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Missing Pig Named Kevin Bacon Reunited with Owners After Help from Kevin Bacon

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Andy Corbley
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(left) Kevin Bacon in 2012 CC 2.0. Genevieve (right) Kevin Bacon the Pig - Kevin's Home Adventures
(left) Kevin Bacon in 2012 CC 2.0. Genevieve (right) Kevin Bacon the Pig – Kevin’s Home Adventures

Actor Kevin Bacon found himself back in the news after a footloose runaway pig bearing his name was caught in an elaborate ruse.

Always a good sport, Kevin Bacon (the human) saw his name in the limelight, but after realizing it was not about him, decided to use his social media followers to help out—and roll around in the mud a little.

He alerted his fanbase that people in Pennsylvania should be on the lookout for the missing hog and aware of the attempts of its owner Chelsea Rumbaugh, to recapture him.

Chelsea lives in Cumberland Township and brought the pig home on October 13th. Following two brief breakouts, Kevin Bacon ran away after burrowing under the fence of his holding pen. Thus began a 2-week saunter around the rural area.

Chelsea set up a Facebook page called ‘Bring Kevin Bacon Home’ which kept up a running thread of locations and news about the pig to help coordinate rescue efforts. She asked neighbors and friends to share the page, which eventually landed it in the feed of a certain Mr. Kevin Bacon.

The famous actor/musician then shared the Facebook page on his Threads feed, captioning it with, Bring Kevin Bacon Home!

Over the course of his adventure, pig Kevin had grown accustomed to eating food from humans, which eventually led to his downfall in the form of a sticky bun laced with harmless Benadryl, which for animals is a sedative.

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Chelsea’s rambling pig came home and even walked freely into his pen, which she had since reinforced with concrete to stop any tunneling.

The story of Kevin Bacon and Kevin Bacon went viral, and she realized that she could use the fame to advance her goal of turning her farm into an emotional support center.

“We have plans for our property to be an open-to-the-public farm and offer services for children and adults who struggle with PTSD, anxiety, and depression, and Kevin is going to be here for all of that, too,” said Rumbaugh, according to Unilad.

MORE CELEBRITY ENCOUNTERS: Guy on Pub Crawl Dressed as Gandalf Bumps into ‘Real’ Ian McKellen For Best Birthday Surprise Ever

The Facebook page has since been converted into Kevin’s Home Adventures and hosts all Kevin content all day.

SHARE This Hillarious Bacon-Related Story With Your Friends… 

“What art offers is space—a certain breathing room for the spirit.” – John Updike

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Quote of the Day: “What art offers is space—a certain breathing room for the spirit.” – John Updike

Photo by: (c) GWC

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?

Bill Gates Backs Novel Merry-Go-Round Wind Turbine: Half the Cost and Better for Landscape Than Giant Towers

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alternative wind turbine by Airloom Energy
Airloom Energy
alternative wind turbine by Airloom Energy
Airloom Energy

Bill Gates has backed a novel wind power system by investing in Airloom Energy, a company that has developed a carousel-style wind turbine.

The Microsoft billionaire’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures led the round that provided $4 million in seed funding to scale up the innovation, touted to slash the cost of wind energy production in half.

The unique utility-scale wind power device is said to produce the same amount of power as a conventional horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT) at a small fraction of the mass and cost.

Standard wind turbines can approach a height of 500 feet, with 180-foot blades rotating on a 300-foot tower.

In contrast, the typical Airloom utilizes the same physics but runs 30-foot blades along a lightweight track only 80 feet high.

Founded in 2020, the Wyoming-based manufacturer is currently operating a 50-kilowatt test device. Future systems are expected to be up to 1,300 feet long (400 meters) and produce hundreds of megawatts for utility-scale wind farms that produces the same amount of power as a HAWT at a small fraction of the mass and cost.

WIND SOLUTION: Repurposing Old Wind Turbines–Company Devises Ingenious Method

“Cost and environmental advantages extend over the Airloom’s entire lifecycle,” said the company in a media release. “It uses readily sourced materials to ensure rapid manufacturing, and an entire 2.5 MW Airloom could be transported in one standard tractor trailer.

Test system – Airloom Energy

“It can be configured high or low, short or long, to optimize siting and viewplane, and does not require large concrete foundations in commissioning.”

Carmichael Roberts, of Breakthrough Energy Ventures, add: “For decades, the wind industry has lowered the cost of energy production by scaling ever larger turbines.

“Although this has been extremely successful in driving down overall costs, the approach now faces challenges in terms of both siting and cost of materials.

“Airloom’s unique approach can solve both these problems, opening new market opportunities for wind energy that will further drive down costs.”

WOW, GOOD NEWS: Not a Single Collision for Seabird Populations in Offshore Wind Farm Says $3M Radar Study

The decrease in overall weight and materials also means greatly reduced landfill impacts at the end of its use.

Learn more about Airloom and watch a video, visit their website.

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Man Transforms an Old Farmhouse into a Barbie Dreamhouse Fulfilling a Childhood Dream-LOOK

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Pink couch in Jonny Carmack's Barbie Dreamhouse – SWNS
Pink couch in Jonny Carmack’s Barbie Dreamhouse – SWNS

A man has transformed his old Connecticut farmhouse into a ‘Barbie Dreamhouse’, fueled by his childhood love of the Mattel brand’s style.

Jonny Carmack bought the three-bedroom fixer-upper in 2020, escaping New York City during the pandemic.

It was his first home, and the 31-year-old had a lot of work ahead of him, dealing with crumbling, moldy walls.

He spent $20,000 on the Danbury residence transforming it with vivid colors and 1980s furniture found at estate sales and vintage dealers.

Since buying the 1800s farmhouse and moving in with his partner Mitchell Pozo, Jonny has added $100k in value to the property that originally cost $256,000.

“I remember being young and knowing I wanted to live in a doll house one day,” said the small business owner.

He grew up in a blue-collar family that frowned on boys playing with Barbie dolls.

SWNS

“When I bought the house I knew I wanted to use it as a landing pad for my creativity, but I was still a bit nervous as I didn’t know how my family and friends would react.”

Whimsical interior design by Jonny Carmack – SWNS

Some of Jonny’s second-hand items included a $50 Murano light, a $1,000 bedroom set, and the blue couch he bought for $1,000.

The dining room of Jonny Carmack’s Barbie Dreamhouse – SWNS

Each room has changed five or six times in the course of a few years, as Jonny collaborates with his partner Mitchell, a visual merchandiser.

“Me and Mitchell share the same brain.

“He is super creative like me, and loves color, so we brainstorm a lot.”

LOOK: Inspired Mom Spent Half a Decade Turning her Home Into a Shrine to the 1970s

Jonny said his conservative family isn’t so sure about his interior design skills but his friends love the unique style.

The pink hallway – SWNS

“My friends love it—and this summer we watched the Barbie movie here! It was super fun.”

SHARE the Dream House With Barbie Fans on Social Media…

Doritos ‘Crunch Cancellation’ Software for Gamers Removes Munching Sounds From Headsets–and it’s Free

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Good News Network
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eating doritos while gaming-released Doritos
Doritos

New ‘crunch cancellation’ software has been developed to remove the sound of munching while wearing a headset.

Created by software developer Dylan Fashbaugh, the AI-powered tech listens out for the sound of someone’s voice and separates it from the crunch of a snack– meaning people can chomp without making a sound.

In development over the last year, ‘Doritos Silent’ was the culmination of an analysis of more than 5,000 crunch sounds.

Once installed, you simply turn it on, and it can work in conjunction with any software that supports voice chat.

It follows a study of 2,000 adults which found 46 percent dislike the sound of other people eating and 41 percent feel self-conscious of making too much noise because others find it distracting.

Of the 2,000 gamers surveyed by OnePoll, 29 percent believe it impacts their performance, yet, eating and gaming go hand in hand for the vast majority of players.

CHECK OUT: Playing Video Games Improves These Aspects of Daily Life Say Gamers in New Poll

The technology would also allow those working from home to crunch through chips while dialing into a call.

“As a gamer myself, I can testify that nothing throws me off my game more than the sound of someone else tucking into a snack,” said developer Dylan, from Smooth Technology. “Trialling thousands of crunch sounds, we carefully trained the software to remove the sounds.”

A spokesperson from Doritos said: “It’s been hard to keep this one quiet … but we are finally able to reveal the launch of our ‘Crunch Cancellation’ technology.

PC users can now download the software from the brand’s website and use it free of charge.

“We know that the nation loves the satisfying crunch of our tortilla chips, but listening to someone else enjoy them can be off-putting.

“That’s why we set out to develop the first-ever AI-augmented ‘silent’ snack, and after months of expert development, PC gamers across the country can finally crunch down a microphone without making a sound.”

HEAR how the crunch-cancellation software sounds…

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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 11, 2023
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
In my horoscopes for Scorpios, I tend to write complex messages. My ideas are especially thick and rich and lush. Why? Because I imagine you as being complex, thick, rich, and lush. Your destiny is labyrinthine and mysterious and intriguing, and I aspire to reflect its intricate, tricky beauty. But this time, in accordance with current astrological omens, I will offer you my simplest, most straightforward oracle ever. I borrowed it from author Mary Anne Hershey: “Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Play with abandon. Choose with no regret. Continue to learn. Appreciate your friends. Do what you love.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
In her poem “Requiem,” Anna Akhmatova says, “I must kill off memory . . . and I must learn to live anew.” I think most of us can benefit from periodically engaging in this brave and robust exercise. It’s not a feat to be taken lightly—not to be done more than once or twice a year. But guess what: The coming weeks will be a time when such a ritual might be wise for you. Are you ready to purge old business and prepare the way for a fresh start? Here are your words of power: forgiveness, clearing, cleaning, release, absolution, liberation.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
We need stories almost as much as we need to breathe, eat, sleep, and move. It’s impossible to live without them. The best stories nourish our souls, stimulate our imagination, and make life exciting. That’s not to say that all stories are healthy for us. We sometimes cling to narratives that make us miserable and sap our energy. I think we have a sacred duty to de-emphasize and even jettison those stories—even as we honor and relish the rich stories that empower and inspire us. I bring these thoughts to your attention, Capricorn, because you’re in a phase of your cycle when you will especially thrive by disposing of the bad old stories and celebrating the good ones.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
I could be wrong, but I don’t think so: You are smarter and wiser than you realize about the pressing issues that are now vying for your attention. You know more than you know you know. I suspect this will soon become apparent, as streams of fresh insights rise up from the depths of your psyche and guide your conscious awareness toward clarity. It’s OK to squeal with glee every time a healing intuition shows up. You have earned this welcome phase of lucid certainty.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
In Indigenous cultures throughout history, shamans have claimed they have the power to converse with and even temporarily become hawks, coyotes, snakes, and other creatures. Why do they do that? It’s a long story, but one answer is that they believe animals have intelligences that are different from what humans have. The shamans aspire to learn from those alternate ways of seeing and comprehending the world. Many of us who live in Western culture dismiss this venerable practice, although I’ve known animal lovers who sympathize with it. If you are game for a fun experiment, Pisces, I invite you to try your own version. Choose an animal (we highly recommend this tool) to learn from. Study and commune with it. Ask it to reveal intuitions that surprise and enrich you.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Your victories-in-progress are subtle. They may not be totally visible to you yet. Let me describe them so you can feel properly confident about what you are in the process of accomplishing. 1. A sustained surge of hard-earned personal growth is rendering one of your problems mostly irrelevant. 2. You have been redefining what rewards are meaningful to you, and that’s motivating you to infuse your ambitions with more soulfulness. 3. You are losing interest in a manipulative game that doesn’t serve you as well as it should. 4. You are cultivating more appreciation for fascinating and useful problems.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Taurus physicist Richard Feynman was a smart and accomplished person who won a Nobel Prize. He articulated a perspective that will be healthy for you to experiment with in the coming weeks. He said, “I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I think it’s much more interesting not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong. I have approximate answers and possible beliefs and different degrees of certainty about different things, but I’m not absolutely sure of anything, and there are many things I don’t know anything about.” Give Mr. Feynman’s approach a try, dear Taurus. Now is an excellent time to explore the perks of questioning everything. I bet you’ll be pleased with how free and easy it makes you feel.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
To earn money, I have worked as a janitor, dishwasher, olive picker, ditch-digger, newspaper deliverer, and 23 other jobs involving hard labor. In addition, I have done eight artistic jobs better suited to my sensitive temperament and creative talents. Am I regretful or resentful about the thousands of hours I toiled at tasks I didn’t enjoy? A little. But mostly I’m thankful for them. They taught me how to interact harmoniously with a wide array of people. They helped forge my robust social conscience. And they motivated me to eventually figure out how to get jobs I really loved. Now I invite you to take an inventory of your own work life, Gemini. It’s an excellent time to evaluate where you’ve been and where you want to go in the future.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
There are so many kinds of sweetness. Zesty spicy sweetness. Tender balmy fragrant sweetness. Sour or bitter sweetness. Musky piquant sweetness. Luscious succulent sweetness. One of my favorite types of sweetness is described by Cancerian poet Stephen Dunn. He wrote, “Often a sweetness comes as if on loan, stays just long enough to make sense of what it means to be alive, then returns to its dark source. As for me, I don’t care where it’s been, or what bitter road it’s traveled to come so far, to taste so good.” My analysis of the astrological omens suggests to me that you are about to commune with at least three of these sweetnesses, Cancerian. Maybe most of them.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Author Dan Savage advocates regular indulgence in sloth. He notes that few of us can “get through 24 hours without a little downtime. Human beings need to stare off into space, look out the window, daydream, and spend time every day being indolent and useless.” I concur, and I hope you will indulge in more downtime than usual during the coming weeks. For the sake of your long-term mental and physical health, you need to relax extra deep and strong now—to recharge your battery with delicious and delightful abandon.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
According to my deep and thorough analysis of your astrological rhythms, your mouth will soon be a wonder of nature. The words emerging from your lips will be extra colorful, precise, and persuasive. Your taste buds will have an enhanced vividness as they commune with the joys of food and drink. And I suspect your tongue and lips will exult in an upgrade of aptitude and pleasure while plying the arts of sex and intimate love. Congratulations, Mouthy Maestro!

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
In addition to being a masterful composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) played the piano, violin, harp, bassoon, clarinet, horn, flute, oboe, and trumpet. His experience led him to believe that musicians best express their skills when they play fast. It’s more challenging to be excellent when playing slowly, he thought. But I will invite you to adopt the reverse attitude and approach in the coming weeks, Libra. According to my astrological analysis, you will be most successful if you work gradually and incrementally, with careful diligence and measured craftiness.

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)

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“Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude.” – Harry Truman

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Quote of the Day: “Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude.” – Harry Truman (It’s Veterans Day!)

Photo by: Clay Banks

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?

Native American Headdress Set to be Returned to Blackfoot Homeland After Century in UK Museum

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Elders from Blackfoot Tribal Council of the Siksika Nation – SWNS
Elders from Blackfoot Tribal Council of the Siksika Nation – SWNS

A sacred Native American headdress is set to be returned to its original owners, after being displayed in a UK museum for more than a century.

Exhibited by the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter since 1920, the origins of the stunning ceremonial headdress traces back to the Blackfoot Nation of Alberta, Canada.

Known as a ‘bird bundle’, it features eagle feathers, blue indigo bunting feathers, red-tailed hawk feathers, buffalo horns, porcupine quills and brass bells.

The item was identified as a ‘sacred ceremonial item’ in 2013 by elders from the Sikiska tribe of the Blackfoot Nation, and last year a delegation from the community visited the museum in Devon to discuss reclaiming the item.

Exeter City Councillors decided on November 8 to return the item, which traditionally is worn by a holy woman of the Holy Buffalo Woman Society known as Motokiks.

The headdress was acquired originally by Edgar Dewdney, Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories and a Canadian MP, who worked as a Canadian rail surveyor and became ‘Indian Commissioner’ in the country in 1892. Reports say it remains a mystery how he specifically acquired the item.

LOOK: British Museum Sends Totem Pole Back to its Indigenous Home in Canada

The report to the Executive Council said: “The debate on repatriation is a fast-moving one, and agreeing to the return will demonstrate that Exeter City Council through the Royal Albert Memorial Museum is prepared to lead sectoral change and to demonstrate trust and respect to international communities.”

Siksika Chief Ouray Crowfoot stressed the sacred significance of the headdresss and says the item will be used by the Holy Buffalo Women Society ‘as originally intended’, rather than as an artifact.

“Bringing these items back home to Siksika is a historic event,” he said. “Now the tides are turning and these items are finding their way back home.”

ALSO CHECK OUT: Rare 170-Year-Old Cree Jacket Turns Up at Vintage Shop in UK–and They Want to Reunite It With Its Community

He said the elders were building strong relationships with curators at several museums as well as private collectors.

The city believes it’s likely that representatives of the Siksika Nation will travel to the UK to collect the headdress.

“To me, it is not as important how these items left Siksika,” said Chief Crowfoot, “What is important is how we bring them back home.”

POPULAR:Little Known Ancient Site in Ohio Crowned by UNESCO–for Incredible Alignment with Moon and Sun

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Good Cardiovascular Habits Can Knock 6 Years off Your Biological Age: New Study

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Good News Network
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Linda Knicely

Good cardiovascular health can knock six years off your biological age, says a team from Columbia University Medical Center in New York City

The researchers tested the American Heart Association’s Essential 8 checklist and the effects of sticking to it.

To take care of the heart and blood vessels, which are linked to many diseases, adopt the Essential 8 habits: healthy sleep, not smoking, regular physical activity, healthy diet, healthy body weight, and healthy blood glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure.

The study, presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2023 in Philadelphia, examined 6,500 adults from varying backgrounds and found that sticking to the Essential 8 could significantly extend life and reduce the risk of cardiovascular and other age-related diseases.

On average, participants with the highest Life’s Essential 8 score tested six years younger biologically than their actual age.

“Reduced biologic aging is not just associated with lower risk of chronic disease such as heart disease, it is also associated with longer life and lower risk of death,” said study senior author Dr. Nour Makarem.

SIMPLE DECISION: Increasing Steps by 3,000 Per Day Can Lower Blood Pressure in Older Adults

“We found that higher cardiovascular health is associated with decelerated biological aging, as measured by phenotypic (biological) age. We also found a dose-dependent association – as heart health goes up, biological aging goes down.

“Greater adherence to all Life’s Essential 8 metrics and improving your cardiovascular health can slow down your body’s aging process and have a lot of benefits down the line.”

Results showed that this worked both ways, and those with poor cardiovascular health aged faster.

The average actual age of those with high cardiovascular health was 41, yet their average biological age was 36; and the average actual age of those who had low cardiovascular health was 53, though their average biological age was 57.

CHECK OUT: 5 Key Sleeping Habits That Can Add Years to Your Life Identified by Scientists

They came to this conclusion using participant’s actual age plus the results of nine blood markers for metabolism, inflammation and organ function.

Former president of the American Heart Association Dr Donald Lloyd-Jones said, “These findings help us understand the link between chronological age and biological age and how following healthy lifestyle habits can help us live longer.

Researchers will study the impact of cardiovascular health on aging over time.

“Everyone wants to live longer, yet more importantly, we want to live healthier longer so we can really enjoy and have good quality of life for( as many years as possible.”

SHAR# These Heart-Health TIPS on Social Media! 

Jack Russell Pup Becomes Surrogate Mom to Six Abandoned Kittens, Feeding Them with Her Own Milk

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Good News Network
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Sue Stubley
Sue Stubley – SWNS

A devoted Jack Russell terrier has become an unlikely mum to six abandoned kittens—and is even producing milk for them.

Two-year-old Teasel stepped up when owner Sue Stubley took in the kittens from a neighbor, after they were abandoned by their own mother.

She quickly embraced her newfound role and for the next three weeks Teasel was cleaning, snuggling, and nursing the kitties.

Initially, Sue didn’t want to let the dog anywhere near the kittens.

“I was scared she was going to go for them,” said Sue, who runs the Suffolk Hedgehog Hospital.

“I was letting her sniff them and then she licked one of them. Then I realized she actually just wanted to cuddle them, rather than maim them.”

Now she’s looking after them completely. “It’s amazing.”

When Sue volunteered to care for the abandoned kittens, no one guessed that her pet would do most of the heavy lifting.

Despite having never birthed puppies before, Teasel began to lactate, after the babies began suckling on her—and Sue shared the moments on Facebook.

LOOK: Ice Rink Gives Dying Dog One Last Chance to Play in the Snow 

 

Happily, the good fortune has allowed Sue more time to look after 154 prickly patients at her hedgehog hospital.

Sue Stubley’s dog Teasel nursing the kittens – SWNS

The kittens are now due to be neutered, de-wormed, and micro-chipped before getting a new start in loving homes.

HERO: Tiny Bomb-Sniffing Jack Russell is a National Hero, Sporting a Presidential Medal

“We are sending them to cat lovers, which is nice to know that they are going to good homes,” Sue said.

Suffolk Hedgehog Hospital became a registered charity three years ago and accepts online donations to help run the wildlife clinic.

KNOW A JACK RUSSELL? Share The Adorable Story on Social Media….

Special Toothpaste Could End Severe Peanut Reactions for People With Allergies

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Good News Network
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Nik
Nik

For years, doctors have treated allergies by introducing small amounts of the dangerous allergen over a period of time, which desensitizes the patient to keep them safe.

Now, a special toothpaste may soon be saving people with peanut allergies from having severe reactions.

The proposed product would contain tiny amounts of the nut to build patients’ immunity over time.

Every participant in the small trial tolerated the highest dose of the peanut toothpaste without any moderate or severe systemic reactions. Some experienced a little itch in the mouth but it was a mild and transient reaction, similar to that which occurs at an injection sites when doctors give shots.

Speaking at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in California, allergy expert Dr. William Berger described the process called Oral Mucosal Immunotherapy (OMIT).

“OMIT uses a specially formulated toothpaste to deliver allergenic peanut proteins to areas of the oral cavity.

“OMIT as a delivery mechanism for peanut protein has great potential for food allergy desensitization,” he said.

Due to its targeted delivery and simple administration, it can desensitize patients to peanuts without requiring dozens of visits to a clinic over a period of years.

CHECK OUT: Peanut and Food Allergies May Be Reversed with Compound Produced by Healthy Gut Bacteria

“We noted that 100 percent of those being treated with the toothpaste consistently tolerated the pre-specified protocol highest dose.”

The study by ACAAI included 32 people with peanut allergies aged 18 to 55.

They used the toothpaste treatment and a placebo control in a ratio of three to one during the 48-week trial.

Participants brushed their teeth with an increasingly strong dose of peanut toothpaste, or a peanut-free product.

ANOTHER SOLUTION: ‘Landmark’ Peanut Allergy Skin Patch Desensitizes Kids Using Immunotherapy to Stop Allergic Reactions

Safety was monitored throughout, as well as blood test to check how the person’s immune system is responding to an allergen.

There’s no word yet about when it might be ready for patients; they say more testing is needed.

SEND a Sparkling Smile to Families Dealing With Allergies–Share This on Social Media…

“If you want to be loved, love and be lovable.” – Benjamin Franklin

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Quote of the Day: “If you want to be loved, love and be lovable.” – Benjamin Franklin 

Photo by: Patty Brito

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?

Boy Invents Smart Spoon for His Uncle’s Trembling Hands that Is Affordable in India

By
Andy Corbley
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Courtesy of Aarrav Anil
Courtesy of Aarrav Anil

A schoolboy in India has invented a mechanical spoon that automatically stabilizes itself to help his uncle eat through his hand tremors caused by Parkinson’s.

It was the sight of the 70-year-old retired government employee trying to eat and splattering his food on his trousers, and a 10-year fascination with mechanics that started when his mother but him a Lego set, that saw Aarrav Anil build the device with motors, sensors, microelectronics, and a 3D printer.

Now undergoing tests at the RV College of Physiotherapy in Bengaluru, Southern India, Anil has taken on plenty of feedback—including from his uncle who was all too happy to give it a whirl.

“I’ve been fine-tuning the design based on the college’s feedback – that it needs to be waterproof so that it can be washed without damaging all the electronics inside; that it must be detachable so it can be cleaned and replaced by a fork; and the spoon needs to be deeper to hold more food,” Aarrav told the Guardian.

It’s not the first mechanically stabilized spoon on the market, GNN has reported on the development of such devices by Google in 2014, and by Liftware in 2016. 

But Anil’s costs less than half of what similar spoons go for, making it far more likely that the more than 7 million Indian Parkinson’s patients can afford it.

OTHER STORIES LIKE THIS: Afghan All-Girls Robotics Team Offered College Scholarships, Says Oklahoma Mom Who Helped Them Escape Taliban

And he expects to publish the results of a small trial in a medical journal next year before manufacturing them on a small scale; initially for hospitals.

He said that he remembers fondly the words of his uncle upon the occasion of his first test of the spoon—that such a small thing could mean the difference between “dignity and indignity.”

MORE KID GENIUSES: Teens Say They Have New Proof for 2,000-Year-Old Mathematical Theorem, a Method Scholars Thought Impossible

When he isn’t working with the spoon tech, Anil is an accomplishment representative of his country in science competitions; carrying the flag over 20 times in international robotics contests.

In one of these, he won first prize for his spoon blueprints, which jolted him into designing the prototype undergoing testing at RV College.

SHARE This Young Boy’s Brilliance And Big Heart With Your Friends… 

University Creates 2-Year Debt-Free College Degree to Help Underserved Students

By
Andy Corbley
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Butler University in Indianapolis - credit Library of Congress
Butler University in Indianapolis – credit Library of Congress

Butler University of Indianapolis has created a 2-year debt-free college to offer an associate’s degree aimed at helping prospective first-generation laureates get access to higher education.

Graduates of the facility can then continue their path to a bachelor’s degree for a flat rate of $10,000, a quarter of the current normal tuition of $45,000.

“We were founded in 1855 by an abolitionist,” President James Danko told CNN. “We were not living out our founder’s dream… that set in motion a lot of conversation and discussion about how you would deliver a degree? What would the type of student look like?”

Butler University is a private liberal arts college in Indiana, and the new college and programs will be funded by endowments and donations, and accessible to students in low-income housing areas and those who would be the first in their family history to go to college.

It was advised by the Come to Believe Network, an organization that helps design affordable degree programs for 4-year universities like Butler which has helped create similar programs at Loyola University in Chicago and the University of St. Thomas, in Minneapolis.

Danko said that Butler will begin enrolling students under the affordable associate’s program next year at their Midtown Indianapolis campus for the 2025 fall semester.

MORE PATHS TO GRADUATION: Georgia State University Hails First Class of Inmate Graduates: ‘A degree to utilize when they come home’

“The ‘Come to Believe’ model is not only innovative in its approach, but it also has proven outcomes, resonating deeply with Butler’s original mission,” Danko said in a statement.

Students will have the option of pursuing associate’s degrees in Business or Allied Health.

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Indonesia Says a Half Million Acres of Palm Plantations will be Turned Back into Forests

By
Andy Corbley
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Aerial footage of palm oil and the forest in Sentabai Village, West Kalimantan - credit CIFOR, CC 4.0.
Aerial footage of palm oil and the forest in Sentabai Village, West Kalimantan – credit CIFOR, CC 4.0.

The palm oil boom changed Southeast Asia forever, but the government of Indonesia is not going to let bygones be, and has set up a task force to comb through all oil palm plantations and force those that were created on protected land to leave.

In total the government estimates that half a million acres, or around 200,000 hectares of plantations will be removed in order to restore the tropical rainforest that should be there.

Both the internal security and environmental ministries have come together to work on ejecting the plantations, with Indonesia’s chief security minister Mahfud MD threatening to pursue legal action against palm oil companies that continue to use land illegally after the deadline passed last week.

When critiquing government action, especially on environmental issues, it’s important to remember that all governments are inherently slow and inefficient—developing ones more so, and considering the mountainous, forested terrain of rural Indonesia that encompasses thousands of islands, one begins to understand how it’s possible that just 40% of plantation owners operating in forests have even been identified.

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The first step for the task force, Reuters writes, was to place a deadline for the submission of paperwork detailing where and how much land each plantation owner is working, and those that are found to be in what should be forest will be evicted.

The paperwork is necessary for obtaining cultivation rights, and those operating without will receive criminal charges.

“The ones in protected forests and conservation forests, the government wants to restore after they pay the fine,” forestry ministry secretary-general Bambang Hendroyono told reporters in Jakarta, adding this will be part of the government’s efforts to mitigate climate change.

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS: Precious Rainforests Are Being Preserved at Highest Rate in 30 Years, After Palm Oil Moratorium in Indonesia

In total, Hendroyono estimates that around 200,000 hectares of land should be reclaimed for nature by the end of the program.

Indonesia is one of the world’s most biodiverse countries on Earth. The vast archipelago of isolated tropical rainforests has created a high degree of endemism which has been threatened by palm oil plantations.

Those trends have reversed in some cases, with a moratorium on new oil palm plantations resulting in higher and higher rates of forest survival.

SHARE This Good News For Nature With Your Friends Concerned About Palm Oil…

School Teaches Students on Opposite Ends of Violent Conflicts – Reconciliation Over Revenge

By
Andy Corbley
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The medieval Rondine campus – supplied to Christian Science Monitor

In Italy, a one-of-a-kind school sees Palestinians graduating alongside Israelis, Americans with Tribal origins alongside those with European origins, and Bosnian Muslims next to Orthodox Serbs—all in the name of creating a generation of interfaith peacebuilders.

The Swallow Citadel of Peace, located in a medieval campus in the hills of Tuscany near the city of Arezzo, offers a variety of higher educational programs and degrees, but it comes with a catch.

Prospective students must live with the “enemy”—either those of a domestic ethnic group or a neighboring nation—all in the name of deconstructing the reasons behind their hatred and conflict, breaking the trance of viewing people as the “other,” and returning to their nations as peace leaders.

In this time of ethnic conflicts all over the world, where a generation has been brought up tending plants sewn by seeds of conflict four or five generations in the past, it could be the most important school on Earth.

“We didn’t want to build a Utopian place where students could pretend war doesn’t exist,” explains Franco Vaccari, co-founder and president of Rondine. “We wanted, rather, to create a neutral ground, away from the chaos of their homelands and bigger Western cities, where our students could focus on a peaceful dialogue.”

The school, called Rondine which means the swallow in Italian, offers various degrees like a master’s program in conflict management and humanitarian action. Students arrive and begin an intensive course in Italian language, and then proceed to study interfaith dialogue, methodological and leadership skills to deconstruct the idea of “the enemy,” and reconciliation.

At the end of their journey, they are required as per the scholarship to go back to their country of origin and lead a peacebuilding and reconciliation program for 1 year.

Ruzica Markovic is one such student, who spoke to Christian Science Monitor about her progress. A Bosnian Croat born in the aftermath of the Balkans War which saw the ethnically motivated killing of 100,000 people across the region, she has since graduated and returned home to hold interfaith cafe events, conferences, and summer camps focused on reconciliation.

“I learned to see the other person as myself: a being with emotions, challenges, pain, frustrations, maybe some traumas. That’s the lesson I brought back home,” Ms. Markovic told CSM in a video call from Sarajevo.

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It’s not as easy a mission as it might seem when walking through the veritable medieval castle that makes up the Rondine campus, filled with gnarled oaks and beautiful Tuscan food, and educators at the Citadel of Peace said that sometimes the news gets turned on and arguments flair up that haven’t been expressed in months.

But many opportunities like shared study, communal dorms, and sporting events all help to reinforce the idea, nay the truth, that the students there are just people, not enemies.

MORE WORK LIKE THIS: Locals Are ‘Interrupting Violence’ in Minneapolis – One Lawn Chair at a Time

This year’s new class will include Armenians and Azerbaijanis—hot on the heels of the latter’s seizing, and some say ethnic cleansing, of the former’s presence in the disputed territory of Artsakh-Nagorno-Karabakh. It will include Russians and Ukrainians, hot on the heels of the latter’s recent defeat by the former in the Donbas and Kherson.

It will include Canadians and Americans of tribal origin and those of European origin, and Palestinians and Israelis.

SHARE The Inspiring, World-Changing Work Of This Unique School…

“I want to put a ding in the universe.” – Steve Jobs

By
Good News Network
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Fierenze, Italy – copyright GWC

Quote of the Day: “I want to put a ding in the universe.” – Steve Jobs

Photo by: GWC (copyright 2023)

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?

Fierenze, Italy – copyright GWC

New Pacemaker Developed that Uses the Heartbeat to Recharge its Battery

By
Andy Corbley
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credit - Robina Weermeijer, unsplash.
credit – Robina Weermeijer, unsplash.

By generating electrical energy from the heartbeat, a new pacemaker developed by scientists in Seattle was able to partially recharge itself.

Although the beat only generated 10% of the energy needed for the next heartbeat, the researchers hope that their breakthrough will become the standard, since changing a battery in a wireless pacemaker requires heart surgery, convincing most people to just implant a second one.

The new device is much smaller than a traditional pacemaker due to its wireless nature, measuring about one-third the size of a AAA battery and residing entirely in the heart’s right ventricle.

“We hope to prolong battery life further and expand access of this product to younger patients, who would hopefully require fewer implants over their lifetime,” said Dr. Babak Nazer of the University of Washington in Seattle, who led the paper demonstrating his team’s new invention.

“When we can improve upon our 10 percent harvesting efficiency, we hope to partner with one of the major pacemaker companies to incorporate our design and housing into an existing leadless pacemaker,” he added.

By converting mechanical energy into electrical energy, the experimental wireless pacemaker housing is able to partially recharge its battery—the same technology used in some experimental electricity-generating roads.

“Just like ultrasound converts electrical voltage into pressure or sound, we can engineer similar materials onto implantable medical devices to convert the heart’s natural oscillating pressures ‘backward’ into voltage to prolong battery life,” Dr. Nazer added.

Up until this point, wireless pacemakers have been impractical, as it is difficult to replace the battery, often leading to patients just having another one put in next to it.

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Traditional pacemakers have tiny wires that connect the heart the a generator and battery, just under the skin of the left shoulder. A typical battery in both traditional and wireless pacemakers lasts 6 to 15 years.

MORE CLEVER MEDICAL TECH: Scientists Use Novel Ink With Calcium to 3D-Print ‘Bone’ With Living Cells

As Nazer pointed out, younger patients with heart complications may require multiple pacemakers throughout their lives, making all options impractical for different reasons.

Part of his and his team’s next step will be to design long-term trials with real humans to make sure the device works properly. All the while they hope to increase the recharge rate for the battery. If 10% could become 20 to 30%, it could increase the functional life of the pacemaker by a not insignificant number of years.

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He Found His Dad’s 1930s Car at An Auction–and Got it Working Again (LOOK)

By
Andy Corbley
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Malcolm Stern and his Talbot-Darracq once upon a time, and now again restored - supplied to the press by the Stern Family.
Malcolm Stern and his Talbot-Darracq once upon a time, and now again restored – supplied to the press by the Stern Family.

A man found his father’s beloved old car from the 1930s ready to be sold in an auction, and with his son’s help bought and restored it over the course of the pandemic, reuniting his relatives with a rare and treasured heirloom.

Every family has its stories—the ones heard around the dinner table a hundred times—and for the Sterns of England it was about Grandad’s bright yellow Talbot-Darracq motorcar.

Bought in 1935, proud Alec Stern, a Londoner who made his money parking cars in a city garage, used to drive his wee son Malcolm around town whilst reveling in the auto’s long, sloping fenders, chrome grill, and banana yellow bodywork.

Then in World War II, when the British Government ordered the evacuation of children to the countryside, young Malcolm Stern remembers being driven away on a coach watching his dad follow along behind in his Talbot-Darracq.

And that was it, for the story of Alec and his yellow car, who sold it in 1942—until now.

Fast forward to 2020 and Malcolm was 91 years old looking for a new hobby when he decided to buy a 3D printer to make small models. That’s when he got the idea to make a model of one of his father’s Talbot-Darracq; a grand idea, but he needed to understand the dimensions of the real thing before he could scale it down.

It only took a few clicks and keystrokes on the computer for Malcolm to locate his father’s actual car—plate numbers and everything—because it was being auctioned.

“An amazing story of serendipity,” Malcolm’s son Jonathan told The Washington Post. “To find the car by just coincidence. We were egging each other on, ‘Oh Dad, you’ve got to buy it…'” he remembers saying. “‘You can’t let it go again.’”

The cost was £8,000, or just over ten grand, a price indicative of fortune since Jonathan was able to afford it; but being of an age quite similar to Malcolm, it was in bad need of repairs before hitting the road.

OTHER GREAT FAMILY STORIES LIKE THIS: Wife of WWII Soldier Spends Decades to Reunite Japanese Family With Photo Album He Found on Okinawa –LOOK

Jonathan was at first doubtful that his father was up to the manual labor required to refurbish the car, but in Malcolm’s garage in Rickmansworth, a British town north of London, he launched a 3-year project, hiring professionals when he needed to, doing everything else himself, and even using the 3D printer which would have otherwise almost certainly become a coat rack in the face of the restoration of the Talbot-Darracq.

Then the day came. Three years after repairs first started, and with Malcolm (and the car) 3 years older, the engine groaned to life. Even though the nonagenarian struggled with the heavy steering and ancient transmission, Malcolm and his son rumbled 15 miles to the parking lot of a local watering hole where a gathering of vintage car enthusiasts were meeting.

MORE FAMILY HEIRLOOM STORIES: Singapore Sleuth Spends 8 Months Tracking Down a Man to Return Family Heirlooms–And Finally Succeeds

Arriving in the Talbot-Darrcq with a fresh coat of canary yellow paint, those gathered were in awe of the old man and the old car.

“The two of us, I think our faces hurt from smiling so much,” Jonathan said. “He [Malcolm] was the star of the show. Ninety-four years old, driving around this great big yellow car.”

Watch a news report below…

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New Species of Mosasaur Discovered–Proves Key Fossil Link, Named for Mythical Norse Serpent

By
Andy Corbley
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courtesy of © Henry Sharpe
courtesy of © Henry Sharpe

In Norse Mythology 101, there would certainly be a section on the Midgard Serpent, known as Jormungandr, which encircles the Earth and holds up the oceans by fitting its tail in its mouth.

It was in honor of that mythical beast that a new species of Mosasaur, a huge and terrifying ancient marine reptile, entered a key place in the fossil record as Jormungandr walhallaensis.

This new species has traits similar to two widely found and well-researched Mosasaurid genera, one of which, Clidastes lived in the early Cretaceous and grew to lengths between 6 and 14 feet, while the second, Mosasaurus, grew to be about 40 feet longer than that, and lived in the late Cretaceous.

Norse mythology enthusiasts will note that the species name, walhallaensis, sounds conspicuously like Valhalla, the great hall of Odin where half of all fallen warriors go to dwell. In reality, it’s named after the town in North Dakota where the fossil was discovered.

The fossil itself is an impressive specimen consisting of a nearly complete skull, jaws, and spine.

Thor and Jormundandr lay dying in Ragnarok, lithograph on cardboard by Alfred Jacobsens from the 19th century. CC 4.0. Louis Moe

“If you put flippers on a Komodo dragon and made it really big, that’s basically what it would have looked like,” said the study’s lead author Amelia Zietlow, a Ph.D. student in comparative biology at the American Museum of Natural History.

They have been found fossilized on all 7 continents owing to their dominant position in the food chain and ocean-going lifestyle.

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Jormungandr walhallaensis is estimated to be about 24 feet long and, the new study suggests, lived around 80 million years ago. A set of bony ridges above its eye sockets stand out as a unique feature, and would have given it a rather permanent scowl.

“As these animals evolved into these giant sea monsters, they were constantly making changes,” Zietlow said. “This work gets us one step closer to understanding how all these different forms are related to one another.”

MORE ANIMALS LIKE THIS: One of the Largest ‘Sea Dragon’ Fossils Ever Found in Britain Unearthed As a Complete Ichthyosaur

A fair few questions about those changes remain unanswered, such as when and how many separate times they evolved flippers, when their early ancestors went from semi-aquatic to fully aquatic, and if they were more closely related to snakes or monitor lizards.

WATCH the story below from the AMNH… 

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