New Year Horoscopes From Rob Brezsny: A ‘Free Will Astrology’

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Dec 31, 2022

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 December 31, 2022
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
In accordance with your astrological omens in 2023, I’ve chosen a quote from Capricorn storyteller Michael Meade. I hope you will make it one of your core meditations in the coming months. He writes, “All meaningful change requires a genuine surrender. Yet, to surrender does not simply mean to give up; more to give up one’s usual self and allow something other to enter and redeem the lesser sense of self. In surrendering, we fall to the bottom of our arguments and seek to touch the origin of our lives again. Only then can we see as we were meant to see, from the depth of the psyche where the genius resides, where the seeds of wisdom and purpose were planted before we were born.”

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
In addition to my career as a horoscope columnist, I have written novels and other books. I have worked as a singer-songwriter in rock bands and performed a one-person show in theaters. As I survey my history, I always break into sardonic laughter as I contemplate how many businesspeople have advised me, “First, you’ve got to sell out. You’ve got to dumb down your creative efforts so as to make yourself salable. Only later, after you have become successful, can you afford to be true to your deepest artistic principles.” I am very glad I never heeded that terrible counsel, because it would have made me insane and unhappy. How are you doing with this central problem of human life, Aquarius? Are you serving the gods of making money or the gods of doing what you love? The coming year will, I suspect, bring you prime opportunities to emphasize the latter goal.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
I’ve chosen a sweet taste of advice for you to keep referring back to in 2023. It’s in rapt alignment with upcoming astrological omens. I suggest you copy my counsel out in longhand on a piece of paper and keep it in your wallet or under your pillow. Here it is, courtesy of author Martha Beck: “The important thing is to tell yourself a life story in which you, the hero, are primarily a problem solver rather than a helpless victim. This is well within your power, whatever fate might have dealt you.”

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor,” writes Aries author Anne Lamott. “It will keep you cramped and insane.” I think that’s a key theme for you to embrace in 2023. Let’s express the idea more positively, too. In Navajo culture, rug weavers intentionally create small imperfections in their work, like odd-colored beads or stray pieces of yarn. This rebellion against unattainable exactitude makes the art more soulful. Relieved of the unrealistic mandate to be flawless, the rug can relax into its beauty.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Here are my four decrees for you in 2023, Taurus. 1. You are cleared to be greedy if it’s in service to a holy cause that fosters others’ well-being as well as yours. 2. It’s permissible to be stubborn if doing so nourishes versions of truth and goodness that uplift and inspire your community. 3. It’s proper to be slow and gradual if that’s the best way to keep collaborative projects from becoming slipshod. 4. It’s righteous to be zealous in upholding high standards, even if that causes less diligent people to bail out.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
In 2023, many interesting lessons will arrive via your close relationships and collaborations. You will have the potential to learn more about the art of togetherness than you have in a long time. On occasion, these lessons may initially agitate you. But they will ultimately provide more pleasure and healing than you can imagine right now. Bonus prediction: You will have an enhanced talent for interweaving your destiny together with the fates of your allies.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Here are some projects I’d love to see you pursue in 2023: 1. Teach your allies the fine points of how to cherish you but not smother you. 2. Cultivate your natural talent for appreciating the joys of watching and helping things grow: a child, a creative project, a tree, a friendship, or your bank account. 3. If you don’t feel close to the family members that fate provided you with, find others you like better. 4. As you explore territories that are further out or deeper within, make sure your Cancerian shell is expandable. 5. Avoid being friends with people who are shallow or callous or way too cool. 6. Cultivate your attraction to people who share your deepest feelings and highest ideals.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Mystic teacher Terence McKenna said, “You have to take seriously the notion that understanding the universe is your responsibility, because the only understanding of the universe that will be useful to you is your own understanding.” This will be key advice for you in 2023. You will be wise to craft an updated version of your personal philosophy. I suggest you read a lot of smart people’s ideas about the game of life. Make it your quest to commune with interesting minds who stimulate your deep thoughts. Pluck out the parts that ring true as you create a new vision that is uniquely your own.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
How should we refer to your romantic adventures in 2023? We could be whimsical and call them “Ritual Mating Dances on the Outskirts of History.” We could be melodramatic and call them “Diving into the Deep Dark Mysteries in Search of Sexy Treasures.” Or we could be hopeful and call them “A Sacred Pilgrimage to the Frontiers of Intimacy.” I think there’s a good chance that all three titles will turn out to be apt descriptors of the interesting stories ahead of you—especially if you’re brave as you explore the possibilities.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
“Coddiwomple” is an English slang word that means to travel resolutely and dynamically toward an as-yet unknown destination. It’s not the same as wandering aimlessly. The prevailing mood is not passivity and vagueness. Rather, one who coddiwomples has a sense of purpose about what’s enjoyable and meaningful. They may not have a predetermined goal, but they know what they need and like. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, the next six months will be an excellent time for you Libras to experiment with coddiwompling.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
In the theater of ancient Greece, the term anagnorisis referred to a pivotal moment when a character discovered a big truth they had previously been unaware of. Another Greek word, peripeteia, meant a reversal of circumstances: “a change by which the action veers round to its opposite.” I bring these fun ideas to your attention, dear Scorpio, because I think 2023 could bring you several instances of an anagnorisis leading to a peripeteia. How would you like them to unfold? Start making plans. You will have uncanny power to determine which precise parts of your life are gifted with these blessings.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Winters are cold in Olds—a town in Alberta, Canada. Temperatures plunge as low as 24 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. But an agronomist named Dong Jianyi has built a giant greenhouse there that enables him to grow vegetables year-round. As reported in GNN, he spends no money on heat, but relies on innovative insulation to keep the inside warm. In 2021, he grew 29,000 pounds of tomatoes. I propose we make him your inspirational role model for 2023, Sagittarius. My guess is, that like him, you will be a wellspring of imaginative resourcefulness. What creative new developments could you generate? How might you bring greater abundance into your life by drawing extra energy from existing sources? How could you harness nature to serve you even better?

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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“Tell yourself a life story in which you, the hero, are primarily a problem solver rather than a helpless victim.” – Martha Beck

Quote of the Day

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Good News Network

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Dec 31, 2022

Quote of the Day: “The important thing is to tell yourself a life story in which you, the hero, are primarily a problem solver rather than a helpless victim.” – Martha Beck

Photo by: Daniel intodawoj

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?

Bats Fly Again Under the Bridge Where Rescuers Found 1,500 of Them Freezing on the Ground

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Andy Corbley

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Dec 30, 2022

Houston Humane Society-FB videos — Houston Humane Society

There are a lot of animals far easier to love and care for than bats, but that didn’t stop Houston Humane Society from rescuing nearly 1,600 of them from freezing to death.

On Thursday a cold snap in Texas caused these tiny winged mammals to plummet from the sky onto the cold pavement where they would have likely all perished if not for the volunteers who collected them en masse for rehabilitation.

Mary Warwick, the wildlife director at the Houston Humane Society was out according to AP doing some holiday shopping when she began to worry about the Mexican free-tailed bat colony under the Waugh Bridge. Sure enough she found nearly 100 lying stiff on the ground.

Twice a day she would go collect them, put them in carriers on her car’s heated seats and then transfer them to incubators in her attic. Volunteers from another bat colony brought in 900 more this week.

Many of the bats, according to the Guardian, needed only a quick hydration boost and some warmth, while others needed to stay in the incubator’s heat a while longer.

The Houston Humane Society completed to mass-releases of the bats back under their bridges, one in Pearland Fite Road Bridge, and the other at Waugh Bridge.

MORE ANIMAL RESCUES: Volunteers in Texas Saved Thousands Of Sea Turtles From The Shocking Cold Weather

In total 1,544 bats were collected and saved by the volunteers, an effort reminiscent of the Texas turtle rescue from last year, when thousands of turtles were cold stunned and could have died.

GNN followed the story of animal hospitals, private volunteers, game wardens, and Elon Musk’s company SpaceX all joining together over two weeks to save and rehabilitate sea turtles that were being stunned into listlessness by the winter storm that arrived on the Gulf coast.

Together this “massive community effort,” rescued 5,000 turtles from dying of cold, or drowning when Gulf of Mexico temperatures dropped below 50°F.

THESE Volunteers Deserve A Share For Their Big Bat Rescue…

Company Unveils Designer Hypercar that Runs on Fuel Made from Plastic

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Good News Network

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Dec 30, 2022

An Italian motor company has unveiled a supercar that will run on garbage.

Italian supercars tend towards the polluting side of the spectrum of manufacturing, with massive 12 cylinder engines that care little for miles per gallon.

Bertone are known for iconic designs such as the sharply angled “Italian Wedge” shape of the Lamborghini Countach, but their new GB110 is the first high performance car that will be supplied with fuel made out of plastic waste.

The limited edition run of 33 vehicles has been launched to mark Bertone’s 110th anniversary.

Bertone has not released a price tag for the car, but says it will be “akin to a piece of art,” and allow potential owners to choose a series of modifications to suit “unique tastes and identity.”

Jean-Franck Ricci, CEO of Bertone, says they “have partnered with the company Select Fuel which has developed a patented technology to convert polycarbonate materials into renewable fuel.”

“We believe that de-pollution will require different solutions with combinations of technologies,” Ricci said.

“Plastic waste needs to be treated as a valuable resource. Through our partnership with Select Fuel we take what was once waste and convert it back into its original form.”

MORE LIKE THIS: Airless Tires: These Puncture-Proof Michelin Marvels Are Even Made From 47% Recycled Resources

Boasting a hefty 1,100 horsepower, the GB110 is claimed to be able to pull off 0-60 mph in 2.79 seconds, with a maximum speed somewhere over 236 mph.

“We recognise that plastic waste is a major environmental problem,” Select Fuel said in a statement. “We have committed to developing technologies that convert polycarbonate materials into renewable and sustainable fuels.”

“Our fuels are used in everything from the transportation industry and renewable aviation fuel to motorsport and high-end sports cars including the Bertone GB110.”

SHARE This Super Recycling Speed Demon With Your Friends…

In a World First, Scientists Use Artificial DNA to Kill Cancer Cells

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Andy Corbley

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Dec 30, 2022

artifical dna cancer treatment Akimitsu Okamoto - released — Akimitsu Okamoto - released

Japanese oncologists have used artificial DNA in a whole new way to naturally kill cancer cells by helping the immune system identify them.

The whole reason cancer is as lethal as it is is because the immune system doesn’t act upon cancer cells and tumors, disguised as they are to look like normal cells.

By creating a hairpin-shaped pair of DNA molecules called oHPs, the researchers found a way to expose the cancer to the immune system’s targeting procedure, and thus stop and even reverse human cervical cancer and breast cancer-derived cells, and malignant melanoma in mice.

Nucleic-acid treatments for cancer are inherently risky due to the potential for the host immune system to attack healthy cells carrying the same genes or signals as the cancerous ones.

As normal as they may seem to the immune system, cancer cells don’t function like normal cells. They overproduce or underproduce certain material, in this case the target was an overproduced informational molecule called microRNA-21 (miR-21).

When the artificial oPHs encountered the miR-21, they unwound them, and rejoined to form longer DNA strands which were naturally determined as being dangerous due to their overabundance by the host immune system.

MORE CANCER DISCOVERIES: First Patient Gets Potentially Cancer-Stopping Pill – Study is Recruiting Those with Resistant Tumors For a Trial

“The results of this study are good news for doctors, drug discovery researchers and cancer patients, as we believe it will give them new options for drug development and medication policies,” said Professor Akimitsu Okamoto from the Graduate School of Engineering, Univ. of Tokyo.

“Next, we will aim for drug discovery based on the results of this research, and examine in detail the drug efficacy, toxicity and potential administration methods.”

SHARE This Awesome Breakthrough With Your Friends On Social Media…

Stranded in Snow He Uses His iPhone 14 Emergency SOS via Satellite Feature to Lead First Responders Right to Him

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Andy Corbley

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Dec 30, 2022

The iPhone 14 has saved several lives this winter with some pretty impressive safety features that are worth noting as the U.S. continues to be battered with one of the worst winter storms in memory.

A tech news outlet reports that the iPhone 14’s SOS call which connects via satellite rather than through telecom towers saved a man in Alaska recently.

Traveling from Noorvik to Kotzebue by snow mobile, he became stranded without network coverage. Apple’s Emergency Response Center received his SOS call via satellite and connected his position to the Northwest Arctic Borough Search and Rescue Coordinator.

The GPS coordinates contained in the SOS led the volunteer rescuers right to him, and he went home unharmed.

Another safety feature has a two-fold benefit this winter—the Crash Detection Feature. An iPhone 14 or Apple watch has certain parameters of motion sensing that allows it to determine if the user has been in a collision.

The phone will automatically call 911 unless the user selects not to. This saved the lives of two passengers who plummeted off a canyon road in Angeles National Forest, California, before tumbling 300 feet to the canyon bottom. Alone and without cell service, Crash Detection alerted 911, while the passengers followed it up with an Emergency SOS.

As it turns out the phone is also capable of translating that motion data while the user is on the slopes.

Record numbers of 911 calls were being handled in mountain ski towns across America as skiers’ iPhones were placing calls from their pocket based on the considerable changes in speed and direction achieved by experienced skiers.

Apple recommends turning the Crash Detection feature off before hitting the slopes, or you can remember to pull your phone out after a rapid braking and select not to place the call. In the case that you were, say, catapulted through the air to land disastrously, you might be grateful you left the feature on.

SHARE This Important Safety Information With Your iPhone User Friends…

“I’m in love with cities I’ve never been to and people I’ve never met.” – Melody Truong

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Good News Network

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Dec 30, 2022

Quote of the Day: “I’m in love with cities I’ve never been to and people I’ve never met.” – Melody Truong

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?

Kansas City Gives Jobs to its Most Vulnerable Residents—And Housing Soon Followed

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Andy Corbley

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Dec 29, 2022

In a pilot program to address the homelessness problem in Kansas City, the state gave them part-time work which helped many of them secure the housing they desperately needed.

Kansas City Missouri has seen a decrease in litter collection as the pandemic created a slowdown in court cases and community service clean-up programs.

By putting 26 of the city’s roughly 1,800 homeless folks to work cleaning the streets they happen to sleep on, it cleared two hurdles in one sprint, removing more than 67,000 pounds of trash by the end of the work period, and giving the homeless workers the ability to put “employed” on a housing application.

“We really wanted to focus on people that were homeless in the truest sense of the word,” said Doug Langner, executive director of Hope Faith, a Christian non-profit that helps over 200 homeless in the city.

“It was an awkward feeling at first: they’re punching-in in the day, [and] they punch out and are back on the streets that night,” he told Fast Company.

Hope Faith was able to afford to employ 5 homeless workers at $15 an hour, 4 of whom secured long-term housing at the end of the 3-month work-trial period.

MORE HOMELESS NEWS: U.S. Near its Goal to House Every Homeless Veteran Identified in a January 2022 Count

Another non-profit Creative Innovative saw 6 of their 21 workers make it into housing.

In January the program will expand to 46 trash collectors, half homeless and half long-term prison inmates reentering society, funded by 7 non-profits.

SHARE These Great Results From A Good Idea…

New Evidence Unearthed by Podcasters Frees 2 Men Wrongfully Imprisoned for 25 Years

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Andy Corbley

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Dec 29, 2022

Darrell Lee Clark hug-Georgia Innocence Project — Georgia Innocence Project

Two men wrongfully-imprisoned for more than two decades were able to spend Christmas with their families after a podcast and non-profit advanced evidence of their innocence.

Darrell Lee Clark and Cain Joshua Storey were just teenagers when they stood trial for a murder of their 15-year-old friend he died of gunshot wounds at a party in 1996.

Clack had all the charges against him dropped after a motion for a new trial was field on his behalf by attorneys from the Georgia Innocence Project. He was released Thursday along with Storey.

“You never think something like that is going to happen to you,” Clark said in the statement.

“Never would I have thought I would spend more than half my life in prison, especially for something I didn’t do. I’m just glad the truth finally came to light after 25 years. I’m so thankful for the Georgia Innocence Project and Proof Podcast for what they did. Without them, I would still be in prison.”

Susan Simpson and Jacinda Davis host a podcast called “Proof” and they began interviewing the state’s two key witnesses about the case last year.

The details go like this. At a party, 15-year-old Brian Bowling shot himself in a game of Russian Roulette with a gun allegedly provided by Storey. Manslaughter was to be the original charge, but Bowling’s distraught family urged for the charge to be stiffened to murder, and charged Clark who had a corroborating alibi of his absence from the whole situation, in a conspiracy to murder.

MORE LIKE THIS: Thousands Have Donated $1.6 Million to Innocent Man Freed From Prison After 43-Year Wrongful Conviction

The Proof podcast hosts interviewed the party hostess, who admitted that the police had coerced her into making false statements regarding Clark and Storey’s testimony. The second witness was a hearing-impaired man, and Simpson and Davis got him on record as not being able to separate the Bowling murder details with a very similar case from ten years later in 1976.

Furthermore, according to this hearing impaired witness, he never saw Clark run through Bowling’s yard, which was the original cornerstone of his charging in the case.

“An autopsy in the case would have solved it, yet they refused to get an autopsy,” said Mr. Storey’s attorney Luke Martin. “That autopsy would have shown this was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.”

The Georgia Innocence Project also reported, according to NBC, that a coroner, who was untrained as a doctor, testified that it was his “gut feeling” that the gunshot was not self-inflicted.

A Redditor following the case commented on a thread about Clark and Storey’s release that this coroner later went to federal prison for wide-scale fraud he committed while working as a coroner, including for sending bills to families for autopsies.

“We are elated, thrilled that he is finally home after all this time. It’s even better that it’s in time for the holidays,” Clark’s attorney Meagan Hurley said. “Twenty-five years is an incredibly long time to spend incarcerated for a crime you didn’t commit.”

Hurley credits the Bowlings, who agreed to hear what the podcasters and attorneys had to say.

CELEBRATE The Release Of These Innocent Men On Facebook…

Kind Stranger Rescues Kitty Frozen to the Ground in a Storm–and He Now Looks Amazing

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Andy Corbley

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Dec 29, 2022

Big Lake Community Animal Clinic - Facebook

Utter tragedy was avoided recently in Michigan when a good samaritan found a cat frozen to the ground during a winter storm.

The savior’s name was Kelly, the cat’s Elliot, and together they flew to the Big Lake Community Animal Clinic in Muskegon for life-saving veterinary care.

“When he arrived at the clinic, his body temp was only 94 degrees, and his eyes had crusted shut,” the clinic reported Tuesday on Facebook.

“Life saving treatment was started immediately by the vet and staff, with warm IV fluids, warming him up, cleaning his eyes, and checking for any injuries, then monitored. Happy to say he is now resting comfortably!”

MORE LIKE THIS: How a Tiny Injured Kitten Kickstarted an Entire Sustainability Initiative to Eliminate Plastic

As of yesterday Elliot’s eyes are open, and he’s beginning to talk to the staff. His voice is still raspy, and if he had lost his appetite after parts of him were frozen solid, he’s regained it now.

Anyone who recognizes him is asked to contact Big Lake Animal Clinic at 231-799-1074. You can help with Elliot’s medical costs on the Muskegon Humane Society’s website here.

SHARE This Good Samaritan And Sweet Cat On Social Media To Help Find His Owner…

Specific Gut Bacteria Extract More Energy Which Seems to be Associated with Obesity

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Andy Corbley

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Dec 29, 2022

Certain hyper-efficient microbe species in our guts could be the reason why some people gain weight and others don’t, proving once again how much influence the microbiota has in our lives.

Unfair as it is, some of us seem to put on weight just by looking at a pizza while others can munch away with abandon and not gain a gram. Part of the explanation could be related to the composition of our gut microbes.

Researchers studied the residual energy in the feces of 85 Danes to estimate how effective their gut microbes are at extracting energy from food. At the same time, they mapped the composition of gut microbes for each participant.

The results show that roughly 40% of the participants belong to a group that extracts more energy on average from food compared to the other 60%.

The researchers also observed that those who extracted the most energy from food also weighed 10% more on average, amounting to an extra 9 kilograms, or around 20 pounds.

“We may have found a key to understanding why some people gain more weight than others, even when they don’t eat more or any differently. But this needs to be investigated further,” says Associate Professor Henrik Roager of the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, which ran the study.

The results indicate that being overweight might not only be related to how healthily one eats, the amount of exercise one gets, or their sleep quality. It may also have something to do with the composition of a person’s gut microbes.

Participants were divided into three groups, based on the composition of their gut microbes. The so-called B-type composition (dominated by Bacteroides bacteria) is more effective at extracting nutrients from food and was observed in 40% of the participants.

Following the study, the researchers suspect that a portion of the population may be disadvantaged by having gut bacteria that are a bit too effective at extracting energy.

This effectiveness may result in more calories being available for the human host from the same amount of food—an adaptation which would have been of great value to early man, but during the age of abundance could be leading to obesity.

“The fact that our gut bacteria are great at extracting energy from food is basically a good thing, as the bacteria’s metabolism of food provides extra energy in the form of, for example, short-chain fatty acids , which are molecules that our body can use as energy-supplying fuel. But if we consume more than we burn, the extra energy provided by the intestinal bacteria may increase the risk of obesity over time,” explains Henrik Roager.

The study also looked at the total length of GI tract, from mouth to stomach to the intestines and colon, to see whether variations in a food’s journey time between individuals affected weight gain.

The researchers hypothesized that those with long digestive travel times would be the ones who harvested the most nutrition from their food. But the study found the exact opposite.

MORE ON THE GUT MICROBIOTA: Wisdom and Loneliness May Be Shaped by Healthy Gut Microbes, Researchers Believe

“We thought that there would be a long digestive travel time would allow more energy to be extracted. But here, we see that participants with the B-type gut bacteria that extract the most energy, also have the fastest passage through the gastrointestinal system, which has given us something to think about,” says Dr. Roager.

These findings in humans confirm earlier studies in mice, which showed that germ-free mice which received gut microbes from obese donors gained more weight compared to mice that received gut microbes from lean donors, despite being fed the same diet.

Even then, the researchers proposed that the differences in weight gain could be attributable to the fact that the gut bacteria from obese people were more efficient at extracting energy from food.

“It is very interesting that the group of people who have less energy left in their stool also weigh more on average. However, this study doesn’t provide proof that the two factors are directly related. We hope to explore this more in the future,” Dr. Roager.

If it were to be confirmed scientifically that the two are correlated, the widely-publicized fecal matter transplant, which essentially shares a donor’s flourishing microbiota with a patient’s disrupted one, could be used to combat this natural tendency towards weight gain.

SHARE This Interesting Biological Connection With Your Friends…

“Weaknesses are just strengths in the wrong environment.” – Marianne Cantwell

Quote of the Day

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Good News Network

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Dec 29, 2022

Quote of the Day: “Weaknesses are just strengths in the wrong environment.” – Marianne Cantwell

Photo by: Xavier von Erlach

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?

Baby Galápagos Pink Iguanas Seen for the First Time Ever—Offering So Much Hope to Scientists

By

Andy Corbley

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Dec 28, 2022

For the first time since the species was discovered in the Galápagos Islands, baby Galápagos pink iguanas have been seen in the wilds of those majestic islands.

First described in 2009, the species was immediately recognized as facing a serious risk of extinction. Only between 200-300 iguanas are thought to exist on Wolf Volcano on Isabella Island.

But after a ten-month expedition by the Galápagos National Park Directorate of Ecuador, and the Galápagos Conservancy of the U.S., it’s confirmed that the species is still building nests, and still procreating; revealed by dozens of hidden cameras.

The cameras also confirmed the major threat to the pink iguanas are non-native feral cats, knowledge that while tragically garnered, will go a long way towards drafting a strategy that can save the reptile.

“Excellent news for our country! Pink iguana hatchlings and juveniles were discovered for the first time after years of research,” cheered the Ecuadorian Minister of the Environment. “This is thanks to a collaboration between the GNPD and the Galápagos Conservancy. Congratulations to everyone who contributed to this discovery!“

A monitoring station has been set up on the remote Wolf Volcano to keep scientific eyes on these vulnerable reptiles.

“The discovery of the first-ever nest and young pink iguanas together with evidence of the critical threats to their survival has also given us the first hope for saving this enigmatic species from extinction.” Paul Salaman, president of Galápagos Conservancy, said in a statement. “Now, our work begins to save the pink iguana.”

The expedition was funded by Initiative Galápagos, a program in 2021 to reverse all species declines on the famous islands.

Last year GNN reported the first ever major surveys of the animal on Isabella Island.

The challenges of conserving them are partly the terrain, for Wolf Volcano is as unwelcoming as a wolf or a volcano. The iguanas nest at 5,600 feet above sea level, where there is little shade, and the temperatures can rise to 100 °F, and 160 °F at the level of the ground. At night however, the temperature plummets to 50 °F with a strong, constant and freezing wind.

MORE ON THE GALAPAGOS: Iguanas Successfully Reintroduced to Galapagos Island After They Were Last Seen By Darwin 184 Years Ago

The steep, mountainous ground is littered with cacti, and there are more ticks on Isabella than any other island. Finally, the iguanas can easily bite a finger off if they get the opportunity, so handling them is kept to a minimum.

Islands, not least of which being the Galápagos, have benefitted more than perhaps any other ecosystem on Earth from conservation measures.

As disrupted as they have been from introduced species, they are about the only places on Earth where restoring the original ecosystem can be 100% successful, and GNN has reported that on many islands this has absolutely been the case, through eradication of invasive species, and strict protections.

WATCH the story below…

SHARE This Good News Amid The Gloom Of The “Sixth Mass Extinction” Talk…

Triplets Reunite With Garbage Truck Driver–Their Childhood Hero—4 Years After Adorable Story Went Viral

By

Andy Corbley

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Dec 28, 2022

florida garbage man video - WESH Nbc screenshot (Copy) — - Carla Wierenicz

Some Florida kids got to see their favorite garbage man again after a four year absence when city officials saw an old video of them all playing together.

For years Tony Parker from the City of Orlando garbage collection would arrive in front of the Wierenicz household and there’d be three tawny-haired youngsters waiting for him.

Four years ago however, his route was changed and the children were heartbroken.

“Just for grins,” mom Carla Wierenicz posted an old video of Tony running up and hugging her 3-year-old kids on Instagram which went viral. As a result, the city scheduled a special stopover for Parker at their house so he could see them again.

“Every day, they would come out and if they missed me, their mother had to get in the car and circle the neighborhood until they found me,” Parks reminisced.

On Thursday the four friends did all the things they used to do, like climb inside the cab and honk the horn, or have races down to the edge of the street. Knowing he would get to see his old friends, Parker also brought them City of Orlando toy dump trucks and t-shirts.

The friendship was created when the 3-year-olds triplets became so filled with wonderment at the mechanical arms of the truck that Carla had to take them out so they could learn how it worked.

That day, Parker was supposed to only be picking up garbage, but in reality he picked up someone many of us hope to find in life.

“I picked up joy, I picked up happiness, I picked up memories,” he said.

WATCH the story below…

SHARE This Heartwarming Story Of Childhood Wonderment…

5 U.S. States Are Repaving Roads With Unrecyclable Plastic Waste–And Results Are Impressive

By

Andy Corbley

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Dec 28, 2022

Headache-inducing plastic waste such as printer cartridges and plastic bags are being turned into aggregate material for asphalt road mixtures around the country.

Plastic roads have built up a head of scientific steam recently, with scientists and regulators seeing roads as a decent place to reutilize plastic that is difficult to recycle in a cost-effective manner.

Pilot programs are ongoing in Missouri, Pennsylvania, Virginia, California, and Hawai’i, with transportation regulators monitoring performance and durability of the roads, and environmental regulators on the lookout for potential microplastic contamination.

All in all plastic roads could be a big part of future societies, as the programs all show good results, and for the moment at least, no microplastic pollutant runoffs in several states.

Last year GNN reported that a stretch of Australian highway was completed with millions of used facemasks, while another in America has taken to adding shredded tires.

A stretch of road in Hawai’i between Kilaha Street and the beginning of Fort Weaver Road near Cormorant Avenue is testing a recycled polymer mixture in its asphalt that contains the equivalent of 150,000 water bottles.

MORE GOOD TRANSPORTATION: Scientists Invent De-icing Coatings to Cut Airline Delays by Lasting Longer Without Toxic Runoff

Virginia officials are testing plastic in six different stretches of roads around Richmond. Results were monitored between summer of 2021 and summer of 2022.

Pennsylvania are testing two quarter-mile road stretches within Ridley Creek State Park using a mixture that contains 150,000 plastic bags.

A shoulder of Highway 99 in Elk Grove near Sacramento, California, is being paved with an asphalt mixture that contains 10% recycled plastic from printing ink cartridges. After looking and performing better than expected, a spokesperson for the CA DoT told the Pew Trust, they have expanded its coverage for further testing.

Likewise, this year’s $3.8 million budget for paving roads in Missouri included a $200,000 extra for the utilization of plastic in the asphalt mixtures.

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All 10 People Feared Missing in Alpine Avalanche Found Alive After Scary Viral Video—WATCH

By

Andy Corbley

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Dec 28, 2022

While many were enjoying their Christmas holiday, 10 skiers in Austria were feared dead after a video went viral of an avalanche overtaking them on the slopes.

News came out the following day however that all 10 are alive and well. The Austrian Press Agency reported that 4 of the skiers were injured, one seriously so, and that a final search operation of the area took place Monday.

Seeing the video one skier took of the event, rescue workers feared the worst as they moved out from the mountainous towns of Lech and Zurs in the Austrian Alps.

Call it a Christmas miracle or sheer dumb luck, but all of the skiers survived, and are now recovering at a hospital at Innsbruck.

WATCH the video below…

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“Seeing the best in your situation is the key to happiness.” – Marie Forleo

Quote of the Day

By

Good News Network

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Dec 28, 2022

Quote of the Day: “Seeing the best in your situation is the key to happiness.” – Marie Forleo

Photo by: Maria

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?

Livin’ Good Currency Ep. 26: Saga Elmohtasen on the Numbers Game of Hollywood

By

Andy Corbley

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Dec 27, 2022

The Lesson: Numbers don’t speak untruths, and for a female minority in a bro-business like Hollywood movie production, they’re sexy that way. Saga Elmohtasen has produced hundred million dollar productions, but regardless of how successful she is, she doesn’t let it go to her head, remembering that it’s her roots and natural attitude that lead her to be successful.

Notable Excerpt: “I don’t take any of my work seriously, with all due respect, but I’m serious about my work. Do you see the dichotomy here? At the end of the day I’m a daughter, I’m a sister, I’m an auntie, I’m way more than a producer, and I don’t take any of it seriously but I’m so dang serious about the job. Being able to sever those two has been a lifesaver.”

The Guest: Saga Elmohtaseb is a seasoned Hollywood producer, consultant and professor. With a passion for film, Saga has worked on box office hits such as The Devil Wears Prada, A Good Year,Eragon, Just Go With It, Jack & Jill, and Iron Man 2.

Saga is the president of Hollywood-Consulting.com where she works closely with clients on productions from development to completion. She has been a professor at Chapman University’s Dodge School of Film & TV for over 6 years now and teaches film & TV.

The Podcast: Livin’ Good Currency explores the relationship of time to our lives. It focuses on learning how super-successful people align their purpose with their passions to do good for themselves and others daily, and features a co-host who knows better than anyone the value of time (see below). How do you want to spend your life? This hour can inspire you, along with upcoming guests, to be sure you are ‘Livin’ Good Currency’ and never get caught running out of time.

The Hosts: Good News Network fans will know Tony (Anthony) Samadani as the co-owner of GNN and its Chief of Strategic Partnerships. Co-host Tobias Tubbs was handed a double life sentence without the possibility of parole for a crime he didn’t commit. Behind bars, he used his own version of the Livin’ Good Currency formula to inspire young men in prison to turn their hours into honors. An expert in conflict resolution, spirituality, and philosophy, Tobias is a master gardener who employs ex-felons to grow their Good Currency by planting crops and feeding neighborhoods.

Episode Resources:

Saga Elmohtaseb | Instagram
Hollywood-Consulting | Website

Are you ready to start your health journey today? Go to viome.com/goodcurrency to get $50 off Viome’s Full Body Intelligence test or bundle, the most advanced at-home health test currently available to consumers. Use Promo Code:

Burial Cave Dedicated to Midwife of Jesus Reveals Treasures; Soon to Open to Public

By

Andy Corbley

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Dec 27, 2022

Israel Antiquities Authority’s Zvi Firer at the cave in Lachish dedicated to Jesus’s midwife, Salome.

Recent excavations in Israel will soon open to the public a tomb that’s venerated as the resting place of Jesus’s midwife, Salome.

Found in 1982 by antiquities robbers, excavations have always been ongoing, but recent breakthroughs have proved the site to be far more grandiose than previously expected, and much of the tomb will soon be open to pilgrims and tourists alike.

A mosaic-floored courtyard spanning 350 square meters (almost 4,000 square feet) counted chief among the latest finds, and it was decorated with soaring arches and intricate stone carvings.

The team from the Israeli Antiquities Authority also found what appears to be a merchant’s stall for selling small oil lamps to pilgrims—the kinds that archaeologists have dug up by the dozens inside the tomb, and that would have lighted their penitent footsteps in the dark interior.

The earliest chamber dates to the Second Temple Period, between 500 BCE and 70 CE.

“According to a Christian tradition, Salome was the midwife from Bethlehem, who was called to participate in the birth of Jesus,” said IAA archaeologist Zvi Firer.

MORE ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS: Historians Stunned: Uzbekistan Nomads Supplied a Third of the Bronze Used Across Ancient Mediterranean

“She could not believe that she was asked to deliver a virgin’s baby, and her hand became dry and was only healed when she held the baby’s cradle.”

The outermost rooms of the tomb date to the Byzantine period, or between 300 to 600 CE, making it a little avant-garde for Salome’s time, but Firer has a theory.

In the tomb’s excavations which turned up relics as recently as last Tuesday, stone funerary boxes called ossuaries were uncovered in the older chambers, which Firer believe could have had the name Salome or “Schlomitt” on them, which fooled the early Christian pilgrims into believing it was the midwife of legend.

CHECK OUT: Ancient Grammatical Puzzle That Has Baffled Scientists for 2,500 Years Solved by Cambridge University Student

These were common names for Jewish people living in the area during the Second Temple Period.

However there are some inscriptions in Greek that seem to dedicate the whole complex to “Holy Salome” so perhaps there’s more to the legend after all.

The site, located in the Lachish region in central Israel, is soon to be part of a 60 mile tourist trail running along the historic spine of Israeli history, a sort of Valley of the Kings, but for the Jews rather than the Pharaohs.

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Ginger Cat is Local Star for Stealing Hundreds of Toys and Presenting Them Sweetly to Neighbors

Bride Has ‘Slowest Walk Down the Aisle’ as Her Ring Bearer Pet Tortoise Steals the Limelight on Her Big Day

A Pod of Whales Adopted a Young Stray Narwhal – and They May Have Little ‘Narwhales’

Sloth Is Friends With Zookeeper and Won’t Get Out of Bed Until They’ve Had Morning Cuddles

Rare ‘Dinosaur Bird’ Patiently Awaits a Lifelong Mate to Populate the Magnificent Species

Eagle Decides He Wants the Hawk For a Sibling, Rather than a Meal – WATCH

Family Left Stunned When Their Dog Escaped–Only to Return Later With a Ribbon From a Dog Show

Amazing Spectacle as Rare White Risso’s Dolphin Leaps Above the Water For Photographer – LOOK

Owl Visits 98-Year-old Grandma Every Week–And Family Believes it’s a Sign From Her Late Husband–WATCH

Magnificent Picture of Ape ​​Cuddling Another Species is Finalist in Wildlife Photographer of the Year – SEE Photos

Cat Who Sneaks into School Gets His Class Photo Taken – And Portrait Packet is Sent Home to Mom

World Record Giant Sunfish is Heaviest Fish Ever Weighed–at 6,000 Pounds–and a ‘Sign of Hope’

Magnificent Picture of Ape Cuddling Another Species is Finalist in Wildlife Photographer of the Year – SEE Photos