A painting stolen from a Scottish castle museum over 30 years ago has finally been returned after it emerged in a Yorkshire auction—and an art database was able to prove its status as hot property.
It was back in 1989 that the Haggs Castle Museum of Childhood lost some dozen or so artworks and other artifacts to thieves. Investigations revealed nothing and the loss had to be endured—until last year when the stolen painting Children Wading, painted by Scottish artist Robert Gemmell Hutchison, appeared at Tennants Auctioneers.
Currently listing more than 700,000 items, 65,000 of which are missing presumed stolen, Art Loss Register is a non-profit databasing company that lists detailed information on artworks and antiquities on behalf of the victims of looting or theft, insurers, police forces, and others.
Art Loss is then utilized to offer a due diligence service to clients in the art market who wish to ensure that they are working with items to which no claim will arise—which is exactly what happened with Children Wading.
“We’re delighted to have a work returned, even though the theft was a very long time ago,” says Duncan Dornan, head of Glasgow Life Museums, to BBC News’ Carolyn Atkinson. “The pain of it still persists—and there’s a loss to the public in Glasgow. We were sorry to lose it and delighted to be able to recover the work subsequently, using the Art Loss system.”
Indeed, the Museum of Childhood closed many years ago, but the painting will be put back into the Glasgow Museums Resource Center where it can be viewed online or added to new exhibits in the future.
The painting depicts Mary Watt and Lorna Galloway frolicking in the surf in the Scottish town of Carnoustie during the summer of 1918.
The family that owned the painting purchased it in good faith without knowledge of its theft. Under British law, after six years the family has no obligation to return it—but when the selling family was informed of the situation, they decided to give it over to the museum collection for free.
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Quote of the Day: “The only courage that matters is the kind that gets you from one moment to the next.” – Mignon McLaughlin
Photo by: Jaroslav Devia
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Some of the corals on Cacho De Coral in the Galápagos Marine Reserve, a pristine coral reef newly discovered by R/V Atlantis and HOV Alvin. Released by Schmidt Ocean Institute.
Some of the corals on Cacho De Coral in the Galápagos Marine Reserve, a pristine coral reef newly discovered by R/V Atlantis and HOV Alvin. Released by Schmidt Ocean Institute.
Everyone knows of the Galapagos Islands’ biodiversity and scientific value on land, but a recent deep-water expedition has revealed that this biodiversity carries on fathoms below the bellies of the islands’ giant tortoises.
An international expedition from the Schmidt Ocean Institute has revealed the presence of two pristine, cold-water coral reefs growing alongside the walls and bases of several seamounts over 1,000 feet below the surface.
Tropical coral reefs typically grow within 120 feet of the surface, but have sometimes been found at lower depths. These however were cold-water corals, known sometimes by their shorthand of “stony corals,” and were found at depths ranging from 1,200 to 1,375 feet (370 to 420 meters).
The larger of the two reefs spans over 800 meters in length, the equivalent of eight football fields. The second, smaller reef measures 250 meters in length. They exhibit a rich diversity of stony coral species, suggesting that they have likely been forming and supporting marine biodiversity for thousands of years.
The inhabitants of these reefs included sea fans, or Gorgoans, and stony corals from the subclass Hexacorallia, or six-sided corals, which include almost only deep-sea corals but also sea anemones.
These are the second and third deep-sea coral reefs found in the Galapagos Island Marine Reserve, following the discovery of the first one this April by scientists onboard a research vessel from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
The Schmidt expedition began in September and was led by Dr. Katleen Robert of the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. The expedition included 24 participating scientists representing 13 organizations and universities and lasted 30 days.
“This information is not only valuable from a scientific perspective, but it also provides a solid foundation for decision-making that effectively protects these ecosystems, safeguarding the biological diversity they harbor and ensuring their resilience in a constantly changing environment,” stated Danny Rueda Córdova, director of the Galápagos National Park Directorate.
Corals documented by ROV SuBastian as it dove at a site on the northern side of Isabela Island. This dive included investigating a small mount, as well as collecting coral and lava samples. Released by Schmidt Ocean Institute.
One goal of the expedition was to apply laser scanning technology to create extremely high-resolution maps of these reefs and the seamounts they grow on—which was accomplished at an astounding 2-millimeter resolution.
In addition to investigating coral biodiversity in the Galápagos, the scientists explored areas within the Isla del Coco National Marine Park, a protected area managed by Costa Rica.
The team explored seamounts southwest of Isla del Coco and examined links between coral communities on seamounts in the Galápagos and those in Costa Rica. On one of the remotely-operated submersible dives, the researchers observed multiple deep-sea coral species laden with eggs.
This research contributes data to inform the management of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor, a network of interconnected marine reserves managed by the governments of Ecuador, Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia.
“The Galápagos Marine Reserve is an area of outstanding biological importance, connected to partner marine protected areas across the Eastern Pacific. Finding such deep and long-lived reef takes us important steps closer to protecting hidden dimensions of ocean diversity and understanding the role that deep habitats play in maintaining our ocean’s health,” said Charles Darwin Foundation’s CEO Stuart Banks.
“These fascinating new findings continue to feed important research to inform better management of existing and future marine protected areas in the region.”
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A sheep dubbed “Britain’s loneliest” has finally been rescued by 5 strapping farmhands after being stuck on a beach for two years.
Fiona the sheep was first seen at the base of a cliff by a kayaker in Sutherland, Scotland. Hemmed in by sheer cliffs and the frigid Cromarty Firth, there was enough fodder and water for her to survive to grow a huge fleece.
After several animal rescue organizations determined the rescue was too complicated, a group of local farmers managed to haul the beast up the cliff; and though it went well, there was an unforeseen difficulty—Fiona was very fat.
Whatever else she was doing on the isolated pebble beach, she certainly spent a long time eating, with the farmers describing her as being in “incredible condition.”
“We’ve come up here with some heavy equipment and we’ve got this sheep up an incredibly steep slope,” said rescuer and sheep-shearer Cammy Wilson in a video on Facebook. “She’s in incredible condition—it was some job lifting her up that slope.”
Wilson had seen some media coverage of Fiona’s plight and decided to come and help, saying that now she’s free she “is going to a very special place,” referring to a farm park.
Wilson is an agricultural media personality of sorts, and runs The Sheep Game video blog where he shared a local news report about Britain’s loneliest sheep and commented that it would be a “great challenge for the weekend.”
Once he got her safe on firm pasture again, Wilson took her to Dumfries and sheared her for national media at a farm park. The fleece—so large it was almost a danger to Fiona in the same way that a turtle shell is dangerous to the turtle if it falls flat on its back—will go to a special wool weaver where it will be made into something for a charity auction.
Commonwealth media can blow up over sheep stories. When the infamous Australian Merino wether named “Shrek” was caught after 6 years at large, it was one of the most-read stories that week across English-speaking media.
WATCH the story below from Sky News Australia…
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It’s one of the most famous buildings in Europe: partly because it isn’t finished yet more than 100 years since it was started.
Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona is just a few years away from completion, however, as the towers of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John have been fully erected. When the ultimate tower is finished—slated for 2026—the building will be finished, 144 years after it was started.
The original designer, Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi, wanted the facade to contain 16 spindly towers which would each be dedicated to a biblical figure: 12 for the apostles, 4 for the evangelists, one for Mary, and one for Jesus.
It was last Wednesday that the final sculptural element was placed on the tower of Matthew, and the day after that, John’s tower was crowned with an eagle.
The basilica celebrated the triumph on Facebook.
For local Christians, they will get to enjoy this building on November 12th for the basilica’s inaugural mass, when the four towers of the evangelists will be illuminated. They will remain so until after Christmas.
On Sunday, the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra gave the debut musical performance at the Sagrada Família. Led by head conductor José Rafael Pascual-Vilaplana, the concerto featured a repertoire chosen for the occasion that paid tribute to the symbiosis of nature, faith, and art represented in the Sagrada Família’s art and sculpture.
The towers have been the final pieces of this massive, complicated, and oft-interrupted puzzle which first hit snags upon Gaudi’s death in 1926 when only 10% of the building had been finished.
Sagrada Familia towers under construction – retrieved from Basilica di Sagrada Familia Facebook Page
Interrupted by the wars of the 20th century, much of the subsequent work had to be done off imagination because Gaudi’s original models had been destroyed. The Sagrada Familia was consecrated by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010, more than 20 years after it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Now only the tower of Jesus remains unfinished, and when the scaffolding is finally pulled down it will be the tallest cathedral in Europe at 566-foot tall (172.5 meter) plus a 56-foot tall (17-meter) cross.
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Cats sometimes get a bad rap as loners and antisocial furballs with cold, indifferent looks. But, unsurprisingly for a domesticated hunter, they are very socially active according to a new study that counted their facial expressions.
While recording video footage of the 53 residents of a Los Angeles cat cafe, researchers Lauren Scott and Brittany Florkiewicz concluded that cats possess at least as much variance in their facial expressions as dogs.
In particular, they found that cat facial expressions and their complexity were derived from “compositionality” rather than complexity, meaning that in order to dig what your cat is communicating, it pays to look at its ears, nose, and whiskers, not only its eyes and mouth.
Lauren and Florkiewicz discovered 276 expressions made up of a combination of 26 facial movements; dogs by comparison use 27 movements and humans use 44.
Each expression combined about four of these 26 unique facial movements, including parted lips, jaw drops, dilated or constricted pupils, blinks and half blinks, pulled lip corners, nose licks, protracted or retracted whiskers, and/or various ear positions.
Live Science, which spoke to the authors, details that the majority of the developed expressions were sociable ones—meant to communicate with another cat or a human in a cooperative and calm manner.
“It was surprising to see them play-fighting, and then things escalated into an aggressive encounter,” Florkiewicz told the outlet. “You can see a change in their facial expressions. At first one cat’s eyes were more relaxed and its ears and whiskers were pushed forward, a movement to get closer to the other cat. But then things got ugly, and it moved its ears and whiskers backward — its demeanor changed pretty quickly.”
One interesting finding was that it appeared domestic cats shared similar aspects of the “common play face” observed in other mammals like monkeys, humans, and dogs, characterized by the corners of the mouth drawn back and the jaw dropped like in a spritely laugh.
The authors hope that humane societies, shelters, and other locations that house multiple cats can use their research to better understand the deeper humors and sympathies of their feline residents.
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Quote of the Day: “The breaking of a wave cannot explain the whole sea.” – Vladimir Nabokov
Photo by: Jeremy Bishop
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Last Wednesday, WBEZ (91.5 FM) reported that a civic leader of St. Louis visited the Chicago Mayor’s Office to discuss a program whereby migrants from Venezuela could be brought to the Gateway to the West in order to ease the migrant crisis gripping the Windy City just as winter temperatures arrive.
It’s estimated that 20,000 migrants, mostly Venezuelans, have arrived in Chicago this year, and finding them places to stay has been challenging.
The WBEZ report details that St. Louis is currently in a decline of population and employees, and some in the city believe the migrants and the city would be better off long-term if they moved there.
The International Institute of St. Louis announced the new Latino Outreach Program last month with the aim of both attracting and accommodating migrants arriving from Latin America.
Karlos Ramirez, vice president of Latino Outreach for the International Institute, told WBEZ the as-yet unconfirmed agreement “could be the potential for a great relationship between both cities,” adding that “if the [migrants] are going to be in a better place, St. Louis is going to be in a better place, and Chicago is going to be in a better place, I think everybody wins.”
Ramirez says that any next step would have to include sharing details and practices between Latino Outreach and its partners with their counterparts in Chicago.
Fox News 2 reached out to the St. Louis Mayor’s Office for comment, and the representative shared a statement released previously in response to the WBEZ report.
“While the City has not had direct conversations on welcoming more migrants from Chicago, the City of St. Louis has had a longstanding cooperative relationship with the International Institute to welcome immigrants and refugees to the St. Louis area.”
Other migrant welcome programs in the city, such as the Arch Grants program, saw great success in Afghans fleeing the country in August of 2021, and the International Institute modeled its efforts for Latino Outreach on this success.
WATCH the story below from Fox 2…
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A company in France has developed genetically-enhanced houseplants that remove 30 times more indoor air pollutants than your normal ficus.
Paint, treated wood, household cleaners, insulation, unseen mold—there is a shopping list of things that can fill the air you breathe in your home with VOCs or volatile organic compounds. These include formaldehyde and other airborne substances that can cause inflammation and irritation in the body.
The best way to tackle this little-discussed private health problem is by keeping good outdoor airflow into your living spaces, but in the dog days of summer or the depths of a Maine winter, that might not be possible.
Houseplants can remove these pollutants from the air, and so the company Neoplants decided to make simple alterations to these species’ genetic makeup to supercharge this cleaning ability.
In particular, houseplants’ natural ability to absorb pollutants like formaldehyde relies on them storing them as toxins to be excreted later.
French scientists and Neoplants’ co-founders Lionel Mora and Patrick Torbey engineered a houseplant to convert them instead to plant matter. They also took aim at the natural microbiome of houseplants to enhance their ability to absorb and process VOCs as well.
The company’s first offering—the Neo P1—is a Devil’s ivy plant that sits on a custom-designed tall stand that both maximizes its air-cleaning properties and allows it to be watered far less often.
Initial testing, conducted by the Ecole Mines-Telecom of Lille University, shows that if you do choose to shell out the $179 for the Neo P1, it’s as if you were buying 30 houseplants. Of course, if you went for the budget route of 30 houseplants, you’d have to water them all.
The founders pointed out in an interview done with Forbes last year that once they settled on the species and fixed the winning genetic phenotype, the next part of the process was just raising plants, the same activity done in every nursery and florist in every town in Europe.
Deliveries for the P1 are estimated for August 2024.
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Endemic to New Zealand, this sweet little bird is called the tūturiwhatu, or New Zealand dotterel, and though endangered, it has found a unique sanctuary where it can nest and feed in relative peace.
Relative, because it comes with a significant amount of noise pollution. It’s the Auckland Airport, and 4 pairs of dotterel have been recorded in the green areas alongside the outer runways this year.
Even though anthropic elements are by and large the largest driver of species decline around the Earth, what can be an impediment to one species can be a sanctuary to another, and in the case of the Auckland Airport, wildlife manager Lucy Hawley said the high fences keep out the bird’s invasive predators.
“This is very attractive to nesting dotterels and our airfield’s become a real sanctuary for them,” Hawley told RZN.com. “These tiny little birds take absolutely no notice of the giant planes moving all around them and have no issues setting up home right beside the taxiways.”
Over the last ten years, Hawley has estimated that she and her groundskeepers have seen 80 dotterels hatch on the taxiways of the country’s busiest airport. The parents typically arrive between November and December.
Over time the airport has taken time to work with professional wildlife biologists who have banded some of the birds in order to track their movements and nesting behavior.
The large gassy exteriors of airports can often play host to wildlife.
The San Francisco garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia), which can grow to three feet in length, has skin that looks like a black canvas painted with racing stripes of bright orange and neon turquoise.
San Francisco garter snake-credit-Richard Kim: USGS Western Ecological Research Center
While the snake is mostly isolated around the San Francisco peninsula, they are thriving in numbers near the tarmac of the airport known as SFO.
A tract of 160 privately-owned acres has been put to work to save the beautiful reptile, including the construction of many small ponds where the snake can keep moist, breed, and hunt for its favorite prey: the red-legged frog—which is also endangered and given sanctuary on the SFO runway lawn.
Concerning the dotterel, there may only be 2,500 of them left in the country following years of egg predation from invasive creatures like stoats. Fortunately, the ground-nesting bird poses no risk to aviation and can live alongside the planes in relative comfort.
A spectacular seven-pointed spaceship seems to be touching down on a lake in Chengdu for the 81st World Sci-Fi Convention, but in reality, it’s a new museum designed especially for the event that will go on to host future tech and pop culture events for years.
It’s a far cry from a flat, rectangular convention center, and being that Chengdu is home to one of the most published science-fiction magazines history, it’s in the right place.
At just under 60,000 square meters (three times the size of the Sydney Opera House,) the building is the latest masterstroke from Zaha Hadid Architects of London, and will feature an integrated exterior envelope that weaves together interior galleries and outdoor paths just as the building integrates land with the water of Jingrong Lake.
Arch-Exist PhotographyCourtesy of Arch-Exist Photography
“From every angle, it will always look different; it will always look unusual or unexpected,” said Paulo Flores, one of the project directors at Zaha Hadid Architects, which designed the museum.
Incredibly, this structure went from brainstorming to ribbon cutting in just 12 months in order to host Worldcon, also known as the World Sci-Fi Convention. Chengdu, the capital of China’s Sichuan Province, has been gradually climbing the ladder of Chinese cities for livability and prosperity.
The megalopolis of 20 million is an ancient city, known as the gateway to China’s tropical south, but it’s also the center of a fast-growing industry for hi-tech innovation and research, as well as the house of Science Fiction World—at certain times ranking as the most-read science-fiction periodical on Earth with over 300,000 subscribers.
Arch-Exist PhotographyArch-Exist Photography
Speaking with CNN, senior organizer for this year’s Worldcon, Dave MacCarty, said that the museum is “the best facility by far that the Worldcon has ever been hosted in,” calling it “more special” than cookie-cutter convention centers.
Zaha Hadid Architects used a lot of digital rendering and computing power to virtually sculpt the incredible curves, waves, and points of the building, which meets the highest criteria of China’s Green Building Program, and it has been designed to maximize efficiencies of shading, heat dispersion, and solar power.
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Quote of the Day: “I don’t like the word hike. People ought to saunter in the mountains–not hike.” – John Muir
Photo by: Ivana Cajina
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A Texas mother-daughter duo was honored by three former presidents this month, becoming 2023 Points of Light Award honorees for their fierce dedication and advocacy for children with pediatric pancreatitis.
The little-known disease struck Rebecca Taylor when she was just 7-years-old, causing excruciating pain. Now 21, Rebecca was chosen for the award because of the work with her mom, Christyn, on their nonprofit Rebecca’s Wish.
When Rebecca was 12, the Make A Wish Foundation granted her selfless wish to form a group to help other children dealing with pediatric pancreatitis.
Their national organization has raised over $3 million to support families whose children have the disease, to advance cutting-edge medical research, and to fund fellowships that train doctors to treat such patients.
“I wanted to start a pancreatic charity for other children so they don’t suffer like I did,” Rebecca said. “Rebecca’s Wish not only gives me a way to help others; it also helps me focus on something greater than myself and that—surprisingly—has helped my own pain.”
And the young woman has defied all the odds since doctors told the family that she wasn’t expected to live past the age of 12. She’s been hospitalized throughout 150 surgeries, including a life-saving experimental pancreas transplant—and nearly died multiple times.
Today, Rebecca is a biomedical engineering student at Texas A&M University working on medical research and treatment options for the disease, which is estimated to affect 3-13 children in every 100,000 kids.
Three former presidents—Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama—still serve as co-chairs of the Points of Light Award, created by an even earlier president, George H. W. Bush.
“Great purpose can evolve from great adversity,” said Rebecca’s mom Christyn Taylor, President of Rebecca’s Wish. “As a mom, I would never have chosen this for my daughter but we now get the privilege to help thousands, if not tens of thousands, of children so they don’t have to walk the difficult journey we did.”
“We can do so much good, and help so many because we’ve lived this,” she told GNN.
Christyn also leads Rebecca’s Wish programs that provide medical grants and supportive care to thousands of patients and their families through travel reimbursements to and from hospitals, developing medical equipment that better fits children, and sending kids to a summer camp called Camp Hope.
“We had very little hope for this disease path when Rebecca was diagnosed,” said Christyn. “We went from hospital to hospital and nobody knew how to help a child with long-term pancreatitis. We do not want another child or family to have to go through what we went through in our long journey.”
“I’m really proud of what my mom and I have created—and I’ll work on this until the day I die,” said Rebecca, who invites you to learn more on their website, RebeccasWish.org.
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Synthetic melanin applied to inflamed skin – Northwestern University
Synthetic melanin applied to inflamed skin – Northwestern University
A new ‘super melanin’ skin cream developed by scientists at Northwestern University shows the ability to continuously heal sun damage and chemical burns.
The synthetic, biomimetic melanin cream demonstrated the potential to heal damage occurring throughout the day when skin is exposed to sunlight or environmental toxins.
It mimicks the natural melanin in human skin, and can be applied topically to injured skin, where it accelerates wound healing. These effects occur both in the skin itself and systemically in the body.
A study published this week in Nature Regenerative Medicine showed that when applied in a cream, the synthetic melanin can protect skin from sun exposure and heal skin injured by sun damage or chemical burns. The technology works by scavenging free radicals, which are produced by injured skin such as a sunburn. Left unchecked, free radical activity damages cells and ultimately may result in skin aging and skin cancer.
Melanin in humans and animals provides pigmentation to the skin, eyes and hair. The substance protects your cells from sun damage with increased pigmentation whenever the sun is ‘tanning’. That same pigment in your skin also naturally scavenges free radicals in response to damaging environmental pollution from industry smokestacks and car exhaust fumes.
“People don’t think of their everyday life as an injury to their skin,” said co-corresponding author Dr. Kurt Lu, who teaches dermatology and practices at Northwestern University School of Medicine. “If you walk barefaced every day in the sun, you suffer a low-grade, constant bombardment of ultraviolet light. This is worsened during peak mid-day hours and the summer season.”
The skin, which doesn’t age when protected by clothing, always does age due to getting older and external environmental factors, including air pollution.
“All those insults to the skin lead to free radicals which cause inflammation and break down the collagen,” Lu said. “That’s one of the reasons older skin looks very different from younger skin.”
When the scientists created the synthetic melanin engineered nanoparticles, they modified the melanin structure to have higher free-radical scavenging capacity.
“The synthetic melanin is capable of scavenging more radicals per gram compared to human melanin,” said co-corresponding author Nathan Gianneschi, a professor of chemistry and pharmacology at Northwestern. “It’s like super melanin. It’s biocompatible, degradable, nontoxic and clear when rubbed onto the skin. In our studies, it acts as an efficient sponge, removing damaging factors and protecting the skin.”
The sunscreen booster stays on the surface and quiets immune system
Once applied to the skin, the melanin sits on the surface and is not absorbed into the layers below.
“The synthetic melanin stabilizes and sets the skin on a healing pathway, which we see in both the top layers and throughout the body,” Gianneschi said.
The scientists, who have been studying melanin for nearly 10 years, first tested their synthetic melanin as a sunscreen—and it was successful.
“Next, we wondered if the synthetic melanin, which functions primarily to soak up radicals, could be applied topically after a skin injury and have a healing effect on the skin?” Gianneschi said. “It turns out to work exactly that way.”
“You are protecting the skin and repairing it simultaneously,” Lu said. It’s continuous repair, as shown in the team’s video below…
The cream could also potentially be used for blisters and open sores, while quieting the immune system.
The stratum corneum, the outer layer of mature skin cells, communicates with the epidermis below. It is the surface layer, receiving signals from the body and from the outside world. By calming the destructive inflammation at that surface, the body can begin healing instead of becoming even more inflamed.
“This means that stabilizing those upper layers can lead to a process of active healing,” Lu said.
In a lab, the scientists used a chemical to create a blistering reaction to a human skin tissue sample in a dish. The blistering appeared as a separation of the upper layers of the skin from each other—highly inflamed, like a poison ivy reaction.
They waited a few hours, then applied their topical melanin cream to the injured skin. Within the first few days, the cream facilitated an immune response by initially helping the skin’s own radical scavenging enzymes to recover, then by halting the production of inflammatory proteins. This initiated a cascade of responses in which they observed greatly increased rates of healing. This included the preservation of healthy skin layers underneath. In samples that did not have the melanin cream treatment, the blistering persisted.
“The treatment has the effect of setting the skin on a cycle of healing and repair, orchestrated by the immune system,” Lu said.
Melanin could protect from toxins including nerve gas—and the team’s research on melanin is partly funded by the U.S. Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health. They showed they could dye a military uniform black with the melanin, and that would absorb the nerve gas. Additionally, their observation that melanin protects biologic tissue from high energy radiation, shows it may be an effective treatment for skin burns from radiation exposure.
Melanin also absorbs heavy metals and toxins. “Although it can act this way naturally, we have engineered it to optimize absorption of these toxic molecules with our synthetic version,” Gianneschi said.
The scientists recently completed a human trial showing that the synthetic melanins are non-irritating to human skin—and the promising work may well provide treatment options for cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy in the future.
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During the crucial first two years of life, the brain undergoes significant development, with a staggering one million neural connections formed every second, yet air pollution around cities has emerged as a significant barrier to that healthy brain development, so Kate Harrison decided to devote her life to promoting a solution.
In 2014, almost half of Americans lived in areas that fell short of federal air quality standards.
Since 1958, scientists have shown automobile exhaust to be the main driver of that urban air pollution. Further, transportation emissions are the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change in the U.S.
Today, cities already have the solution: engines powered by electricity, not gasoline, eliminate tailpipe emissions altogether.
“I suffered from childhood asthma growing up in New Haven, Connecticut where almost 15% of kids have asthma—almost double the national average,” Ms. Harrison told GNN.
“The need for cities to reduce pollution is a moral imperative with clearly defined consequences for their most vulnerable residents,” she says. “Especially in many minority communities which are jammed up against highways and major traffic corridors.”
Harrison became a co-founder of MoveEV, which is an EV transition company that helps organizations convert fleet and employee-owned gas vehicles to electric—with reimbursements for charging at home.
If all new cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs sold in the next decade were zero-emission, there would be up to 89,300 fewer premature deaths, two million fewer asthma attacks, 10 million fewer lost workdays, and a savings of $978 billion in public health benefits across the U.S. by 2050, according to the American Lung Association.
Norway is often cited as a real-world example of how EV adoption can reduce air pollution.
About 80% of new cars sold there now are fully electric, and another 10% are plug-in hybrids—and the country is powered by an electricity grid that is already very green (91.8% hydropower and 6.4% wind).
As a result, emissions of dangerous particles plunged by a whopping three-quarters from 2000 to 2020.
“EVs are an incredible technology that can move the needle on climate pollution, help families—and cities—save money, and improve our health.”
California’s ambitious EV adoption goals in recent years have yielded measurable results, too.
According to a study in California from 2013-19, increasing the number of electric vehicles per 1,000 people by just 20 in a given zip code was associated with a 3.2% drop in the rate of emergency room visits due to asthma—a common side effect of inhaling combustion byproducts from cars.
Harrison believes cities should set an example for residents by ditching gasoline-powered fleet vehicles, like trucks and buses, in favor of EVs—and there is a growing number of such conversions. Even businesses are transitioning; Amazon has more than 100,000 EV delivery vans on the road today.
New York City already operates more than 4,000 government-owned EVs, including an electrified garbage truck fleet. The federal government’s Clean School Bus Program is providing more than $5 billion to help cities prioritize vehicles moving children and idling near schools.
Asthma sufferer by Kathryn Doran, CC license
Helping individuals make their own transition to EVs, Kate wrote a blog on the MoveEV website about buying a 2012 Nissan Leaf, demonstrating how it was “an insanely affordable electric vehicle.”
Making it easier for drivers of these electric cars, Los Angeles, which is ground zero for harmful tailpipe emissions, provides residents with over 1,100 public charging stations, free parking, and charging for EVs at some locations—and rebates for residents who install home chargers.
In some cities, such as San Francisco, EV drivers receive reduced bridge tolls.
“Every parent deserves the assurance that their child’s environment isn’t silently eroding their potential,” said Harrison. “Data from places like Norway and California present not just a vision but a tangible reality of what is achievable.”
“It’s no longer a question of whether cities can afford to embrace electric vehicles but whether they can afford not to. With advances in EV technology, cities and counties have no excuse not to meet the imperative of embracing EV adoption”—and MoveEV can help them do it.
A 59-year-old woman grabbed her camera after spotting a murmuration of starlings while out for a walk.
Helen Day said the flock looked like a “dark spell” drifting across the grass, near Bangor in north Wales.
The language teacher and curator from Hertfordshire, England said “It was mesmerizing—like a dark spell drifting across the land.”
And, it sounded like the rush of the sea. “I’m no bird watcher, but it was really freaky to me.
“It was just a happy accident that I caught it on camera.”
She was on vacation in late October when she witnessed the murmuration, which occurs when a flock of starlings, which may include other species from other families, exhibit a swarm behavior in a large flight formation.
“It felt like I had the whole world to myself in that moment.”
Quote of the Day: “Out of difficulties grow miracles.” – Jean de la Bruyere
Photo by: Matthew Henry
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More than three quarters of U.S. small business owners believe that their company is equipped to handle any upcoming economic instability, according to a new poll.
The new survey of 1,000 small business owners revealed that increased interest rates and inflation are their top economic concerns for the remainder of 2023.
But despite those economic concerns, 72% of small business owners feel more optimistic now about the financial prospects of their company than they did at the beginning of the year.
The entrepreneurs have tapped into various financial resources to cope with the economic changes, including savings accounts and loans (61%) and raising prices (50%).
Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Melio, the random double-opt-in survey found that 48% of those surveyed (which included a statistically significant amount of African Americans, Hispanic/Latinos, and women small business owners) have raised their prices by an average of 7% over the last six months.
But they are still reporting an increase in repeat business (66%), sales (63%) and number of new clients (56%).
Having an online presence is more important to small businesses than it used to be, which led to some of the changes made this year: 66% of respondents have increased their advertising and marketing efforts, 58% increased their digital presence, and more than half started selling products online.
“Small businesses are the foundation of the economy,” said Tomer Barel, Melio’s president and COO. “And, despite the challenges posed by inflation and interest rates, small business owners seem to adapt and demonstrate impressive agility and resilience.”
Beyond the importance of digitizing aspects of their businesses—like, inventory management (51%) and customer service (42%)—three-quarters feel that it is most imperative to accept forms of payment beyond cash—more than it used to be.
“Since the pandemic began over three years ago, small businesses are embracing new technologies that can help them take control over their finances and weather economic uncertainty,” said Melio’s CBO Prashant Gandhi.
Centenarians at Care U.K’s Manor Lodge: Irene Rankin (101 ), Daisy Taylor (103) and Phyllis Cottrell (103) – SWNS
Centenarians at Care U.K’s Manor Lodge: Irene Rankin (101 ), Daisy Taylor (103) and Phyllis Cottrell (103) – SWNS
Three friends over 100-years-old in Britain have revealed their secret to a long life, which includes keeping a ‘toy boy nearby’.
Daisy, 103, Irene, 101, and Phyllis, 103, say they still laugh and “enjoy life to the fullest” every day.
Each woman has lived through their own fair share of triumph and torture, including World Wars and loves lost
The three pals who all live in the same senior care home have now shared their advice on how to live for a century, including staying active and happy, treasuring family, fresh air, and nature.
Daisy Taylor, turning 104 this month, said she makes the most of every day and loves having her large family around her to help her do this.
“We all meet and we enjoy life – I look forward to it. I live life to the full. I’m always on the go, I don’t like sitting around.
“Sitting in a chair is not my scene really, but’s it’s come to that now!” she said, even though the staff at Manor Lodge help keep her busy.
She has two daughters, one son, 10 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren, and the staff in Chelmsford, Essex, says she loves activities’.
Irene (L) and Daisy (R) – SWNS
They say both Daisy and Phyllis are the oldest people to attend their movement to music classes and be able to participate fully.
“Yoga, dancing, cycling… I’ve always been to exercise classes and mixing with people is a nice thing.”
Daisy’s husband to whom she was married for 39 years passed away at just 60, and now she brags that she “has a toy boy in another local care home who is 96.”
Irene Rankin, who has always loved being outdoors, describes herself as an “easygoing” soul who “gets on well with mostly everything”.
“I like to be in the fresh air, alongside the seaside, in nature… I remember walking for miles. The animals and the plants have always taken my fancy because they are living creatures.”
Irene, who worked with machines in upholstery—the same job as Daisy—has always thrown herself into her hobbies and things that make her happy, admitting there “aren’t many things [she] dislikes.”
Captain of her school swimming team, Irene has always loved swimming and diving—cooking and gardening, too. But the Doris Day fan says one of her biggest loves in life is music. The Manor Lodge staff says the joyful lady “dances all the time”.
“I like to sing in my own way. Music always brings back such lovely memories and I thoroughly enjoy it. Dancing, laughter and joining in are things I have lived by.”
The mother-of-two from East London met her first husband at 18, but he passed away shortly after their wedding after leaving the country to fight in the war. Phyllis raised her daughter on her own for four years, before meeting Charles, who she endearingly named ‘Red’.
“I was happily married for 73 years and one of my greatest achievements was finding love again with Red.”
She was not only a mother but worked in many different fields, including running a laundry and ending up as a salesperson, retired when she was a youthful 80.
The grandmother of three says living and eating healthily is very important. “I used to tell the children that they must eat their greens.
“But it’s just being with people and my family that makes me happy. Also keep yourself warm in the winter!””
Phyllis says if she could give advice on how to live a long and happy life, it would be to “be kind and optimistic—positive attitude is the key to life.
HAIL Their Positive Attitudes to Inspire the Over-65s on Social Media…
Michelangelo secret room – Francesco Fantani/Courtesy Musei del Bargello
Michelangelo secret room – Francesco Fantani/Courtesy Musei del Bargello
The walls of a “secret” underground room discovered in 1975, covered in sketches by the persecuted Michelangelo, are now being unveiled to the public for the first time.
The Italian Renaissance master sculptor who carved David and decorated the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel hid in the tiny chamber for about two months in 1530 while evading a death sentence ordered by Pope Clement VII.
The pope, who was a member of the powerful Medici family, was enraged at the artist for aiding a rebellion against their reign, the same family whose magnificent tombs Michelangelo carved in the chapel just above his hiding place.
50 years ago, museum officials were searching for a suitable space to create a new exit for tourists visiting the Medici chapel, where the artist had adorned the family tombs with sculptures depicting the passing of time.
They discovered a trapdoor beneath a wardrobe that led to a 10-foot wide room. Stripping two layers of plaster from the walls revealed the existence of the drawings sketched by the maestro using charcoal and sanguine wooden sticks.
Designed by Michelangelo, the Medici Chapel (New Sacristy) lies just above the secret chamber – GWC
“He drew things from the past as if he was taking a trip down memory lane … it was like having an album of his works,” said Paola D’Agostino, the director of the Bargello Museums, which includes four other state museums besides the Medici Chapels.
“(It’s) a place of extraordinary charm,” said Massimo Osanna, Italy’s Director General of Museums.
Detail of Michelangelo drawings – Francesco Fantani/Courtesy Musei del Bargello
Public access will be allowed on an experimental basis until March, 2024, with only 4 people at a time able to view the room, in order to maintain adequate conservation conditions for the precious drawings, with alternating periods of exposure to LED light and prolonged periods of darkness.
Window opening in secret room – Francesco Fantani/Courtesy Musei del Bargello
“This very small environment is truly unique due to its exceptional evocative potential… traced by signs that attest to great clarity of design,” commented Francesca de Luca, curator of the Museum of the Medici Chapels.
This, despite the looming wrath of the Medici pope due to Michelangelo’s activity as head of fortifications for the short-lived republican government, which had expelled the family in 1527. It was the Prior of San Lorenzo—the larger Basilica to which the smaller funerary chapel designed by Michelangelo is attached—Giovan Battista Figiovanni, who hid Michelangelo in the room which has a small window where he could see the feet of passersby.
Medici chapel (right) and the larger San Lorenzo Basilica in Florence – GWC
After about two months of self-imprisonment (beneath the smaller chapel pictured above), Michelangelo obtained the family’s forgiveness and resumed his Florentine duties. But the artist abandoned Florence four years later, taking up residence in Rome, never to return. However, he remained so beloved in Florence that the Medici family stole his remains from Rome bringing them back to be entombed in the local Basilica Santa Croce.
Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence where Michelangelo’s tomb is enshrined – GWC
The small room, 10 meters long by 3 meters wide and 2.50 meters high at the top of the vault, had been used as a charcoal deposit until 1955 and then unused, remaining closed and forgotten for decades, under a trap door covered by furniture.
According to Dal Poggetto, the artist used the walls of the small room to sketch some of his past projects including works from the New Sacristy above him, like the legs of Giuliano de’ Medici carved for his tomb, along with quotations from antiquity.
Detail of Michelangelo drawings – Francesco Fantani/Courtesy Musei del Bargello
Reservations to visit the secret room will be limited to 100 people per week until March 30 and cost 20 euros, though visitors must also pay for entry to the San Lorenzo site (10 euros) plus a 3 euro reservation charge. Youth aged 18-25 get a discount.
“This place grants today’s visitors the unique experience of being able to come into direct contact not only with the creative process of the maestro, but also with the perception of the formation of his myth as a divine artist,” said Francesca de Luca, curator of the Museum of the Medici Chapels, in a press release.
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