Quote of the Day: “Until you have loved, you cannot become yourself.” – Emily Dickinson
Photo by: Dan Musat
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
In an effort to come up with a renewable, biodegradable design material that also eliminates a landfill waste stream, French designers are proposing to cover the walls of your home with fish scales.
In reality the idea is an elegant tile made from fish scales. It’s called Scalite, and it separates then combines naturally-occuring minerals and the collagen in the fish scales to create a beautiful, durable, naturally fire-resistant tile.
Fish scales are sometimes turned into fertilizer and fish oil supplements, but are often just thrown out into normal landfill waste streams along with the head and the bones.
Erik de Laurens came up with the idea and started the design company Scale with his cousin Edourad.
While it’s difficult to zero in on reliable supply chains of fish scales, even on the most recycling-conscious continent of Europe, the square or rectangular tiles of Scalite are priced in between common natural stone like white Corian, and marble, at about $35 per squre foot, or €300 per square meter.
“If you’re really serious about your environmental impact then this is a really good solution because it’s basically natural,” Laurens told Fast Company.
SIMILAR: This Gorgeous Leather is Made From the Hide of an Invasive Predatory Fish
Scale have designed the Scalite tiles to be useable in a wide variety of applications, from interior decoration in private homes and offices, to furniture, to retail displays.
A variety of natural dies can create wild marble-like patterns in shades as various as moss green and mustard yellow.
Sadly, and perhaps ironically, they aren’t water-resistant. One should not go and plaster these tiles in a bathroom, as they will absorb any water that they come in contact with. Scale has contracted a biochemist to find a solution to this defect in a true, natural way to maintain the product’s green credentials.
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Famous more as a cultural feature than as a natural one, the pace at which the River Mersey is recovering to a fishy wonderland has ecologists stunned.
Splitting The Beatles’ home city of Liverpool in two, a recent survey found 37 different species of fish, more than two-and-a-half-times as many as were found in the previous survey 20 years ago.
Five different species of sharks were also found, along with huge eels and sea scorpions. ‘Holiday species’ as one local fishermen called them, like turbot, smelt, and cod, have also been caught.
Scientists at the Mersey Rivers Trust, a public/private charity-driven partnership for nature in the area believe that these species are breeding in the 3 mile-wide estuary.
The Liverpool Docks—the largest enclosed dock system in the world, were described by Herman Melville as comparable to the Pyramids in size and construction.
As a result, industrialization heavily polluted the river. In 2009 however it was announced that the river was “cleaner than at any time since the industrial revolution” and is “now considered one of the cleanest [rivers] in the UK.”
“Over the last 30 years, there’s been this tremendous regeneration, this renewal of the River Mersey that started slowly but is now picking up pace. I still think we’re right at the beginning of something special,” said Mike Duddy at the Mersey Rivers Trust, who spoke to the Wirral Globe about the restoration.
RELATED: Once Biologically Dead, London’s River Thames Rebounds – With Seahorses and Seals
“It’s the best environmental good news story in Europe without a doubt,” adds Duddy. “Everywhere else nature is in decline but in the Mersey the ‘wildlife-ometer’ is in the red and it’s got loads and loads to go… David Attenborough talks about an environmental crisis but the Mersey is not.”
Humpback whales were recently seen in Liverpool Bay for the first time since 1938, while the Mersey itself has also welcomed back otters, salmon, octopus, porpoises, and seals.
MORE NEWS ON RIVERS: Beavers Saved From Euthanasia Transform and Replenish Rivers in the Utah Desert
The Trust is currently compiling a species list, and is holding a competition with local fishermen to see how many can be recorded. Duddy expects to raise the count of 37 fish species to 50 next year.
FLOAT This Good News Down The River Social Media…
Upon the occasion of the funeral for one Hody Childress from Geraldine, Alabama, it was revealed that for a decade this quiet and humble gentleman was a sort of guardian angel for the town’s poor and sick.
A farmer and U.S. Air Force veteran, Childress began his covert charity campaign when he visited the local Geraldine drugstore and learned that all too many of the town’s 900 residents couldn’t afford to pay for their prescriptions.
Life up until that point had been difficult from a health standpoint. Childress lost a son in 1973, and his first wife in 1999—whom he used to carry into the stands for local football games due to her multiple sclerosis.
Upon hearing of his neighbors’ inability to always afford their medications, he handed Brooke Walker, owner of Geraldine Drugs, a $100 bill.
“Here, this $100 is for anyone who can’t afford their prescription,” Walker recalled in an interview with local news. “Do not tell a soul that the money came from me, tell them it’s a blessing from God.”
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A month later, Walker saw Childress again walking into her store to hand over another $100 bill, with the exact same instructions—’do not tell a soul that the money came from me, tell them it’s a blessing from God.’
He would return on the 1st of every month for the same motivation for years, until in late 2022, because he wasn’t able to walk due a pulmonary disease and other health conditions, he decided he needed to enlist someone for help. He entrusted the task to his daughter, Tania Nix.
“I was shocked – I had no idea that he was helping people at the drugstore,” according to WVTM.
At his funeral on January 5th, 2023, Nix told the story of Childress’ decade of giving, and how it was able to cover the cost of expensive medications for 2 Geraldine residents per month.
The word got out that they had an angel in their midst, and WVTM reports that the townspeople have agreed to carry on his legacy.
“There are so many people in Geraldine who have lived longer because of Hody,” pharmacist Heather Walker said. “Hody was a true humble servant who will always be loved.”
SHARE This Touching Small Town Story With Your Friends…
It was Christmas day, and young Molly was jumping for joy having unwrapped a pair of insulated waders and a sifting basket.
They were exactly what the 9-year-old wanted—and needed, because as it turned out they helped her get her hands on a “once-in-a-lifetime” find of a megalodon tooth from a 50-foot shark that swam in the prehistoric oceans 15 million years ago.
Molly Sampson wants to be a paleontologist when she grows up, a dream nurtured by her and her father’s love of fossil hunting in the shallow water of the Chesapeake Bay’s Calvert Cliffs, Maryland.
She and her sister Natalie both go often with their father Bruce, and even on a 10°F day at 9:30 on Christmas morning, all they wanted to do was go looking for fossils. Molly, according to NPR, announced to the team she was going to look for a megalodon tooth.
It was low tide, meaning they could wade further out, allowing Molly to catch a glimpse of her dream find.
“I went closer, and in my head, I was like, ‘Oh, my, that is the biggest tooth I’ve ever seen!'” Molly said excitedly during an interview in early January. “I reached in and grabbed it, and dad said I was shrieking.”
Her father also dreams of finding a “meg” tooth, but his largest find is about 3 inches. The future paleontologist explained to local news how one can estimate the size of the shark by the size of the tooth.
RELATED: Little Boy Finds Massive Ancient Shark Tooth Millions of Years Old
“Every inch is 10 feet,” Molly said. “So this is five inches, so it’d be 50 feet, [a] 50-foot shark.”
Bruce and the family took the tooth to the Calvert Marine Museum to confirm its identity, who shared Molly’s story on facebook.
Megalodon, short for Megalodontus, or “Giant-toothed” was one of the largest predatory fish to ever live, and is estimated to have wielded the greatest bite force the process of evolution has ever produced.
MORE PALEONTOLOGY NEWS: Fossil Found by Kids in New Zealand Turns Out to Be 27 Million-Year-old Giant Penguin
Precursors to modern Great White Sharks in hunting and feeding habits, they preyed on whales and dolphins before going extinct presumably during a decline in prey numbers.
Molly got to keep the tooth, but whether she loves it enough to sleep with it every night like other 9-year-olds do with plushies, GNN can’t speculate, but this was surely the best Christmas ever for this future paleontologist.
WATCH the story below…
SHARE Molly’s Big Day With Your Friends On Social Media…
Quote of the Day: “If you do not love too much, you do not love enough.” – Blaise Pascal
Photo by: freestocks
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?
“An enormous printer weighing more than 12 tons is creating what is believed to be the first 3D-printed, two-story home in the United States.”
That’s according to a new video from Reuters News, highlighting the 4,000-square-foot home in Houston, Texas.
The huge printer erected on the site requires 330 hours of printing to create the three-bedroom home.
Called the House of Cores, the design combines concrete 3D printing with wood framing.
The project is the culmination of a two-year collaborative effort between architectural designers Leslie Lok and Sasa Zivkovic, principals of HANNAH; along with PERI 3D Construction, and CIVE, one of the leading engineering and design/build contractors in Houston.
RELATED:Habitat for Humanity’s First 3D-Printed Home on East Coast Sold to Single Mom With Touching History
In 2020, a 2-story home was 3D-printed in Europe—with two living rooms, a kitchen, bathroom, and foyer—by a Belgian company working on sustainable construction.
Watch the video from Reuters below… (NOTE: GNN has no affiliation with any ads displayed.)
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Railroad workers were able to rescue a stricken male raccoon after it became frozen to the tracks—stuck fast by the hair on its private parts.
The animal was seen facing the oncoming train carriage as it straddled one side of the track.
Neil Mullis was out on the job when he came across the poor little guy.
The traumatized-looking raccoon was eventually rescued after a five-minute operation.
“I poured the warm water under his bottom while a co-worker worked the shovel under his butt to try and break him loose,” said the 35-year-old.
“After about five minutes of slowly working him loose, he was free. He jumped off the rail and ran in the woods never looking back.”
Despite the rescue efforts from Neil and his colleagues, nobody could tell how, or why, the raccoon got into this predicament near Cochran, Georgia.
“I’m guessing because it was 10 degrees outside, somehow he was crossing over the rail and sat too long and got stuck!” said Neil.
After inspecting the clumps of fur left stuck to the rail, Neil summed it up by saying: “Operation well-performed.”
“Little fella is safe now.”
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Black holes are gatherers, not hunters. They lie in wait until a hapless star wanders by.
When the star gets close enough, the black hole’s gravitational grasp violently rips it apart and sloppily devours its gasses while belching out intense radiation.
Now, astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have recorded a star’s final moments in detail, as it gets gobbled up by a black hole.
Although the black hole encounters are violent, they’re known as “tidal disruption events”—and astronomers are using Hubble to find out the details of what happens when a wayward star plunges into the gravitational abyss.
The ‘AT2022dsb tidal event’ can’t be photographed up-close with Hubble because the munched-up star is nearly 300 million light-years away. But astronomers used Hubble’s ultraviolet sensitivity to study the light from the shredded star—which include hydrogen, carbon, and more, all forensic clues to the black hole homicide.
About 100 tidal disruption events around black holes have been detected by astronomers using various telescopes. NASA recently reported that they spotted another black hole tidal disruption event on March 1, 2021, from another galaxy.
Data was collected in X-ray light from an extremely hot corona around the black hole, after the star was already torn apart.
“There’s a lot of information that you can get from the ultraviolet spectra,” said Emily Engelthaler of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA).
“We’re excited because we can get these details about what the debris is doing. The tidal event can tell us a lot about a black hole.”
RELATED: Astronomers Spot Light From Behind a Black Hole for the First Time – Proving Einstein Right Again
Changes in the doomed star’s condition are taking place on the order of days or months, but for any given galaxy with a quiescent supermassive black hole at the center, NASA believes shedding happens only a few times every 100,000 years.
This AT2022dsb stellar snacking event was first caught on March 1, 2022 by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN or “Assassin”), a network of ground-based telescopes that surveys the extragalactic sky roughly once a week for violent, variable, and transient events that are shaping our universe. This energetic collision was close enough to Earth and bright enough for the Hubble astronomers to do ultraviolet spectroscopy over a longer than normal period of time.
“Typically, these events are hard to observe. You get maybe a few observations at the beginning of the disruption when it’s really bright. Our program is different in that it is designed to look at a few tidal events over a year to see what happens,” said Peter Maksym of the CfA. “We saw this early enough that we could observe it at these very intense black hole accretion stages. We saw the accretion rate drop as it turned to a trickle over time.”
The Hubble spectroscopic data are interpreted as coming from a very bright, hot, donut-shaped area of gas that was once the star. This area, known as a torus, is the size of the solar system and is swirling around a black hole in the middle.
“We’re looking somewhere on the edge of that donut. We’re seeing a stellar wind from the black hole sweeping over the surface that’s being projected towards us at speeds of 20 million miles per hour (three percent the speed of light),” said Maksym.
LOOK: NASA Celebrates World First: Smashing a Spacecraft into an Asteroid to Practice Saving Humanity
“We really are still getting our heads around the event. You shred the star and then it’s got this material that’s making its way into the black hole. And so you’ve got models where you think you know what is going on, and then you’ve got what you actually see. This is an exciting place for scientists to be: right at the interface of the known and the unknown.”
The results were reported at the 241st meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle, Washington.
WATCH the NASA video…
BEAM This Steller Story to Star-Gazers on Social Media…
If you wake up feeling more exhausted than when you fell asleep, you’re not alone.
A new survey of 2,000 U.S. adults about their sleep found the average person doesn’t get anywhere near the quality or amount of sleep they want.
On average, Americans only get six hours of sleep on any given night, and they wakes up feeling well-rested only three mornings out of the week.
The poll, commissioned by Premier Protein and conducted by the market research firm OnePoll, uncovered that not only were Americans seldom waking up feeling refreshed, but the average person also struggles to wind down before bed nearly half of the week.
Parents, in particular, claim to struggle with nighttime routines. Thirty-five percent of respondents who were parents said their nighttime routine suffers, with a similar percentage of parents sharing that they have trouble winding down before bed most of the week.
But it’s not just parents. Two in three Americans (66%) believe that they need two hours or more to wind down before being able to fall asleep. Respondents who live in the Northeastern U.S. (38%) are most likely to struggle with winding down.
Respondents who describe themselves as “night people” (53%)—because they feel happier, more productive, or energized during the night—are also most likely to struggle with winding down.
Those who identify as “day people” are more likely to have a “good” or excellent” sleep routine (45%), compared to just 22% of “night people.”
Nearly half (47%) believe their eating habits have an impact on their ability to relax before bed.
“Many don’t realize how their evening routine and eating habits throughout the day can impact overall sleep quality,” said Carissa Galloway, a registered dietitian nutritionist who consults with Premier Protein.
“Committing to a consistent and relaxing nighttime routine, as well as making healthy food and drink choices, can help support a healthy sleep regimen.”
The survey found that foods and beverages like milk (41%), tea (31%), honey (23%), wine (19%) and bananas (19%) were believed by respondents to be the best things to eat before bed to improve sleep quality.
39% rate their sleep pattern—how often they wake up during the night, and whether or not they wake feeling rested—as below average. Only 8% said they have an “excellent” sleep pattern.
Science of Sleep: A Good Night’s Sleep Really Does Make Us Happier – By Dampening Negative Emotions
The random double-opt-in survey also showed that Americans are striving to prioritize sleep routines and habits in the new year. 46% have already tried something new that they saw online with the hopes it would help.
Two in three reported they are focusing on winding down before bed: 49% are striving to commit to a regular sleep schedule, 43% are going to bed earlier, and 38% are vowing to practice a consistent nighttime routine.
Six Tips That Respondents Believe Help Them Sleep Better:
– Having warm drinks before bed to help them relax (36%)
– Taking naps to make up for missed sleep (33%)
– Drinking a glass of wine before bed to help their body unwind (18%)
– Adding new vitamins and minerals to their daily routine – 24%
– Experimenting with new products in their nighttime routine – 19%
– Investing in a new sleep supplement – 17%
Quote of the Day: “Everything I understand, I understand only because I love.” – Leo Tolstoy
Photo by: Narges Pms
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?
This 101-year-old woman says the secret to keeping herself young and healthy includes daily ballet moves on the barre.
Dinkie Flowers is one of the oldest women in the UK and is eager to offer her tips for longevity.
“I couldn’t live without dancing and I think it’s what’s kept me young and happy.”
“It sounds hard, but it’s never too late to start,” said the former professional dancer. “Once you know what you’re doing and being taught by a teacher you’d love it.”
She started dancing at the age of three, and still teaches lessons at her dance school called Dinkie Flowers Stage School to this day.
“I just love dancing, I always have and I always will. I’d advise anyone—and everyone—to start dancing to keep your body and mind young.
“Everyday I go and dance in the studio. The work you do keeps your body supple.”
CHECK OUT: These Are the Top Benefits of Aging
Reflecting on her long life, the mother-of-one who lives in Shoreham-by-Sea in Sussex, England, says she won’t stop dancing “until they take me away in a box”.
“I just couldn’t live without dancing. You don’t have to go mad, but it’s good to keep on moving your body, bending your knees and stuff like that.”
Dinkie made her TV debut a couple years ago, tap-dancing her way through auditions to appear on The Greatest Dancer at 98 years young.
Dinkie, who has four grandchildren, says ‘helping people dance’ is her life.
“I see people just sitting on their bottoms all day and reading, but it’s important to get up and keep on moving—do something.
IDEA: Virtual Trip to Museum ‘Can Help People Stay Mentally–And Physically–Healthy’
“It doesn’t matter how old you are. You could be 30 or 100, but as long as you have movement you are fit and well.”
SHARE Dinkie’s Advice with Silver Seniors on Social Media…
An amateur scientist has decoded the meaning of cave markings used in Ice Age drawings—a communication system of early ‘writing’ dating back 14,000 years earlier than any previously known.
Ice Age hunter-gatherers were using mysterious markings alongside their drawings of animal prey to store and communicate “sophisticated” information about the behavior of species that were crucial to their survival at least 20,000 years ago.
And, the perplexing ancient code has apparently been unlocked not by an archaeologist but by a London-based furniture conservator who spent hours looking at images of cave paintings from the British Library, then teamed up with a few professors.
Ben Bacon then published his results in the Cambridge Archaeological Journal.
He explained that the marks, found in more than 600 images on cave walls across Europe, cannot be called “writing” in the sense of the pictographic and cuneiform systems from 3,400 BC onwards. Instead, it is a “proto-writing system” that pre-dates any others found from the Neolithic period.
Until now, archaeologists have known that the sequences of lines, dots, and other marks from the last Ice Age were storing some kind of information about species—such as wild horses, deer, cattle, and mammoths—but did not know their specific meaning.
Mr. Bacon’s aim was to decode them, and in particular the inclusion of a ‘Y’ sign – formed by adding a diverging line to another.
It turns out, the number of marks associated with the animals were a record of which lunar month the species were mating.
Mr. Bacon hypothesized that the ‘Y’ sign stood for ‘giving birth’—and the work of the research team confirmed his theory to be correct.
Their work showed that the sequences record mating and birthing seasons and found a statistically-significant correlation between the numbers of marks and the position of the ‘Y’ sign and the months in which modern animals’ mate and give birth.
“The meaning of the markings within these drawings has always intrigued me so I set about trying to decode them, using a similar approach that others took to understanding an early form of Greek text,” said Bacon.
His success came while looking for repeating patterns.
“It was surreal to sit in the British Library and slowly work out what people 20,000 years ago were saying, but the hours of hard work were certainly worth it.”
Then, he reached out to friends and senior university academics, whose expertise were critical to proving his theory, including Professors Paul Pettitt and Robert Kentridge of Durham University who work in the field of visual paleo-psychology, studying the earliest development of human culture.
“To say that when Ben contacted us about his discovery was exciting is an understatement,” said Prof. Pettitt. “I am glad I took it seriously.”
“The results show that Ice Age hunter-gatherers were the first to use a systematic calendar and marks to record information about major ecological events within that calendar.
“In turn we’re able to show that these people—who left a legacy of spectacular art in the caves of Lascaux and Altamira—also left a record of early timekeeping that would eventually become commonplace among our species.”
MORE MYSTERY: Over 100 New Nazca Lines Discovered in Peru Designed by Ancient People
Prof. Kentridge added, “The implications are that Ice Age hunter-gatherers didn’t simply live in their present, but recorded memories of the time when past events had occurred and used these to anticipate when similar events would occur in the future.”
Ben also enlisted University College London Professor Tony Freeth, who deciphered the function of the ancient Greek astronomical clock Antikithera.
“I was stunned when Ben came to me with his underlying idea that the numbers of spots or lines on the animals represented the lunar month of key events in the animals’ life cycles,” said Freeth.
“Lunar calendars are difficult because there are just under 12-and-a-half lunar months in a year, so they do not fit neatly into a year. As a result, our own modern calendar has all but lost any link to actual lunar months.
“In the Antikythera Mechanism, they used a sophisticated 19-year mathematical calendar to resolve the incompatibility of the year and the lunar month—impossible for Paleolithic peoples.
“Their calendar had to be much simpler. It also had to be a ‘meteorological calendar’ tied to changes in temperature—not astronomical events such as the equinoxes.
“With these principles in mind, Ben and I slowly devised a calendar which helped to explain why the system that Ben had uncovered was so universal across wide geography and extraordinary time-scales.”
Bacon is now encouraged to continue the work and attempt to understand more of the symbols.
“What we are hoping, and the initial work is promising, is that unlocking more parts of the proto-writing system will allow us to gain an understanding of what information our ancestors valued.
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“These people, separated from us by many millennia, are suddenly a lot closer.”
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A part-time baker creates epic 2-D cakes that look like drawings straight out of a cartoon.
Amy Bicknell was inspired to create her own cartoon cake after spotting a picture of one online.
Her first attempt at the cake proved challenging as she doesn’t normally work with fondant icing, made of granulated sugar and water. (She preferred using a cream-based ganache instead.) But her animated-style slice cake soon became incredibly popular.
The 44-year-old has now been inundated with requests from around the world for special occasions like birthdays and even wedding cakes.
A video shows her entire process, from covering the sponge cake in icing and perfectly smoothing it out, to lining the edges with thin black fondant to create the animated effect. Many people don’t even believe they are cakes until she cuts into them.
Amy, from Greater Manchester in England, started Amy’s Little Cakery in April 2020 for fun during lockdown—and, as a full-time teacher, she had no intention of it becoming a business.
“I created a page for my cakes. I quickly grew a following and it just spiraled from there.
“I never expected my account to grow so quickly, but I’ve been very lucky to work as a brand ambassador with several amazing companies.
“I love what I do and find it to be a creative release from a very stressful job.”
Amy’s Little Cakery uses the social media account on Instagram to share her creations, where she has amassed over 120,000 followers.
Amy hopes that her projects inspire other bakers to have a go at this trendy cake decoration.
“It really makes people look twice, as they look just like a drawing!
“I love an illusion that you can make out of cake and I hope they can make people smile.
SHARE the Cool Idea With Your Baking Friends on Social Media…
Our partner Rob Brezsny 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 January 21, 2023
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Some insects are helpful to humans. For example, ladybugs devour aphids, which are highly destructive to crops. Damsel bugs eat the pests called leafhoppers, and lacewings feed on the pernicious nuisances known as mealybugs. I also remind you that some bugs are beautiful, like butterflies, dragonflies, and jeweled beetles. Keep these thoughts in mind, Capricorn, as you contemplate my counsel. Metaphorically speaking, you will have experiences with bugs in the next three weeks. But this won’t be a problem if you ally yourself with the good, helpful, and beautiful bugs.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
What are “brain orgasms”? Can you seek them out and make them happen, or do you have to wait patiently for them to arrive in their own sweet time? When they occur, what should you do? Surrender into them with all your welcome fully unleashed? Or should you question whether they’re real, be suspicious of their blessings, or dismiss them as irrelevant flukes? I encourage you to meditate on questions like these. That will raise your receptivity to the stream of brain orgasms that life will offer you in the coming weeks.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
My Piscean pagan friend Valie says God is stealthy yet blatant, like a green chameleon perched on a green leaf. After analyzing the astrological omens, I conclude that this is a helpful, all-purpose metaphor for you to use in the coming weeks. I encourage you to be alert for beauty that is hidden in plain sight. See if you can spy the miracles embedded within the ordinary. Ask life to pleasantly blow your mind over and over again. Here’s your phrase of power: *open secret*.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Good news, Aries! During the next episode in the age-old struggle between the Impulsive You and the Farsighted You, I predict the latter will achieve a ringing victory. Hallelujah! I also foresee you overcoming the temptation to quit a project prematurely, and instead pushing on to complete it. There’s more! You will refrain from knocking your head against an obstacle in the vain hope of toppling it. Instead, you will round up helpers to help you wield a battering ram that will produce the desired toppling.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
You may not have a clear picture of where you’ll be going in the next five years. The detailed master plan that your higher self devised for you before you were born might even be obscure. But I’m here to tell you that in the coming weeks, a new lucidity can be yours. You can summon an acute instinct about which way is forward, if only you will recognize the subtle ways it’s speaking to you. In fact, I believe you will regularly know what move you should make *next* so as to expedite your long-term evolution. Life will be rewarding you with mysterious step-by-step guidance. Now please write a short statement affirming your intention to love, honor, and obey your intuition.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Do you believe in the existence of guardian angels and spirit guides and ancestors who can intervene in your behalf from the other side of the veil? Do you wonder if maybe your invisible friends from childhood show up in your vicinity now and then to offer you support and kindness? Or how about the animals you loved earlier in your life but who have since passed away? Is it possible their souls have never left you, but are available if you need their affection? Even if your rational mind tells you that none of these possibilities are authentic, Gemini, I suspect you will nevertheless be the beneficiary of their assistance in the coming weeks and months. Their influence will be even more potent if you proceed as if they are real.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Among your potential strengths as a human being are empathy, sensitivity, and emotional intelligence. You may or may not choose to develop these natural gifts. But if you do, they can be instrumental in helping you achieve the only kind of success that’s really meaningful for you—which is success that your heart and soul love as much as your head and your ego. According to my astrological analysis, you are moving into a phase of your cycle when you will have extra power to ripen your empathy, sensitivity, and emotional intelligence—and thereby enhance your ability to achieve the kind of success that’s meaningful for you.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
“Dear Rob the Astrologer: The computer firewall at my youth hostel is blocking your website. I am being told you practice ‘Illegal Folklore and Insurrectionary Fairy Tales.’ What the heck? Can you do anything at your end to get me access to your wonderful horoscopes? Maybe cut back a bit on your Illegal Folklore and Insurrectionary Fairy Tales? Haha. Just kidding. I love that crazy stuff. —Deprived Leo in Ireland.” Dear Deprived: Many of you Leos have lately had problems getting all the Illegal Folklore and Insurrectionary Fairy Tales you need. I hope you will push hard to compensate. In my estimation, you currently have a strong need for dreamy stories that appeal to the Wild Child in you. They’re essential to your mental and spiritual health.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
In his book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life, Donald Miller acknowledges that fear can be a “guide to keep us safe.” Being afraid may indeed have its uses and benefits. But Miller adds that it’s also “a manipulative emotion that can trick us into living a boring life.” In my astrological opinion, Virgo, fear will be of service to you—a guide to keep you safe—about nine percent of the time in 2023. Around 83 percent of the time, it will be a manipulative emotion not worth acting on. For the other eight percent, it will be neither. Please plan accordingly.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Select two sticky situations in your world that you would love to reinvent. Let other annoyances and glitches just slide for now. Then cultivate a focused desire to do everything in your power to transform the two awkward or messy circumstances. Proceed as if you will have to do all the work yourself—that nothing will change for the better unless you take full responsibility. If you’re absolutely sure this involves other people altering their behavior, consider the possibility that maybe your behavior needs to shift as well.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
My rage against the world’s injustices motivates me to mitigate these travesties, like by educating my readers about them and donating money to groups crusading to fix the problems. In the coming weeks, Scorpio, I hope you will take advantage of your astrological potentials by using your anger constructively, too. Now is a favorable time for you to fight fiercely and tenderly for what’s right.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
I predict that love will bring you many AHA! moments in 2023. You can’t fully prepare yourself for them—and that’s a good thing! The epiphanies will be brighter and deeper if they are unexpected. Your motivation to learn the available lessons will be wilder and stronger if you enjoy being surprised. So be ready for lots of entertaining rumbles and reverberations, Sagittarius. The adjustments you will be asked to make will often be strenuous and fun. The inspirations you will be invited to harvest will require you to outgrow some of your previous beliefs about the nature of intimacy and togetherness.
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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Quote of the Day: “Fear is a manipulative emotion that can trick us into living a boring life.” – Donald Miller
Photo by: Ishan Gupta
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(Note: Children or sensitive individuals should avoid this article.)
Across Europe, it’s not uncommon to find museums of torture stocked with black cast iron pieces of the most unimaginable cruelty.
However a clever internet snoop and aspiring historian Spencer McDaniel presents the case that several of the most famous torture devices were actually invented in the 19th century by con men and hucksters looking to make a buck off tourists.
McDaniel focuses her analysis on a Buzzfeed video entitled “5 Of The Most Gruesome Medieval Torture Devices,” and proves that only one likely even existed in the Middle Ages, and was rarely used in any case.
This is not to say that our European ancestors weren’t capable of terrible cruelty, but the mechanical nature of these so-called medieval torture devices implies that there were people who spent months thinking about the most revolting methods of pain infliction.
The torture devices they did use weren’t really devices at all, and they were more for executions than for torture. Furthermore, they carry the hallmarks of hot-blood cruelty rather than cold-blood, as in, they tended to use whatever was easily available such as fire or horses.
The first device which McDaniel tackles is called “The Brazen Bull” which was allegedly a large bronze bull statue with a compartment wherein could be placed the victim. Underneath a fire would be kindled until it burned the victim alive, whose screams would sound like a bull bellow resonating out through the statue’s nose and mouth.
This was allegedly used by a Greek tyrant Phalaris of Akragas in 570 BCE. But despite its depictions during the Renaissance, no such device has ever been found. One was referenced by a lyrical poet of all people (because they’ve never lied), who lived decades after Phalaris’ death. The only other reference was from Greek historian Diodorus Sikeliotes nearly 500 years after Phalaris’ death.
Other more iconic devices such as the “iron maiden,” and “pear of anguish” have histories replete with frauds. As to the former, historians living in the 18th century were able to ascertain that an iron maiden—a sort of vertical sarcophagus filled with spikes—was fraudulent, when it was reported from Nuremberg, Germany that in 1515 it was used to execute a coin forger.
Iron maidens showcased in museums today were all built long after the historical record was well-illuminated, and no case of them ever having been used in the Middle Ages, nor of an individual device built from that time, has come down to us.
The “pear of anguish” was supposedly a sort of pear-shaped metal object that when inserted into an orifice could be expanded outward via a screw, causing horrible pain. The oldest surviving account of this being used was from the 18th century by a Parisian criminal—not exactly an organ of law and order, and certainly not medieval.
CHECK OUT: Woman’s Name and Tiny Sketches Found in 1,300-Year-Old Medieval Text was Hidden for 12 Centuries
McDaniel also claims that the mechanical features of those found in museums would not have worked the way they were supposed to anyway.
The last instrument she mentions probably arose from someone’s imagination of the burnings during the Inquisition, but as she details “the Spanish Tickler” was invented during our own lifetimes by torture-focused con men on the internet, who wanted to propose that a kind of rake was used to remove the flesh of victims as leaves might be piled up in autumn.
“The so-called ‘Spanish tickler’ was totally made up on 15 December 2005 by a Wikipedia editor with the username ‘Andyok,'” writes McDaniels. “The hoax article… was ultimately discovered by responsible Wikipedia editors on 2 March 2018 and has now been deleted.”
While this seems to be a slightly frivolous rabbit hole of disproving already hard-to-imagine things, one commenter on McDaniels’ work reveals its value.
MORE FROM HISTORY: This Lost Roman Era ‘Miracle Plant’ May Have Been Rediscovered
“Inhumane medieval torture devices depicted by the media such as the pear and the iron maiden upset and haunted me greatly since childhood, as I could not help but vividly imagine the victims’ agony. You have finally lifted my nightmares and restored some humanity in the medieval era for me! Thank you!”
McDaniels reminds the commenter there was definitely torture during the medieval period, but concurrent to what’s written above, they tended to involve readily available materials and were more methods of execution than torture.
HELP Restore Your Friends’ Faith In The Medieval Era With This Story…
There aren’t many willing to voluntarily go out to spend the day on Skid Row, and even fewer with the goal of giving away free stuff, but Dr. Kwane Stewart, also known as “The Street Vet” is nearly famous because of it.
Kwane runs the 501(c)3 non-profit Project Street Vet, that takes donations and volunteers out onto the streets and to homeless encampments to provide free medical care for their pets, and last year they were able to help nearly 600 animals receive medical care.
It’s estimated that 10-25% of the homeless population of America own pets, for companionship, and occasionally for security. It goes without saying that many don’t have the means to take proper care of these animals, whom they often love more than anything else in the world.
In 1997 Stewart was buried in student loan debt when he graduated from the University of Colorado, before bouncing from one miserable rescue shelter to the next. Out of frustration for his career choice, he just started spending a few hours a day providing free medical care to pets of the homeless in LA.
This went on for 7 years until he had an encounter with show biz that spawned Dr. Kwane: The Street Vet, a one-season Canadian TV show that attracted pet product firms, volunteers, and philanthropists to his mission.
In 2020, he and his brother Ian started his non-profit that provides free exams, vaccines, flea medications, supplies, and information to people experiencing homelessness on how to raise their animals with the limited means they possess.
Charity organizations partner with animal clinics and Project Street Vet to open pop-up clinics where the homeless can bring in their pets for even more sophisticated medical care, as well as procedures like spaying and neutering. Project Street Vet also assists qualified pet parents with their pet’s veterinary care through financial assistance grants.
RELATED: This Hero Dog-Lover Keeps Seniors and Their Pets Together With ‘Peace of Mind’
Their website produced a 2021 year-in-review which they describe as being very generous.
Their 2022 report for activities in Atlanta, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Webster, Florida, report that Project Street Vet saw and helped nearly 600 pets, as well as nearly 150 people receive financial assistance.
They rely entirely on charitable contributions, and anyone who wants to donate time or money can do so here.
WATCH that recap… And the trailer for the TV show…
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Most people imagine robots at work in a factory, but there’s no less innovation going on at the farm—take this spoke-wheeled robot plant nurse who can inspect 50 acres of row crops for disease, pests, or other issues.
Trundling through fields a little like a tumbleweed, the SentiV scouting robot is currently just a prototype, but its designers hope that the high unit cost can be offset with savings on pesticides and fertilizer, as the SentiV can determine exactly which plants need what.
Planting is a seriously stressful time for farmers, as all the input costs stack up while profit lies far away in the distant months. Furthermore, many things can go wrong between planting and harvest time, whether that’s a sudden outbreak of disease, pests moving into the area, or a proliferation of weeds.
Manually inspecting crops can take hours while airborne drones can’t see under the leaves.
That’s why a 33-pound robot that moves about on spokes rather than wheels or treads which crush plants could be ideal for farmers looking to reduce labor costs and hours.
Placing the GPS coordinates of the field’s boundaries, the SentiV then uses these boundaries as a guide to map the whole field—up to 50 acres in a day, scanning both the underside and topside of plants with a pair of cameras.
SIMILAR: Solar-Powered, Weed-Killing Robots Could Save Farmers Billions of Dollars on Herbicides
Smart algorithms then look for threats, monitor the plants’ growth, and identify signs that the plant might need more or less water or nutrients.
The wheel height is easily adjustable to make sure it passes over a farmer’s crops without damaging them.
MORE ROBOTS LIKE THIS: New Smart Farming Robot Unveiled That ‘Smokes’ Weeds With High-Powered Lasers For Healthy Weeding
The nearly timeless image of a field of crops being worked by farmers and animals is soon going to look a lot different, as robots of all different sizes are being developed to phase out extensive labor and materials costs on farms.
This robot has 50 nozzles that spray weeds with de-weeder and plants with fertilizer at a rate of 20 shots per second, while this robot tractor can plow on 24-7 all by itself.
WATCH the little fellow at work…
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In a major archaeological discovery, a team of Peruvian and Japanese researchers have discovered 168 new geoglyphs in the ancient Nazca Plain in Peru, near to the enormous glyphs that remain as mysterious as they are famous.
Found during 2 years of aerial surveys, their discovery led to the creation of a new archaeological park to protect them.
The famous Nazca Lines are enormous depictions of humans and animals carved into the ground of a flat plain by ancient peoples. Their monumental scale was only discovered after flight, when a pair of eyes could be high enough to see the whole two dimensional image.
The originals measure hundreds of yards, but the new discoveries are smaller. Jorge Olano, head archaeologist for the Nazca Lines research program, said the new geoglyphs averaged between two and six meters (6.56 to 19.7 feet) in length.
They were made by removing the black stone of the plain to uncover its white soil below, and line series of ancient trails.
Masato Sakai of Yamagata University and his team of Japanese archaeologists have been working in the area since 2004, and this is not their first discovery.
By 2018, the team had identified 190 geoglyphs by collecting images from aerial surveys and drones, which when added together with this latest batch makes for a total of 358 previously-unknown geoglyphs discovered by the Japanese-Peruvian team.
Believed to have been carved between 100 BCE and 200 CE, they depict humans, camelids such as llamas, alpacas and guanacos, birds, orcas, felines, and snakes, and at times can look almost childish.
Their purpose, as well as their larger cousins which make up a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is unknown.
WATCH aerial footage released by the university… (Note: GNN has no affiliation with any ads displayed)
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