Endoscopic flexi camera reaches workers trapped in tunnel in Silkyara rescue operation - Released by Uttarkashi District Information Department
Endoscopic flexi camera reaches workers trapped in tunnel in Silkyara rescue operation – Released by Uttarkashi District Information Department
All 41 construction workers trapped in a tunnel under construction in the Uttarakhand State of India have been rescued.
Cameras, politicians, and flower garlands were awaiting them when they finally emerged to the cheers of an awaiting crowd.
Like the Chilean miners, or the Thai cavers, there’s something about workmen trapped underground that captures the world’s attention, and it happened again when a November 12th landslide caused a portion of the 2.2-mile tunnel to collapse, blocking a section of the path as long as 2 football fields to the exit.
They survived on food and oxygen sent in through narrow steel pipes, while more than a dozen physicians were monitoring their health through various sensors.
“This was a well-coordinated effort by multiple agencies, marking one of the most significant rescue operations in recent years,” said Nitin Gadkari, the minister of road transport and highways, on X.
The workers escaped the tunnel via narrow steel pipes that had been pushed into the debris through hand-drilled tunnels.
Last Friday, the drilling machine used to create the path for the pipes broke, and from then until Tuesday, teams worked on through the night in shifts using hand drills. By Tuesday they had drilled through over 100 feet of rubble.
One rescuer told the New Delhi Television that the workers rushed over and hugged him when he came through the pipes, and after they all got out, a small tent community of the workers’ families and loved ones were there to greet them.
The tunnel was being built to connect various Hindu pilgrimage sites across the Himalayas.
Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the government will provide financial assistance of one lakh rupees, (about $1,200) to all the workers trapped in the tunnel. They have been admitted to a hospital, the bills for which will also be taken on by the local government.
WATCH the moment when the workers finally emerge…
SHARE This Happy Ending After A Terrifying Ordeal With Your Friends…
Quote of the Day: “Treasure the love you receive above all. It will survive long after your good health has vanished.” – Og Mandino
Photo by: Dylan Sauerwein
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?
New female Eastern black rhino – Chester Zoo / SWNS
New female Eastern black rhino – Chester Zoo / SWNS
Keepers at Chester Zoo were left thrilled following the safe arrival of a new eastern black rhino calf when mother Zuri gave birth in the daylight, allowing the staff to record the occasion.
Rhino experts say it’s unusual for a calf to be born in daylight, which gave keepers the unique opportunity to witness its 2:45 p.m. arrival after a 15-month pregnancy.
The eastern black rhino is listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). One of three black rhinoceros subspecies, fewer than 600 of which are now found across Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda.
Conservationists believe the birth of a healthy calf will help global efforts to prevent the species from disappearing altogether.
“We’d been eagerly awaiting this birth for 15 long months and, as it’s quite unusual for a rhino to give birth in daylight hours, we really didn’t expect it to happen right in front of us as we were going about our day,” said the zoo’s rhino team manager Emma Evison.
“To be able to witness the calf safely entering the world, in front of our very own eyes, was just the most incredible privilege. She’s very inquisitive and full of energy, which is just brilliant to see.”
“This precious newborn’s arrival is another positive step in safeguarding the species, which is what the endangered species breeding program in European conservation zoos that we’re a leading part of is striving to do,” continued Evison, who added that a group of black rhinos born and bred in the program have already been relocated to protected areas in Africa.
But this is just one way in which Chester Zoo has been helping rhino conservation. They’ve also developed a unique way of pairing rhinos in the hopes they will mate.
“We’re home to the UK’s only zoo-based animal endocrine lab where we’ve developed the skills and techniques to track rhino hormones by closely analyzing their dung,” said Mike Jordan, director of animals and plants at the Chester Zoo.
“This has helped us to massively improve the chances of a successful mating and further increase numbers of this Critically Endangered species.”
“The technology is so precise that we’re now transferring it to a specialist lab that we’ve helped to create in Kenya which is helping rangers and vets there to boost the wild population,” he said.
The Golden Capsule - James Dyson Foundation, released
The Golden Capsule – James Dyson Foundation, released
A team of South Korean student inventors has been awarded the 2023 James Dyson Award for an air pressure-controlled IV bag that will allow rescuers in disaster situations much more flexibility when administering live-saving fluids and drugs.
Their inspiration was the Turkish-Syrian earthquakes in February 2023, which resulted in over 55,000 casualties, with a further 100,000 injured.
Throughout the evacuation process, medics had to move through harsh environments while holding up several IV packs in their hands for their patients.
The team from Hongik University in Seoul designed The Golden Capsule, a non-powered and hands-free IV device that uses elastic forces and air pressure differences rather than gravity. This means that medics in disaster zones do not have to hold up IV packs while transporting patients, and electricity is not required to control the infusion rate.
“The team has identified the limitations of existing IV injection methods, which rely on gravity and electricity, in disaster zones. Their Golden Capsule offers a much more practical, hands-free solution, using a pressurized bladder, which can be positioned anywhere, such as strapped to the patient’s side,” said Sir James Dyson, Founder and Chief Engineer at Dyson.
“This slowly deflates, pressurizing the drip into the patient, leaving medics free to perform other life-saving work.”
“It became evident that the existing IV setups became highly impractical,” said one of the students in a video, who added she first had the idea when she herself had been hospitalized and found it really inconvenient to move around with an IV.
The team will continue to conduct prototype improvements and user tests in collaboration with medical experts to ensure The Golden Capsule’s functionality in various emergency scenarios and hospitals. In the future, the team plans to bring their invention into mass production.
WATCH this sweet video of Sir Dyson delivering the happy news…
SHARE This Great Invention With Your Friends And Celebrate These Smart Minds…
Founder Judge John Phillips - credit Rancho Cielo, screengrab
Founder Judge John Phillips – credit Rancho Cielo, screengrab.
By the year 2000, Judge John Phillips had long since lost count of the number of minors he had sent through the California penitentiary system for crimes committed during a violent, unguided, and hopeless adolescence.
“You send these young people to prison, and they learn to become harder criminals,” he said once.
In 2003, he set out to find a better way—to get kids in an environment of support where they could pass through these difficult years with a hand on their shoulder. Phillips started Rancho Cielo at the base of a hill in the town of Salinas, utilizing an old juvenile detention center ironically, and with a board made up mostly of county supervisors, judges, and law enforcement leaders.
Rancho Cielo is a vocational training facility, culinary academy, and private school that only works with at-risk youth or youth living below the poverty line of $19,000 a year for a family of four.
At first, the organization running it would only take in adolescent offenders, but as the 21st century marched on, Salinas took several turns for the worse, and in 2015 saw more underage murders than anywhere else in the nation.
credit – Rancho Cielo, screengrab.
The strategy changed, and Rancho Cielo would be out frequently passing by high schools, county jails, juvenile detention centers, homeless shelters, and foster homes, always asking if it were possible to take in the worst of the worst, hoping to interrupt the course of these youths’ lives and turn them toward a brighter future.
To that end, Rancho Cielo has a wide variety of programs, much of which is hands-on and kinetic, from the carpentry and construction program and vintage car repair, to beekeeping and equestrian care.
Experts and industry professionals frequent Rancho Cielo to share their knowledge; like Tom Forgette who teaches the auto and diesel repair shop, and Laura Nicola, co-manager of the ranch restaurant, whose other job is at the James Beard Award-winning La Bicyclette.
“Upstairs,” traditional high school level classes are held for academic topics like writing and mathematics, usually to prepare students for a GED or community college admission. This is paired with additional preparatory courses like resume and cover letter writing and interview skills.
The Drummond Culinary Academy at Rancho Cielo.
In my other school, it was all reading and writing,” 17-year-old Omar Amezola told USA Today’s Elizabeth Weise. “Here the teachers are more chill, you don’t have to stay in your seat all day, you can do things that are hands-on—it’s cool.”
Each year, 220 students attend Rancho Cielo, and while some don’t make it, 84.8% of first-time offenders who enroll at Rancho Cielo never re-offend, compared to the 40% recidivism rate in the county.
While all this tutoring, diversity, and infrastructure seems financially unsustainable, it costs just $25,000 to put a kid through Rancho Cielo, compared to the $110,000 it costs to house them in prison.
WATCH a mini-doc below…
SHARE This Inspiring Story Of Second Chances With Your Friends…
New York City Football Club (NYCFC) recently revealed their proposal for a new soccer stadium in Willets Point, Queens, that would be totally electric, partly run on green energy, and built with recycled materials that conserve water and reduce waste.
Sports stadiums are pretty unsustainable places, whether that’s the large amount of water needed for the toilets and field irrigation, the massive concrete parking lots, stadium stands, and roofs that soak up heat, or the fact that all concessions are single-serving plastics and papers.
Addressing sustainability from top to bottom, from the beginning of match day to the time when the janitors leave, is really what the Willets Point project is all about.
The 25,000-seat stadium would become the first fully electric stadium in Major League Soccer, (MLS) in addition to being the first fully electric professional sports stadium in New York City.
The stadium and development plans have entered the Uniform Land Use Review Process this week, and the club will be hoping to receive permission to break ground as soon as possible because there is a lot of work to be done.
In addition to a fully electric stadium which will be privately financed, the Willets Point development project would also deliver a total of 2,500 units of 100% affordable housing at the site, as well as a 650-seat public school, 40,000 square feet of new public open space, retail space and a 250-key hotel.
“This soccer stadium, and the larger Willets Point project, will transform a part of Queens that has a long and difficult history of environmental degradation,” said Council Member Francisco Moya.
The stadium will be all-electric, with an array of solar panels installed on the stadium roof to maximize energy generation. Built-in efficiency will ensure that intelligent systems eliminate energy waste, and a backup generator will be there for emergencies.
A water harvesting system below the stadium field will capture rainwater and reuse this for irrigation. Water efficient systems, including dry urinals, proximity-controlled taps, and reduced water mix taps and shower heads will help to reduce unnecessary consumption.
credit – New York City FC, released.
Materials, fixtures, and fittings for the stadium will wherever possible be locally sourced to avoid substantial transportation impact on the environment. Furthermore, the Club is focused on construction that will promote efficient insulation and natural venting.
To reduce environmental impact, the Willets Point Stadium project is committed to delivering effective means to reach the stadium through public transportation. NYCFC is building on its relationship with the Metro Transit Authority that started nearly a decade ago to continue to ensure accessible and affordable public transport options.
The Club is committed to reducing all waste at source. Fans will have easy access to drinking water refills throughout the stadium. The stadium will explore options for on-site composting of waste for local benefit.
Through the stadium project, the Club will work proactively with suppliers to ensure that there is a supply chain approach to its sustainability agenda, often working with small, local suppliers to improve and uplift their own related sustainability agendas, therefore improving the local community further.
“I’m proud that New York City will be home to the first fully electric sports stadium in Major League Soccer,” said Mayor Adams, a sentiment shared by the Club’s president Bret Sims, who added that “we’re focused on ensuring that the Club is leading the way when it comes to reducing environmental impact.”
SHARE This Sustainable Sports Story With Soccer Supporters You Know…
Quote of the Day: “It is wise to direct your anger towards problems, not people; to focus your energies on answers, not excuses.” – William Arthur Ward
Photo by: Surface
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?
In Reading, England, a worker at the helm of a construction crane managed to save the life of a man trapped on the roof of a burning high-rise building.
While admitting it “has not been your average day at work,” the operator played down the Hollywood-like rescue.
On that blustery day, crane operator Glen Edwards had a metal cage meant for holding people intending to work on the facades of buildings, and it was with this that he affected the rescue of a man whom he only saw out of the corner of his eye because the stranded fellow was waving his coat about.
The wind was really blowing the cage about, as well as the smoke. The Daily Mail reports that the cladding which covered the Station Hill housing development was filling the air with toxic fumes, which at the moment had been blowing away from the stranded man. If the winds changed, he could have suffered lethal smoke inhalation.
Receiving help on the radio from his supervisor, Edwards skillfully lowered the cage next to the building close enough to allow the man to climb in, which created an eruption of cheers from the crowd below.
“I would say it was a very close call, if you look at the video at the way the wind was swirling around there,” Mr. Edwards told the Daily Mail.
“I tried to put the cage down between him and the flames, but I was hampered by the wind swirling around there. But I got the cage down and I managed to get him in there.”
WATCH the dramatic 2 minute rescue below…
SHARE This Skin-Of-The-Teeth Rescue Footage With Your Friends…
Archive concept illustration of the X-59 aircraft - NASA, via SWNS
Archive concept illustration of the X-59 aircraft – NASA, via SWNS
NASA is developing a quiet supersonic jet in order to replace the dreams of the Concorde with one that is significantly less deafening to the people down below.
The supersonic passenger plane, called the X-59 aims to fly faster than the speed of sound, at almost twice as fast as the Concorde.
Engineers are aiming to reduce the sound of the typical sonic boom to a ‘sonic thump’.
NASA reported in August they have identified potential passenger markets in about fifty established inter-city routes, and it’s hoped one route would see flights from New York City to London up to four times faster than what’s currently possible.
At the moment, however, it’s sitting in a hangar where it will be painted at the Lockheed Martin facility in Palmdale, California, says the space agency. Once painted, the team will take final measurements of its weight and exact shape to improve computer modeling.
“We are incredibly excited to reach this step in the mission. When the X-59 emerges from the paint barn with fresh paint and livery, I expect the moment to take my breath away because I’ll see our vision coming to life,” said Cathy Bahm, the low boom flight demonstrator project manager.
“The year ahead will be a big one for the X-59, and it will be thrilling for the outside of the aircraft to finally match the spectacular mission ahead.”
The NASA X-59 moving into the paint barn at Lockheed Martin – credit NASA, via SWNS
The aircraft is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, through which NASA will fly the X-59 over several to-be-selected U.S. communities and gather data about people’s perceptions of the sound it makes.
NASA will provide that data to regulators which could potentially adjust current rules that prohibit commercial supersonic flight over land.
Earlier this year, the space agency investigated the business case for supersonic passenger air travel aboard aircraft that could theoretically travel between Mach 2 and Mach 4 (1,535-3,045 mph at sea level).
Concorde had a maximum cruising speed of 1,354 miles per hour, or Mach 2.04.
Abandoned well transformed with Virudhunagar District Rural Development Agency by J Meghanath Reddy
Abandoned well transformed with Virudhunagar District Rural Development Agency by J Meghanath Reddy
Abandoned water wells are being rejuvenated with a dash of color in the Tamil Nadu state of India.
Here, where clean water pulled from small wells is a daily necessity in the semi-arid Virudhunagar district that is entirely irrigated by rain and not by rivers, 163 wells were targeted for the project by local administrators.
Dreamt up by the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), work commenced in August of 2022 and was finished by December. Whimsical designs like a treasure chest, cup and saucer, a wrapped present, and watermelon were chosen for the wells’ structures and shelters in order to raise awareness and enthusiasm for water conservation.
But the eye-catching designs were only the finishing touches. The important work was the recharging of the wells with a series of pipes that channel water from the surrounding land into the wells.
Over time the wells had been abandoned and became holes for dumping garbage.
Abandoned well transformed with Virudhunagar District Rural Development Agency by J Meghanath Reddy
“The wells for this project were strategically chosen based on their location. The wells situated near overhead water tanks and near water tanks were chosen so that the water overflowing from the tanks would drain into the wells for recharge,” said an assistant engineer on the project at the DRDA, G Prakash Kumar.
“The wells situated in the low lying areas were also chosen for the rainwater to automatically drain to the well through the pipelines,” he told the Times of India.
A village leader told the paper that children now frequently play around the well shelter, which has been built to look like a basket with bright colors, and the area has become somewhat of a gathering point where people socialize.
Another village leader, whose local well is shaped like a train car, agreed, and said that now children constantly ask him where the train is going.
SHARE This Whimsical Rural Development With Your Friends…
Kia Sorento owner Danielle lit up TikTok with a viral video of her approaching her car which had recently caught fire. Within the torched interior, stood a solitary undamaged item.
It was a Stanley thermos, and it was the reason for the 84 million shares and 60k comments that festooned the post.
“Everybody’s so concerned about if the Stanley spills, but what about if it melts?” she asks in the video, then she grabs the Stanley thermos in the cupholder and shakes it. “Fire yesterday,” she says. “Still has ice in it.”
The firestorm of comments was filled with people egging Stanley on to reward Danielle for this incomparable advertisement, and it didn’t take long for Stanley to reply.
“We’ve all seen your video. Wow, what an ordeal and we’re all really glad you’re safe,” said Stanley Company President Terence Reilly, in a video response.
“I’ve seen a lot of comments that we should send you some Stanleys. Well, we are gonna send you some Stanleys. But there’s one more thing. We’ve never done this before and we’ll probably never do it again, but we’d love to replace your vehicle.”
An auto blog covering the story in part in order to talk about the manner in which a Kia catches fire detailed that Danielle received a whole box of Stanley thermoses.
They also linked to a blog on Stanley’s website called Stories of the Unbreakables, which is filled with anecdotes of a Stanley product surviving above all else.
For example, Dave Moreno plans to be buried with his Stanley thermos—which he bought 10 years ago and has used in his work as a construction worker across the US Southwest and South America. It even deflected a bullet (not away from Dave though) in an attempted robbery in Peru.
SHARE This Lovely Corporate Generosity With Your Friends…
Quote of the Day: “The will to win is not nearly as important as the will to prepare.” – Bobby Knight
Photo: Jordan Love video screenshot
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?
Ten newly discovered species of trilobites, hidden for 490 million years in a little-studied part of Thailand, could be the missing pieces in an intricate puzzle of ancient world geography.
Trilobites are extinct sea creatures with half-moon-shaped heads that breathed through their legs. A 100-page article in the British journal offers great detail about the new species, including one named in honor of Thai Royal Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.
The trilobite fossils were trapped between layers of petrified ash in sandstone, the product of old volcanic eruptions that settled on the sea floor and formed a green layer called a tuff. Unlike some other kinds of rocks or sediment, tuffs contain crystals of zircon—a mineral that formed during an eruption and are, as the name of the rock layer containing them suggests, tough.
Zircon is chemically stable as well as heat and weather resistant. It is hard as steel and persists when minerals in other kinds of rocks erode. Inside these resilient zircon crystals, individual atoms of uranium gradually decay and transform into atoms of lead.
“We can use radio isotope techniques to date when the zircon formed and thus find the age of the eruption, as well as the fossil,” said Nigel Hughes, co-author and UC Riverside geology professor.
It is rare to find tuffs from this particular period of time, the late Cambrian period, between 497 and 485 million years ago. “Not many places around the world have this. It is one of the worst dated intervals of time in Earth’s history,” Hughes said.
“The tuffs will allow us to not only determine the age of the fossils we found in Thailand, but to better understand parts of the world like China, Australia, and even North America where similar fossils have been found in rocks that cannot be dated,” said Shelly Wernette, former Hughes lab geologist now at Texas State University, and first author of the monograph.
The fossils were uncovered on the coast of an island called Ko Tarutao. It is about 40 minutes southwest from the mainland via high speed boat and is part of an UNESCO geopark site that has encouraged international teams of scientists to work in this area.
For Wernette, the most interesting discovery was 12 types of trilobites that have been seen in other parts of the world, but never in Thailand before. “We can now connect Thailand to parts of Australia, a really exciting discovery.”
During the trilobites’ lifetime, this region was on the outer margins of Gondwanaland, an ancient supercontinent that included Africa, India, Australia, South America, and Antarctica.
“Because continents shift over time, part of our job has been to work out where this region of Thailand was in relation to the rest of Gondwanaland,” Hughes said. “It’s a moving, shape shifting, 3D jigsaw puzzle we’re trying to put together. This discovery will help us do that.”
Parapilekia bunopasi A, dorsal; B, anterior; C, left lateral view. D, DGSC F1294, cranidium. E–G, DGSC F1390, pygidium in: E, left lateral; F, posterior; G, dorsal view. – UC Riverside
For example, take the species named for Royal Princess Sirindhorn. The species was named in tribute to the princess for her steadfast dedication to developing the sciences in Thailand. “This species had a regal quality. It has a broad headdress and clean sweeping lines,” Wernette said.
If researchers can get a date from the tuffs containing her namesake species, Tsinania sirindhornae, and determine when they lived, they will be able to say that closely related species of Tsinania found in northern and southern China are roughly the same age.
Ultimately, the researchers feel that the pictures of the ancient world hidden in the fossils they found contain invaluable information for the present day.
“What we have here is a chronicle of evolutionary change accompanied by extinctions. The Earth has written this record for us, and we’re fortunate to have it,” Hughes said. “The more we learn from it the better prepared we are for the challenges we’re engineering on the planet for ourselves today.”
Artist Jason deCaires Taylor's newly updated installation in the sea off Grenada . See SWNS story SWLNstatues. A British artist has updated an underwater sculpture park in the Caribbean with 25 figures of local people. Jason deCaires Taylor, from Canterbury, in Kent has crafted the life-size sculptures, all of which have been cast from members of the local community in Grenada. Titled Coral Carnival and created in collaboration with a talented team of local artists, Mr Taylor said his latest design drew inspiration from the country’s vibrant annual carnival, Spicemas. He explained: “The sculptural procession portrays a range of symbolic carnival characters, each one celebrating Grenada’s rich culture and history.”
Artist Jason deCaires Taylor’s new sculpture installation in the sea off Grenada – SWNS
A British artist has crafted life-size sculptures, all of which have been cast from members of the local community in Grenada.
The installation known as the Coral Carnival was created by Jason deCaires Taylor in collaboration with a team of local artists, drawing inspiration from the country’s vibrant annual carnival, Spicemas.
“The sculptural procession portrays a range of symbolic carnival characters, each one celebrating Grenada’s rich culture and history,” said the sculptor from Canterbury in Kent.
The sculptures provide a major upgrade to the Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park, which Mr. Taylor created back in 2006—the first of its kind in the world.
Every sculpture added to the park can be found at about 10 feet underwater (3-meters) making them easy to see by snorkelers.
The designs, adorned with jewels, sequins, and feathers, represent the first time paint has been used on underwater sculptures, but with materials friendly for the environment. Made from high-grade stainless steel and PH-neutral marine cement, they are installed in a way that ensured the local reef was not damaged by anchoring.
Entitled Coral Carnival it was created in collaboration with a team of local artists, inspired by Grenada’s rich culture and history.
The bases of the sculptures even include holes and shelters designed for marine life, such as octopus and lobsters, to inhabit.
One of the characters depicted in Coral Carnival is Jab Jab—an important symbol of Grenadian culture and freedom.
“Although the name translates to ‘double evil’, the masqueraders are not devils themselves or related to demonic culture,” explained Taylor. “Instead, they are satirizing the thoughts and actions of slave masters from the past.”
Randall Dolland, chairman of the Grenada Tourism Authority said the expansion not only enhances the visitor experience, but also “deepens our connection to the rich cultural tapestry of our nation.”
SHARE THE DESTINATION With Diving Enthusiasts on Social Media…
It’s been a difficult year for Hawaiians in Maui since wildfires destroyed the community in August, but with the holidays approaching so is the kindness, with Walmart and the Salvation Army stepping up with tens of thousands of free toys and gifts.
The organizations wanted to give back to the children affected in the community with a holiday celebration and surprise toy giveaway.
Walmart donated 35,000 toys to the children brightening their holiday spirits through two events.
They held a Christmas party for two elementary schools: King Kamehameha III was destroyed beyond repair in the fire, and their students and staff were relocated to Princess Nahi’ena’ena’s campus, where the Salvation Army decorated their large gymnasium with festive scenes for the big reveal.
Not only did the 800 children receive thousands of toys, Walmart showed the staff appreciation with Walmart gift cards to use during holidays.
School holiday gifts giveaway in Lahaina
“Held exactly three months after the devastating wildfires, this heartwarming event aimed to bring joy to the families impacted by the Lahaina wildfires and create a Winter Wonderland filled with surprises and delights,” said a Walmart spokesperson.
Child holds bag, ready to choose her gifts at the toy giveaway by Salvation Army and Walmart
“One of the most heartwarming moments of the day was when large gift bags filled with toys were distributed to each child present at the event, which was kept under wraps, for it to be a complete surprise to the children.”
In a second event, a Winter Wonderland Toy Shopping Spree was held last week at a local Walmart store where more than 1,800 Maui children and their families were able to shop for multiple toys, free of charge.
“The smiles and excitement on their faces were a testament to the love and care shared by the Lahaina community, Walmart and The Salvation Army.”
Each child got a big bag to fill with toys at Maui Walmart
The funniest photography competition in the world announced their winners and the grand prize winner was a kangaroo playing air guitar.
Up against 5,300 entries from 85 countries, Jason Moore from Australia with his ‘Air Guitar Roo’ prevailed in the closest voting ever.
Taken in the outer suburbs of Perth, Jason visited a yellow field of wildflowers where a “mob” of adult kangaroos and joeys were playing and feeding—and apparently listening to music.
“When I saw this Roo striking the air guitar pose, it immediately brought a smile to my face, and I knew that I had captured something really special. “
As the Comedy Wildlife Photographer of the Year champion, Jason won a safari in the Masai Mara, Kenya, and other prizes.
The competition was founded in 2015 by Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam, both professional photographers and conservationists to create a fun and free-to-enter photography competition unlike any other.
6 Category Winners included the Junior Category, won by 16-year-old Jacek Stankiewicz with his image of two greenfinches in Poland called ‘Dispute’, which also took home this year’s People’s Choice Award.
“I caught this scene in the Bialowieza Forest while watching birds that looked like they were having argument,” said the young Polish man. “My friends interpret this scene, (saying) ‘One kid is reporting to the parent that its brother did something wrong.”
There were also 10 Highly Commended Winners, including the entry above from France called Snowball. “Taken in Spitzberg during a very cold winter, the white grouse is coming to me and looked like a snowball with eyes,” recalled Jacques Poulard.
‘The Rainforest Dandy’ was taken in a monkey forest in Ubud, Bali by Delphine Casimir.
“This place is a crazy place where monkeys are king! sometimes they give a show, sometimes, they climb on you to look for fleas or steal the piece of biscuit you are trying to eat,” she said. “Their kingdom has three hindu temples. Maybe our dandy is the reicarnation of a divinity?”
‘The Happy Turtle Dragonfly’ was shot in the Jezreel Valley in Israel by Tzahi Finkelstein who mused, “The swamp turtle is surprised and smiles at the dragonfly resting on its nose.”
Taken at Westerfolds Park—a surprisingly wild pocket of land in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia—a mob of kangaroo was enjoying some morning sunshine when this joey decided to get silly and try his hand at boxing.
And finally, this gannet family was a touching winner from the UK. Each year between March and October, around half a million seabirds use the Bempton chalk cliffs towering above the North Sea to nest and raise a family.
Gannets mate for life and they return to the same nest year after year to raise their young. Zoe Ashdown described how she got the winning shot:
“Lying safely at the top of the cliff face I was able to observe the affection shown between the gannets each time one returned to the nest.
“They have a greeting ritual: they rub beaks and entwine their necks; it’s how they strengthen their bond. But it’s also a brilliant opportunity to catch them in various poses.
Quote of the Day: “Do more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help. Do more than be fair: be kind. Do more than forgive: forget.” – William Arthur Ward
Photo by: Markus Spiske
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?
Charles Hanson with the antique Chinese cup from the Qing Dynasty – Hansons Auctioneers / SWNS
Charles Hanson with the antique Chinese cup from the Qing Dynasty – Hansons Auctioneers / SWNS
A couple were left stunned after a cup tucked away in their garage turned out to be an antique Chinese treasure from the Qing Dynasty worth thousands.
The rare, centuries-old libation cup was identified by an antiques expert called to the home in England to assess items for potential consignment.
It turned out to be a mystical Chinese antique made of rhinoceros horn believed to detect poison and hold aphrodisiac qualities for users 350 years ago.
The couple in the Cotswolds are now placing the ornate late 17th-century mug up for auction on November 30.
Charles Hansons, the star of TV’s Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip, said he had completed his visit and was sitting in his car, about to drive off with a wave, when the couple asked if they could show him one more thing.
“They disappeared into the garage. What was placed into my hands was a magical find. I instantly recognized it as a rare Chinese object dating back to the late 17th or early 18th century.
Hansons Auctioneers / SWNS
“It was beautifully carved out of rhinoceros horn and displayed intricate detail.”
Charles said rhinoceros horn was considered one of ‘Eight Precious’ symbols representing good luck and prosperity in Chinese mythology.
“By the Tang dynasty (AD 618-806) it was being carved into drinking containers used at ceremonies honoring ancestors and given to scholars who were successful in examinations.
The trade and transportation of rhinoceros horn carvings that are antiques is regulated by law, however, they are permitted to be sold if for purely artistic intentions.
Chinese law states that any item sold for over $100 per gram is automatically granted work-of-art status and therefore be allowed to return to China if buyers wish to repatriate it back to its home country.
Summerville Police Department officers hand out turkeys instead of tickets in heartwarming Thanksgiving program – SWNS
Summerville Police Department officers hand out turkeys instead of tickets in heartwarming Thanksgiving program – SWNS
Motorists in South Carolina who were pulled over for violations got a Thanksgiving surprise, as officers handed them a free turkey instead of tickets or fines.
Every turkey day for the past five years the Summerville Police Department has spread seasonal cheer with the program.
A video captures drivers being pulled over and bursting into laughter and relief when handed a turkey instead.
The department turns the annual, week-long event called ‘Turkey, no Ticket’, into a teaching experience for drivers.
They stop motorists who might normally have been issued written warnings or tickets for infractions like driving with an obstructed mirror, or minor speeding.
This year, Motorcycle Officers Bryan Young and T.J. Thomas gave out 12 turkeys donated by a local Harris Teeter supermarket.
Summerville Police officers hand out turkeys instead of tickets in heartwarming Thanksgiving program – SWNS
Police Chief Douglas Wright said that the project is also intended to foster goodwill between police and the community.
“We feel that it is essential to utilize every unique idea to help break down the walls between the community and law enforcement.
“The holidays can be challenging for many reasons, so giving back to the community is another way to brighten the season for those who are struggling.”
He also said that his officers are always excited to take part in the project.
“Each year, the officers who are selected to participate absolutely love doing this particular outreach.
On a mission to elevate the profile of plumbers, the first-ever Plumbing National Championship attracted the crème de la crème of American tradespeople to compete for cash and prizes last month.
One of the plumbers taking the plunge made a savvy move that would pay off big, when Craig Childress, a Boston tradesman, made the strategic decision to check extra luggage before jetting off to Florida for the Elite Trades Championship Series—which also judges the top Auto Technicians, Electricians, and HVAC techs.
Childress’s foresight was spot on. Not only did he clinch the title of top plumber, but he also emerged as the winner in the HVAC Championship—a crossover first in the event’s history.
His twin triumphs saw Childress hauling in $50,000 in prize money and a pair of weighty trophies. In the aftermath, with his wife Rachel by his side, the elated plumber reflected on his whirlwind double win.
“Professionally, this is the most absurdly wonderful thing that’s ever happened to me. It’s been an unbelievable journey.”
The CBS Sports Network will broadcast The Elite Trades Championship Series in December. Founded in 2015, it’s a showcase of finesse and knowledge among the nation’s elite apprentices and seasoned pros, all vying for a slice of the $300,000 prize pool.
The sponsored event framed pipework as a competitive sport, a showdown aimed to flush away old stereotypes and draw a new generation into the field.
“Plumbing is not just a job—it’s a vocation that pays well, but demands smarts, skill, and a steady hand,” said a spokesperson for the event sponsor, SharkBite Plumbing Solutions, in a press release.
“Plumbing may not spark viral hashtags or trend on TikTok, but the Plumbing National Championship is changing the conversation around this foundational trade.”
In the Olympics of pipe wrenches, plumbing pros from across the nation locked horns, diving into a gauntlet of real-world challenges, turning the spotlight on the unsung skills that keep our faucets flowing and toilets flushing.
David Shanor from Virginia and Joe Jaspers from Ohio nabbed the second and third spots in plumbing, with Dagner Espinoza and Lee Morris Jr. rounding out the HVAC podium.
However, for Childress, his moment of victory was as personal as it was professional. After both championship wins, he shared the moment with his 12-year-old daughter via video chat. Her pride in her dad was the cherry on top of an already sweet victory, and moved dad to the brink of tears.
According an Instagram post, CBS Sports Network will broadcast the 2023 Plumbing National Championship on December 29, at 8:00 PM ET, allowing viewers nationwide to witness the drama of Childress’s remarkable pipe dream come true. The HVAC National Championship will air on December 15.
SPREAD SOME LOVE For Plumbers By Sharing This on Social Media…
