flight test data to finalize production engineering and build several production prototypes.

FLYING TAXIS NEXT: New Ohio Factory to Produce Electric Air Taxis That Carry 5 Passengers With Vertical Take-off and Landing

The Switchblade comes in two kit types, a $180k model that permits a pilot to operate in clear weather conditions, and a $200k version to fly under different weather conditions, including flying into clouds and with zero visibility.

All models are shipped in a kit format, and must be assembled by a professional.

MORE FLYING CARS: Flying Taxi Takes Off for the First Time in Public Display From XPeng Motors – VIDEO

Perhaps the closest competitor to the Switchblade is the AirCar, a Slovakian flying car that received its own airworthiness certificate.

“AirCar certification opens the door for mass production of very efficient flying cars,” its creator, Professor Stefan Klein, said last year. “It is official and the final confirmation of our ability to change mid-distance travel forever.”

WATCH it take off… 

SHARE This Era-Defining Moment With Your Friends Who Love Tech…

Dominica Creates World’s First Sperm Whale Reserve–for the 200 That Call the Island Home

By
Andy Corbley
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Will Falcon aka Vitaly Sokol, CC license
Will Falcon aka Vitaly Sokol, CC license

Sperm whales are the ocean’s greatest nomads, but one island in the Caribbean is creating a permanent home for them.

A roughly 300 square mile patch of ocean in the territorial waters of Dominica is the only place known on Earth where sperm whales can be seen regularly throughout the year when they arrive to breed, and it’s here that Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit of the island nation has established the world’s first sperm whale reserve.

“The 200 or so sperm whales that call our sea home are prized citizens of Dominica,” Mr. Skerrit said.

“Their ancestors likely inhabited Dominica before humans arrived. We want to ensure these majestic and highly intelligent animals are safe from harm and continue keeping our waters and our climate healthy.”

The marine reserve covers 800 square kilometers for those using metric, an area where commercial shipping and fishing will be forbidden from entering. Large ships can harm sperm whales, but smaller vessels, designated in the law as artisanal fishing, will be permitted inside the reserve provided their methods do not harm the whales.

MORE PROTECTIONS FOR WHALES: Blue Whales Return to California at Levels Not Seen Since Before the Whaling Industry

Sperm whales have the biggest teeth in the animal kingdom. They also have the biggest brains, and can pass down a unique cetacean culture that includes dialects of their clicking language.

Tourists will be able to view and swim with the creatures in sustainable numbers, BBC reports. 

SHARE This Great News For Sperm Whales With Your Friends… 

“Self-love is the source of all our other loves.” – Pierre Corneille

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Self-love is the source of all our other loves.” – Pierre Corneille

Photo by: Chela B.

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?

 

Archaeologists Find 24 Bronze Statues ‘Without Equal’ Preserved in Tuscany for 2,300 Years That ‘Rewrite History’

By
Andy Corbley
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credit Italian Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Antiquities
credit Italian Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Antiquities

Whilst excavating Roman-era baths in the Tuscan hills outside Siena, archaeologists have stumbled upon what is quite simply one of the most significant discoveries ever found in Italy.

24 bronze statues in perfect condition emerged, sometimes first with a hand, or with a head, from the mud around an area famous for thermal hot springs, along with a hoard of over 5,000 Roman coins in bronze, silver, and even gold.

The incredible statues, which haven’t even turned green with age thanks to the oxygenless environment of the mud, date to the Republican period of the 200s BCE, a time of great upheaval in Tuscany when the Romans were in the process of fully subsuming the Etruscan civilization of the Italian Peninsula which predated them.

The discovery site in the modern town of San Casiano dei Bagni, was once an Etruscan settlement, and the baths were used first by them and by the Romans afterwards until the century of their collapse 600 years later.

The lead excavator, Jacopo Tabolli, a historian at the University for Foreigners in Siena, spared no hyperbole in describing the find—starting by saying it would “rewrite history,” of the Peninsula.

He called it “without equal… the largest deposit of bronze statues of the Etruscan and Roman age ever discovered in Italy and one of the most significant in the whole Mediterranean,” adding that nearly all statuary art from this period is in terracotta.

The statues depict deities like Apollo and Hygieia, a Greek goddess of health first worshiped in Corinth.

credit Italian Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Antiquities

The excellent state of the statues has also preserved inscriptions in the Etruscan language and Latin. Some are honors for the gods but there are also the names of important and powerful Etruscan families like the Velimna of Perugia, and the Marcni.

MORE ROMAN DISCOVERIES: Spy Satellite Photos Reveal Hundreds of Long-Lost Roman Forts, Challenging Decades-Old Theory

For the Sindaco, or the mayor of San Casiano dei Bagni, he sees a little more green in the bronzes than the archaeologists.

“This discovery,” he said, “offers San Casciano not only a cultural and touristic opportunity, but a true occasion for rebirth.”

NEWS JUST LIKE THIS: Tiny Italian Town Dug Up an Extremely Rare Roman Temple while Trying to Build Supermarket

“There will be born a new museum, that will host the exceptional statues and an archeo-park; two new places that will, for the town, be a real motor of development and add an enthusiasm to young archaeologists around the world who will come to see and work here.”

Before they can return to the museum, the statues were taken to a preservation center in Grosseto.

SHARE This History Rewriting Discovery With Your Friends Who Love Rome…

Kenyans Flock to Fields and Parks to Ring in 3-Day Weekend for New National Tree-Planting Holiday

By
Andy Corbley
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Kenya Forest Service (KFS) Head of Conservancy Mr. Fred Ogombe planting a tree during the Participatory Forest Management Plan in 2019. CC 2.0. Violet Atieno/CIFOR
Kenya Forest Service (KFS) Head of Conservancy Mr. Fred Ogombe planting a tree during the Participatory Forest Management Plan in 2019. CC 2.0. Violet Atieno/CIFOR

Kenyans have a new holiday on their working calendar—something like a Kenyan Arbor Day when citizens are encouraged to go plant two tree seedlings.

It’s part of the nation of 50 million’s plan to contribute to slowing global warming, and the seedlings will be provided to families for free from sponsored nurseries.

While many in the cities will simply be enjoying another day off, BBC and Africa News spoke with several residents who felt happy to contribute to both the macro and micro environmental destiny of Kenya.

“I have come to plant trees here, because our water levels have been diminishing. Even here at the river source, the levels are very low, trees have been cleared,” Mr. Stephen Chelulei told the BBC.

“It’s a great opportunity for everyone to get out there and plant a tree because we got to take care of our environment,” said Michael Kisangi, CEO of Soul of Africa Tours and Travel, who spoke to Africa News.

Along with citizens, florists and tree nurseries have been celebrating for obvious reasons.

Tree cover in the country has been reduced through the decades to just 7% of what it was, and the Ministry of Environment hopes that by the end of the next 10 years, that can be increased by about 12%.

MORE NEWS LIKE THIS: India’s Mass Tree Planting Success: Forest Cover Grows by Half-Million Acres in Two Years

The Environment Minister Soipan Tuya told local Citizen TV the response had been “amazing” with 2 million signups so far on the new app that helps Kenyans to find places to plant the trees, and to ensure they are planting the correct species to the corresponding habitat.

Tuya is expecting double-digit million trees by the end of the rainy season in December, and 15 billion by 2032.

WATCH the story below from Africa News… 

Long-Beaked Creature Is Proven Not Extinct in First Ever Photos: ‘Blows My Mind’ After 60 Years

By
Andy Corbley
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By paweesit – CC 2.0, Flickr
By paweesit – CC 2.0, Flickr

An egg-laying mammal named in honor of Sir David Attenborough has been rediscovered after it was thought extinct for more than 60 years.

This extremely strange animal is just one of two extant mammal species on Earth that lays eggs.

According to the conservation org Re:wild, it’s one of just five surviving species of monotreme, an ancient clade of egg-laying mammals found only in Australia and New Guinea, whose origins go back to the Jurassic era some 160 million years ago.

There are three long-beaked echidna species. One is critically endangered, but this one, Zaglossus attenboroughi, is known only from a single individual collected by a Dutch botanist during an expedition to the Cyclops Mountains in 1961.

“I was euphoric, the whole team was euphoric,” Dr. James Kempton told BBC News of the moment he spotted the Attenborough echidna in camera trap footage. “I’m not joking when I say it came down to the very last SD card that we looked at, from the very last camera that we collected, on the very last day of our expedition.”

It’s the stuff of dreams, and Kempton was able to telephone Sir David with the news, with the famous filmmaker saying he was “absolutely delighted.”

Lasting four weeks, the expedition included biologists from several universities from the UK and Czechia, Re:wild, and YAPPENDA, an Indonesian conservation-focused NGO.

The expedition was looking in some of the most remote rainforest on Earth in the northern highlands of the Indonesian half of New Guinea, and they also discovered a new frog species, several dozen new insects, and observed “healthy” populations of tree kangaroos as well as the most famous New Guinea residents: birds of paradise.

MORE NEWS LIKE THIS: ‘Like Finding a Unicorn’: Researchers Rediscover Black-Naped Pheasant-Pigeon, a Bird Lost to Science for 140 Years

In fact, the team found so much life, and worked closely alongside the native community who play a game of ‘seek the echidna’ as a form of feud resolution, that all the members came down certain the area needed to be protected.

“One of the goals of YAPPENDA is to ensure the preservation of the Cyclops Mountains and their remarkable biodiversity,” said Malcolm Kobak, cofounder of YAPPENDA. “To see photos of this endemic species is both encouraging and inspiring. The [echidna] holds a special place in the traditions of the Indigenous inhabitants of the Cyclops and is emblematic of Cyclops’ conservation efforts.”

MORE EXTINCT SPECIES RETURNING: Holly Tree Presumed Extinct for 200 Years Discovered After Placement on Most Wanted List: ‘Nature surprises us’

Re:wild was just one part of the expedition, but they’re getting used to this kind of good news and good press. Their “25 Most Wanted” initiative to document missing species has so far financed the rediscovery of 9 other animals from all the major orders around the world that have been presumed extinct.

These include Jackson’s climbing salamander, the silver-backed chevrotain, the Somali sengi, the velvet pitcher plant, Wallace’s giant bee, the Fernandina giant tortoise, Voeltzkow’s chameleon, the Pernambuco holly tree, and the Siera Leone crab.

WATCH the camera trap footage that set off the celebrations… 

SHARE This Absolutely Great News For Nature With Your Friends… 

Good Samaritan Surprising Strangers with Kindness Every Day for 3 Years Is Crowned UK Hero with a Statue

By
Andy Corbley
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The UK’s Kind Hero, Sebbie Hall - SWNS
The UK’s Kind Hero, Sebbie Hall – SWNS

Sebbie Hall was just 17 when he decided to dedicate his life to helping others. And it took only 3 years for the nation to recognize him as a hero—as the UK’s kindest person.

He works tirelessly to help others and has founded his own charity to encourage others to follow his lead, The Sebbie Hall Kindness Foundation, which helps vulnerable youngsters.

During his three years of good work, he donated 400 coats and blankets to homeless charities, gifted 800 toys to children’s homes, and even used his own pocket money during his teens to pay for stranger’s coffees.

Now 20, the kind hero from Lichfield who was born with a rare chromosome anomaly initially started spreading kindness during lockdown after discovering classmates didn’t have access to a computer.

His first thought was to donate his own device but conscious this wouldn’t help all his pals, he raised money to buy them a laptop each by carrying out kind acts—like washing cars.

Following a search for the UK’s kindest people by KIND Snacks, he has been crowned the UK’s 2023 Kind Hero and honored with a statue near Tower Bridge in London alongside the likes of Captain Cook, Winston Churchill, and Jo Newby, the KIND Snacks 2022 Hero, who has fostered 92 children in her time as a volunteer foster mom.

The six-foot tall likeness, commissioned by the healthy snack bar brand, features Sebbie in a superhero-style cape and stance inspired by his motto, ‘kindness is my superpower.’

GOOD SAMARITAN NEWS: She Was About to End it All, Until a Stranger She’d Never Meet Told Her ‘Don’t Jump’

“It warmed our hearts to see the sheer volume of people selflessly devoting their time and effort to fostering kindness in their communities,” said Sam Wainwright, KIND spokesman.  “The scale of impact delivered through the entries we read was absolutely overwhelming.”

“Sebbie’s story in particular highlights the importance of kindness and its transformative power in driving positive changes for others.”

Following its stint in the capital, the statue will be transported to a long-term home in Lichfield, Staffordshire.

MORE KIND-HEARTED HEROES: After Job Lay Off, Jersey Man Said ‘I Want to Mow Your Lawn’ and His Free Services Spread Across Nation

KIND Snacks launched the search earlier this year and received almost 500 nominations before selecting kind-hearted Sebbie following an extensive judging process.

“Honouring Sebbie’s kindness with a statue felt like the right way to celebrate such an outstanding person,” said Wainwright.

CELEBRATE This Kind Hero And His Awesome Statue With Your Friends… 

“Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.” – Albert Camus

By
Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.” – Albert Camus

Photo by: Ronny Sison

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?

Send an Inspiring Message Every Day With These Positive Affirmation Socks–LOOK

By
Good News Network
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Notes to Self
Notes to Self

The words we tell ourselves matter. Now you can remind yourself—and others—that you are amazing, smart, courageous, or beautiful with Notes To Self socks, because words make all the difference.

In a world where mental health is an increasing concern, a Kansas mom from the heartland of America began weaving inspiring messages—to put on your feet. Laura Schmidt is the visionary behind the unique sock company where positive affirmations become a memorable step in your morning and bedtime routines.

Notes To Self

She has always believed in the power of positive thinking, but remembers the moment in 2011 when her feet were propped up on a car dashboard and it dawned on her what an incredible billboard your socks could be for promoting positive thinking.

“My whole life I’ve used positive affirmations to help me with my confidence,” she says.

Schmidt had already succeeded in the corporate world, in direct sales, and as a mother of three in Prairie Village, Kansas, so empowering others to reach their goals was a way of life.

Laura Schmidt, founder of Notes To Self

“I like the idea that someone wearing the socks sees a phrase such as ‘I am strong’ first thing in the morning when they are putting on their shoes, and at the end of the day.”

She envisioned that the positive reminder, articulated in the present tense, would stay with the wearer throughout the day, with the simple act of wearing socks.

The website for Notes to Self® socks says “each pair of high-quality athletic socks come with arch support and a breathable mesh top”. They sell multiple styles of socks including compression, gripper, ultra low cut, crew, wool crew, and child sizes.

Each of the variety of affirmations—‘I am confident’, ‘I am awesome’, ‘I am beautiful’, ‘I am smart’, ‘I’m a great mom’, or the sassy ‘I am crushing it’—offer a daily dose of positivity right down to your toes. (And you can get a 10% discount using an exclusive coupon code for GNN readers: GOODNEWS2023)

Schmidt, herself, must be wearing ‘I am generous’ socks, because her company has donated over 135,000 pairs of their socks to homeless shelters, women’s shelters, and children in need.

They also support small businesses–and all their socks are exclusively made in the USA.

When the first prototype for the socks was worn by Laura’s daughter to her volleyball practice in 2011 adorned with the phrase “I am confident”, the feedback proved overwhelmingly positive. Since then, millions of people have experienced the uplifting power of Notes to Self socks as a consistent reminder of their self-worth.

Schmidt has received numerous testimonials from customers who’ve shared their journeys of perseverance which were uplifted by the simple act of looking down at their socks. That’s not surprising, since previous research has shown positive affirmations can reduce stress, increase self-esteem, and enhance overall well-being.

NotesToSelf

One customer was suffering from debilitating health setbacks in the hospital when friends gave her a pair of socks from Notes to Self.

“She believed that focusing on those positive words helped her reconnect neurons in her brain,” Laura recalled. “Many times, people don’t understand how powerful these are until they glance down at their feet and see the words. And then they get it.”

One of the many gift sets at NotesToSelf

With the holidays coming up, GNN is offering an exclusive discount of 10% for all our readers until December 31, providing a great gift option for sharing positivity with all your family and friends. Just click here to shop on their website and use the coupon code: GOODNEWS2023.

Check out their Gift Box Sets—and Christmas ornaments stuffed with a pair of socks.

Change begins one step at a time. Whenever optimism is needed, Laura’s affirmation socks can help move you in the right direction.

DON’T FORGET TO SHARE the Cool Gift Idea on Social Media…

Watch Arizona Firefighters Rescue Entangled Hawk: ‘Humans, Pets, Animals–We Take Care of Them All’

By
Andy Corbley
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credit - Tucson Fire Department
credit – Tucson Fire Department

In Tuscon Arizona, fire and rescue were out proving that for them, saving someone’s hide is all the same whether it’s covered in clothes or feathers.

An adult Cooper’s hawk was reportedly trapped in fishing line in Christopher Columbus Park.

The Tuscon Fire Department unit called Ladder 4 was deployed to the scene and was able to safely get a black sack over the hawk before lowering it down to a waiting raptor handler.

“Crews were able to get the bird to ground level and free the hawk 👏 Humans, pets, animals, we take care of them all at #TFD,” said the department on social media.

SHARE This Gorgeous Rescue With Bird-Loving Friends on Social Media… 

Wave-Powered Desalination System Produces 13,000 Gallons of Drinking Water a Day From Each Buoy

By
Andy Corbley
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credit - Oneka Technologies
credit – Oneka Technologies

If a new Canadian startup is successful with its product, it could decarbonize the whole desalination industry, using only energy from the sea to turn seawater into drinking water.

300 million people rely on seawater from a global industry of 21,000 desalination plants, nearly all of which use fossil fuels to complete the energy-intensive process of thermo-desalination, or reverse osmosis—the two methods that can turn seawater into clean water at scale.

The startup Oneka however uses modular machines that attach to the seafloor like buoys and convert the kinetic energy of 3-foot waves into mechanical energy that drives a reverse osmosis and creates 13,000 gallons of drinking water a day with the largest commerically-available module.

It’s expected that if the worst predictions of climate change come to pass, more and more of the world will rely on desalinated water at least some of the year according to data collected by the BBC, and the industry is predicted to grow 9% to a yearly value of $29 billion by 2030.

Oneka presents a suite of advantages over land-based desalination plants. The first is that it takes up no space on land; particularly important for island nations. The second is that their modules emit no greenhouse gases. The third has to do with a drawback of desalination technology as it stands.

Whether using the thermal process or reverse osmosis, desalination of seawater creates a waste product of highly saline brine water or salt. If released or leaked back into the ocean, it can poison acres of sea life, or plants and groundwater if released on land.

DESALINATION AT HOME: For First Time, Seawater Made Drinkable by Sunlight to Be Even Cheaper Than Tap Water

Oneka’s technology mixes the saline solution with three-quarters of all the seawater taken up in a single day, releasing it back into the ocean with a mere 25% greater content of salt than before.

The module desalinators can be chained next to each other to conserve space and make it easier for the piping system that transfers the clean water on land to be installed.

MORE CLIMATE TRANSFORMERS: Patagonia Gives Away Its Entire $3 Billion Worth To Fight Climate Change

Making the machines the complete eco-friendly package, Oneka has found their chains, anchorage, and buoys are all sealife friendly, and quickly become populated by various creatures according to the company.

They have tested their buoy desalinators in harsh weather of 6-meter waves (nearly 30 feet) and found they work well. These early modules have already been sold to communities in Chile, one of the driest parts of the world.

WATCH how it works below… 

SHARE This Potentially Revolutionary Invention With Your Friends… 

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