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Man Who Spent his Life Helping Disabled People Find a Home Has Won a £2.5million Country House in a Raffle

By
Andy Corbley
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- SWNS
– SWNS

A man who has spent years helping disabled people find homes has won a £2.5million country house in a raffle.

Grant Carson scooped up the five-bedroom farmhouse complete with eight acres of the Lake District after entering the Omaze Million Pound House Draw.

The 58-year-old windower said that he can now get a dog, which was what he always wanted, but was always out of the question due to chronic arthritis he has had since he was seven.

The new home is surrounded by such “idyllic countryside” and he can “definitely afford a dog walker,” because along with the house he was also given £100,000 in cash.

The house raffle was organized by Omaze, a charity raffle that lets people support a good cause with the hopes to win a prize, such as a guitar played by Jimi Hendrix, or lunch with George Clooney, or in this case a house.

Carson worked at the same Glasgow charity for 27 years helping disabled people with all aspects of life, and had never won anything before. He was understandably stunned when the Omaze team surprised him at his three-bedroom home in Glasgow.

– SWNS

”It’s not your average Friday night that someone comes to your door and tells you that you’ve won a £2,500,000 house,” said Carson. “I might be one of the luckiest men in Scotland.”

SIMILAR: TikTok Video Raises $100,000 to Allow an 82-Year-Old Walmart Employee to Retire

He recently decided to embark on a new career path as a freelance consultant.

“I’ve just left my old job helping disabled people across Glasgow, which I had done for 27 years, but this win has given me a financial security I’d never dreamed of, which means I can focus on my new venture helping organizations to meet the needs of disabled customers with a lot less pressure.”

Carson is not compelled to live in or keep the house. He can either move in, rent it, or sell it.

If he does decide to rent it out, local real estate agents estimate the property could yield more than £5,000 a month from rentals.

“I love the Lake District, it’s one of the most beautiful places in the country, I’m still pinching myself that I actually own a house here,” said Carson. “I’m not sure what I’ll do long-term yet, but I’m going to move in for a while and enjoy it.”

On that note, the 18th century house is surrounded by stunning scenery, with a tree-lined garden and wild hay meadows surrounded by rolling green hills. It boasts a standalone guest suite with vaulted ceilings and its own kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and living space.

READ MORE: One Man’s Crazy Idea For Michigan Town Lands Them As Finalist in ‘Nicest Places in America’ Contest

The Omaze drawing was held to raise money for Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity. Together, the raffle raised £850,000, about $1 million.

“We’re so grateful to everyone who entered,” said Owen Sharp, chief executive of Dogs Trust. “The money raised will go towards our vital ongoing work to take care of dogs and find them their forever homes—which at the moment, sadly, so many are in need of.”

“Having worked at a charity for so long, I know first-hand how important it is to raise money, I think these Omaze draws are fantastic for the charitable sector,” Carson said.

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‘Wearable Muscles’ Restore Mobility in Those Who Have Trouble Moving Their Arms

By
Andy Corbley
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The Myoshirt ©Florian Haufe, ETH Zurich
The Myoshirt ©Florian Haufe, ETH Zurich

A pioneering set of “wearable muscles” with a profile similar to a shoulder sling could increase mobility and strength in the arms of people who have lost it.

As algorithmic intelligence advances, more and more engineers are attempting to design different prosthetics to replace lost mobility, but many are large, bulky, complicated, or extremely expensive.

Michael Hagmann has a rare form of muscular dystrophy called Bethlem myopathy, but his muscular output was increased 61% thanks to a kind of exo-tendon called “Myoshirt” which learns the movements Hagmann wants to make before raising and lowering a cable similar to a human tendon in order to apply mechanical advantage to his actions.

“Although hospitals have numerous good therapy devices, they are often very expensive and unwieldy,” said Marie Georgarakis, a former doctoral student at the Swiss Federal Institute for Technology’s Sensory Motor Systems Lab in Zurich.

“And there are few technical aids that patients can use directly in their everyday lives and draw on for assistance in performing exercises at home. We want to close this gap.”

The Myoshirt is a soft, wearable exomuscle for the arms and shoulders; a kind of vest with cuffs for the upper arms accompanied by a small box containing all the technology that is not used directly on the body.

CHECK OUT: Bionic Leg Wrap Uses AI to Correct Walking Patterns For Cerebral Palsy, MS, and Stroke Patients

Smart algorithms detect the user’s movements and the assistance remains always in tune with them. The mechanical movements can be tailored to their individual preferences, and the user is always in control and can override the device at any time.

In an alpha-stage test, 12 people including Hagmann and another with a spinal cord injury, performed arm strength tests wearing the Myoshirt. In the 10 who had no mobility issues, Georgarakis et al. found that “onset of muscle fatigue” was delayed by 51 seconds compared to an unsupported arm.

READ MORE LIKE THIS: Revolutionary Jab that Could Repair Spinal Cord Injuries Developed by Scientists

Hagmann experienced a 254 second-delay in the onset of fatigue doing unloaded arm lifts, and the participant with the injured spinal column was able to lift his arms repeatedly for nearly 7-and-a-half minutes more than without the Myoshirt.

At the moment the box containing the motor and computer parts weighs close to 9 pounds, so the team’s first priority is to develop a full prototype with an even more discreet profile to allow people to use it in day to day life as often as possible.

WATCH how effortlessly it works…

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Bus Stops in Scotland Go Green – With Roofs Covered in Plants as a Gift For Honeybees

By
Andy Corbley
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Credit - Aberdeenshire Council
credit – Aberdeenshire Council

Dozens of bus stops around the city center of Aberdeen, Scotland, are set for a renovation to turn them into “Bee Bus Stops.”

Covered in sedum, a flowering plant also known as stonecrop, they will hopefully encourage biodiversity, keep shelters cooler in summer, and absorb pollutants.

Described as “quite miserable places” in December by council member Kairin Van Sweeden, this new update put’s Scottish heritage as triumphant innovators at the forefront of public transit.

At present the conversion is limited to a test run of 9 stops, but the city could soon make it a blanket policy for all new bus stops, and require the re-fitting of old ones. City planners hope they can draft volunteer programs to water and care for the plants atop the stops as means to encourage a sort of community spirit amid the Union Street area.

They could look like a pilot program in the county of Aberdeenshire, where a Park & Ride has been given a green makeover including a sedum-planted roof, solar panels, and the latest energy-saving LED light displays.

The Ellon Park & Ride features “Papercast” displays, an electrified piece of paper that costs no energy to display an image, making them the lowest-consuming piece of electronic signage on Earth.

RELATED: 316 Dutch Bus Stops Are Getting Green Roofs Covered in Plants For Bees

The station features three different bus shelters, all outfitted with sedum roofs and Papercast travel displays.

Cities elsewhere in Europe have already switched over to bee-friendly bus stops, for example in Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Bus stops might be small, but they can easily be changed from having ab environmental footprint, into a collective network of zero-impact city infrastructure.

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World’s Largest Prehistoric Flower Preserved in Amber is Stunning Reminder of Nature’s Wonder –LOOK

By
Andy Corbley
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The world’s largest flower encased in amber has recently been re-examined by scientists who discovered it was producing pollen at the exact same time it was covered in the tree resin which forms amber.

This remarkably lucky discovery allowed the scientists to study the pollen grains and assign the ancient flower to its still-living cousins.

Amber is like a time capsule. It famously preserves plants and insects visible over millions of years in incredible detail. Plant inclusions in amber are rare but very valuable for research. They make it possible to reconstruct the vegetation in different phases of the Earth’s history and to draw conclusions about the flora of the amber-producing forests.

One of the largest deposits in the world is in Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, where Baltic amber for jewelry is mined, 90% of the world’s total supply. Hundreds of metric tonnes are mined there every year, and the forests may have created 100,000 tonnes of this miraculous resin.

Discovered almost 150 years ago, a 1.1 inch-long flower encased in amber was assigned as the Stewartia genus, known colloquially as camellia flowers, and then sheleved.
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Now, Eva-Maria Sadowski from the Museum of Natural History Berlin and Dr. Christa-Charlotte Hofmann from the University of Vienna, examined this fossil from the collection of the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources for the first time since its discovery.

They found that numerous pollen grains that had escaped from the stamens of the enclosed flower.

It was thought the flower inclusion was related to the modern day camellia flower, like this Stewartia pseudocamellia – CC 3.0. Reggaeman

“It is very unusual to find such a large blossom in amber, which, moreover, releases its pollen exactly at the time of embedding in the resin,” Dr. Sadowski said in a translated press release. The pollen was scraped out with a scalpel for examination under the scanning electron microscope.

“Only under extremely high magnification can morphological details be recognized on the pollen grains, which are only a few micrometers in size,” adds Dr. Hofmann.

MORE PREHISTORIC NEWS: Spectacular Fossils Discovered from Prehistoric Rainforest Reveal Intimate Details From 11 Million Years Ago

Based on the pollen and some flower characteristics, the researchers were able to assign the fossil to the Asian representative of the genus Symplocos from the Symplocaceae family. Also known as “sweetleaf” in English-speaking countries, this family includes shrubs and small trees.

It is the first find of this plant genus from Baltic amber, but Symplocos was not alone in the Baltic amber forest at the time. Around 34 to 38 million years ago, it housed numerous other plants whose descendants are now only found thousands of miles away in East and Southeast Asia.

Symplocos tinctoria – CC 4.0. Eric Hunt

At that time it was even warmer and rainier in Europe than today, so that many representatives of the beech family, like false chestnuts, (Castanopsis) and conifers like the cedar Cryptomeria which today is endemic only in Japan and China, could feel at home.

Together they formed a diverse ecosystem consisting of coastal swamps, bogs, and mixed forests.

RELATED: Ginkgo Trees Were Going Extinct on Their Own; Then Humans Saved These ‘Living Fossils’ So Now They’re Everywhere

“Our new findings about this uniquely beautiful flower inclusion are an additional piece of the puzzle that will help us to further decode the flora of the Baltic Amber Forest and thus to draw conclusions about the climate of past times,” said Dr. Sadowski. “Only with such insights can we gain deeper insights into the forests of the earth’s history and understand their change over time.”

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“The voice within is what I’m married to… where an honest yes and no comes from.” – Byron Katie

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “The voice within is what I’m married to… where an honest yes and no comes from.” – Byron Katie

Photo by: Jaime Dantas

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?

Planned Resort Boasts Tents Suspended in the Air Surrounded by Gorgeous Mountains

By
Andy Corbley
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Floating Retreat – By Ardh Architect (via SWNS)
Floating Retreat – By Ardh Architect (via SWNS)

In the UAE’s Sharjah Mountains, a concept resort spans a vast mountain gully with floating tents hanging in the air.

The ultimate in mountain “glamping,” the so-called Floating Retreat is the brainchild of Dubai-based design studio Ardh Architect, who were tasked to investigate a new kind of hospitality that blended environmental awareness and appreciation for nature with modern comfort.

The images, while striking, create a whorl of questions, not least of which involve safety.

The idea that the pods are actual tents creates the confusion. Essentially the ten luxury hotel rooms designed with state-of-the-art fabric walls, sit docked to a large bridge spanning the gully between two mountain peaks.

Visitors check in at a reception desk at the bottom of the mountain before presumably taking an elevator to the bridge level. Once inside, the tent/room can be raised and lowered according to the guests’ desires.

MORE LEISURE NEWS: World’s Biggest Treehouse Resort Opening Near U.S. National Park is Gorgeous –LOOK

“The Floating Retreat project has several key values at its core,” writes Ardh. “One of the main goals of the project is to re-energize the local community through tourism, by providing a space for people to connect with the natural beauty of the region and to learn about its rich culture and heritage.”

Concept images show people along the deck connected to a series of harnesses to prevent them from falling off the railingless edge.

Floating Retreat – By Ardh Architect (via SWNS)
Floating Retreat – By Ardh Architect (via SWNS)

The tents are designed with privacy in mind and can be positioned in various configurations to prevent overlap or proximity to other tents. The side fabric of the tents is made of a blur fabric, while the front of the tent is made of clear material to provide uninterrupted views.

There are several layout options available, including configurations that are suitable for business retreats or yoga sessions, and others that are suitable for spiritual or psychedelic retreats. The layouts can be chosen to suit the specific needs and preferences of the guests.

RELATED: 30 Years of Research Shows Sauna Bathing is Game-Changer for Longevity and Heart Disease

“Individual tents/pods of the floating retreat are designed to bring luxury and comfort to those who cannot participate in mountain climbing or other adrenaline-filled outdoor activities,” said Ardh.

Amenities such as guided tours in the area, a 5-star spa facility at the top of one of the mountains, and a restaurant at the foot, are all planned for as well.

SHARE These Spectacular Mountain Vistas With Your Friends….

Most Distant Stars in Milky Way Detected by Astronomers

By
Andy Corbley
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NASA, ESA, and A. Feild
NASA, ESA, and A. Feild

Astronomers have identified 208 different stars just under 1 million light years from the center of the Milky Way, placing a pretty convincing stellar road sign for the end of our home galaxy.

With the reveal photos of the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomy headlines tend to involve the universe at large, but studying our own galaxy not only helps to inform the structure of other galaxies in the universe, but also features in our own cosmic neighborhood.

Called RR Lyrae stars, the 208 most distant stars were actually found in the residual data of a ground-based telescope survey of a cluster of galaxies beyond the Milky Way.

The Milky Way consists of a “bulge”—the galactic center, around which can be found the thin spiral-arm disk where our own solar system resides, followed by the inner and outer “halo” a region that’s typified by large amounts of dark matter and less information than the inner regions.

Our disk is about 100,000 light years across, but the outer halo extends in every direction for hundreds of thousands of light years. In this region the stars were found “beating” like hearts in the darkness due to their unique characteristics.

“The way their brightness varies looks like an EKG—they’re like the heartbeats of the galaxy—so the brightness goes up quickly and comes down slowly, and the cycle repeats perfectly with this very characteristic shape,” said Raja GuhaThakurta, professor and chair of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz.

“In addition, if you measure their average brightness, it is the same from star to star. This combination is fantastic for studying the structure of the galaxy.”

RELATED: Scientists May Have Detected the ‘Hum’ of the Universe That Could Change Astronomy Forever

The RR Lyrae stars are very old stars in the galaxy, and placing 208 of them in the outer reaches of the halo will make for an excellent data point for astronomers studying the formation of the Milky Way.

Astronomers measure galactic distance in kiloparsecs; each one representing 3,260 light years. Some of the farthest RR Lyrae stars identified were 320 kiloparsecs from the bulge, or around 1.04 million light years, with that decimal figure representing a fair expansion of the previous estimations on the outer reaches of the outer halo.

It’s around 2.5 million light years to the nearest neighboring galaxy of Andromeda.

MORE ASTRONOMY NEWS: A Star Nursery That Fuels the Formation of New Stars is Seen by VISTA Telescope in Chile

“This study is redefining what constitutes the outer limits of our galaxy,” said GuhaThakurta. “Our galaxy and Andromeda are both so big, there’s hardly any space between the two galaxies.”

BLAST OFF This Interstellar News To Your Friends… 

Thousand-Year-Old Viking Hall Fit for the Gods Unearthed By Archaeologists in Denmark

By
Andy Corbley
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- Nordjskye Museer
– Nordjskye Museer

Archaeologists working in Denmark’s Jutland peninsula have discovered the foundation and remains of a great hall from the high Viking Age.

Structural features and remains date to between the late-9th to 11th century, but mostly from the era of Denmark’s king Harald Blåtand Gormsson, known colloquially as Harald “Bluetooth” from which the modern technology derives its name.

The archaeologists from the Historical Museum of Northern Jutland have little doubt that the hall would have played a monumental role in day-to-day life. It would have almost certainly been a political seat, as well as the center of get-togethers for all manner of reasons.

“This is the largest Viking Age find of this nature in more than ten years, and we have not seen anything like it before here in North Jutland, even though it has only been partially excavated,” archaeologist and excavation leader Thomas Rune Knudsen said in a statement.

“We only had the opportunity to excavate part of the hall, but there are probably several houses hidden under the mulch to the east. A hall building of this nature rarely stands alone.”

In its design, the long hall is reminiscent of the houses found at Harald Blåtand’s ring castles, which include Fyrkat at Hobro and Aggersborg at Aggersund. It is around 130 feet (40 meters) long and 32 feet (8-10 meters) long. Ten or possibly twelve rectangular oak posts would have securely held up the roof.

SIMILAR: 2 Viking Swords Buried Upright May Have Been a Guide to Odin and Valhalla – Discovered By Road Crew

The excavators noted that a lot more needs to be done to truly understand the place of this hall in the times of history in which it was erected, but a nearby runestone may offer a clue as to its former chieftain.

A wealthy landowner named Runulv den Rådsnilde is memorialized in a carved standing stone near to the site, and while it’s difficult to prove the hall belonged to him, “it’s certainly a possibility,” said the team.

MORE VIKING NEWS: Viking Age Shipyard Uncovered at Birka is Like Nothing Ever Found Before

It’s common even in journalism to call everything from the late 8th to 11th century from Scandinavia “Viking,” but Nordic writers closest to the time of the Viking Age used the word as an adverb—as in “he went that summer to go Viking in Northern France.”

In other words, it wasn’t a person, warrior, or profession, but more like a seasonal activity, and the word included all kinds of behavior such as raiding, trading, enslaving, or elisting as foreign mercenaries.

SHARE This Exciting Discovery With Your Viking-Loving Friends… 

TikTok Video Raises $100,000 to Allow an 82-Year-Old Walmart Employee to Retire

By
Andy Corbley
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Warren Marion and Rory McCarty
Warren Marion (left) – courtesy of Rory McCarty (right)

Rory McCarty was shocked to find an 82-year-old Navy veteran and widower still “grinding” out 8-9 hour shifts at a Walmart. He realized at that moment he could put his social media influence towards a good cause.

Helping raise $108,000 in just a few days, McCarty gave it all to help the man finally retire.

Warren Marion walked into Walmart in Cumberland, Maryland, for the final time last week after having handed in a two-week notice. He was greeted with cheers, balloons, and a large check for $108,000.

McCarty runs an extermination business called Bug Boys, and in a true 21st century story, managed to amass a TikTok following of 300,000 by showing videos of creepy crawlies he finds during work.

“As a business owner … I was astounded seeing this little older man still grinding. Working eight to nine hour shifts,” Mr McCarty said on the GoFundMe page he set up on December 19th to help fund Marion’s retirement.

“I wanted to help this Navy Veteran to live the remainder of his years traveling to see his kids in Florida. Get him off his feet for 8 hrs at a time. And do the things he would love to do that he may not be able to for financial reasons.”

MORE SOCIAL MEDIA KINDNESS: Rags-to-Riches Story Sees Human Compassion and Social Media Turn Homeless Painter into LA’s Next Big Artist

A video he posted of them both in December has been viewed over three million times, and the GoFundMe met its goal within a few days.

It’s actually the third Walmart employee that TikTok users have managed to coax into retirement, and Marion is the second 82-year-old to receive the generosity of this particular social media platform.

An elderly woman named Nola was filmed on break at another WalMart by TikTok user Devon Bonagura, who managed to raise a whopping $175,000 for her retirement.

KEEP The Social Media Love Flowing And Share This Story With Your Friends…

“There is one path in the world that none can walk but you. Don’t ask where it leads…walk!” – Friedrich Nietzsche

By
Good News Network
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Credit: Lili Popper

Quote of the Day: “There is one path in the world that none can walk but you. Don’t ask where it leads…walk!” – Friedrich Nietzsche

Photo by: Lili Popper

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?

Genius UK Business Uses Christmas Trees to Protect the Region From Flooding

By
Andy Corbley
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Rooted Christmas tree rental
Rooted Christmas tree rental

In an effort to combat flooding, a Yorkshire woman realized that thousands of wasted Christmas trees every year could be used as natural flood protection, and started a unique business to do just that.

The Rooted Christmas tree rental delivers a potted Christmas fir, pine, or spruce to a family for the festive season. When the lights are taken down, the company then collects their rentals and replants them to enjoy another growing season.

When the trees get too tall, they are placed on the slopes of the nearby Calder Valley as natural floodwater breaks.

The Sunday Times reports that the towns of Mytholmroyd and Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire have been inundated by serious floods 4 times in the last 15 years, with the most-recent one causing $180 million (£150 million) in damages.

Rooted founder Sara Tomkins established a Christmas tree plantation in the spring of 2020 with 400 trees. Dozens of those original 400 have now become too large for the average living room, and have been hauled off for planting in the upper parts of the Calder Valley to stop floodwaters running down into the two towns below.

What started as a sustainability project turned into a flourishing commercial enterprise. When residents learned how their Christmas tree purchases could be used to protect their towns from floods and reduce waste from rotting trees, all of Tomkins’ original trees were rented out.

According to Tomkins, people pretend the trees are members of the family, and like to rent the same one over and over again to “watch them grow up with their kids.”

“It’s like people adopt them,” she says. “They become part of the family. I’ve got a couple of people already asking if they can have the same tree again in 2023 and I’m trying to gently break it to them that it’s going to be nine foot by then so it won’t fit in their house.”

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Tomkins feels that demand might be 3x her current supply, but as a music venue director, she does the job only in her off hours.

“I do this in my spare time so I don’t have the capacity or the physical space to make it any bigger,” she told The Times. “But the demand being there is such a positive thing because, if we can reduce how many Christmas trees we cut down, that is a massive environmental win.”

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Marine Archaeologists Recover Nearly 300 Artifacts from Finest Preserved Wooden Shipwreck

By
Andy Corbley
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Parks Canada divers explor HMS Erebus Credit: Marc-André Bernier, Parks Canada
Parks Canada divers explore HMS Erebus Credit: Marc-André Bernier, Parks Canada

8 years after Arctic researchers discovered the lost wreck of HMS Erebus, the team has finally been able to see it with their own eyes and recover hundreds of artifacts from its ill-fated search for the Northwest Passage.

Setting sail from Great Britain in 1845 and captained by the famed polar explorer Sir John Franklin, HMS Erebus is in pristine condition under the ice off King Williams Island in Nunavut, Canada’s northernmost territory.

Franklin’s voyage was accompanied by the HMS Terror, found nearby two years after Erebus. They were abandoned in heavy sea ice with all 129 souls lost in what was the worst disaster in the history of the British Navy’s polar exploration.

In September 2022, archaeological research operations and excavation resumed at HMS Erebus based from the RV David Thompson and support barge Qiniqtirjuaq, just one aspect of a large assistance operation from the local Inuit people. The team completed 56 individual dives over the course of 11 days, reports Parks Canada.

Among the artifacts pulled from what Canadian Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said were “some of the best-preserved wooden wrecks in the world,” were a drafting table tool set, serving dishes, an embossed leather billfold, a toothbrush, lieutenant’s epaulets, and an eyeglass lens, among dozens of other items.

Archaeologists used a remotely operated vehicle called Deep Trekker to explore the HMS Erebus site. Aimie Néron / Parks Canada

The two wrecks are considered National Historic Sites, and they are jointly-protected and managed by Parks Canada and the Inuit Heritage Trust.

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

HMS Erebus is in shallower water, and easier to study. It’s been designated the more important of the two wrecks considering it was the flagship, but expeditions via unmanned submersible in 2016 on HMS Terror turned up important information on what might have happened.

The Guardian, reporting at the time, quoted Adrian Schimnowski, the Arctic Research Foundation’s operations director as saying that the Terror was sitting pretty level on the seafloor, suggesting her fate was gentle and not sudden or jarring. A long rope was discovered running through a hole in the gunwales, suggesting an anchor may have been weighed at the time the ship went down.

MORE SHIPWRECKS: Priceless Lost Jewels From Legendary Maravillas Shipwreck Are Finally Found in Bahamas

“This vessel looks like it was buttoned down tight for winter and it sank,” said Schimnowski at the time. “Everything was shut. Even the windows are still intact. If you could lift this boat out of the water, and pump the water out, it would probably float,” he said, adding that three of the four tall window panes of the captain’s cabin were still intact.

The Erebus was found to be a little worse for wear than it was in 2014. It’s thought that storms and reduced icepack coverage has led to more erosion. The team explored the second lieutenant’s quarters and the steward’s galley, and is currently exploring what it believes to be the third lieutenant’s quarters.

WATCH the 5-minute presentation of the excavation (skip to 1:50 to see the ship)

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4 Brothers Are Close to a World First, Nearing End of Epic 3000-Mile Row Across Atlantic–Raising 80k for Charity

By
Andy Corbley
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Four brothers consisting of two sets of twins are close to setting a world first by completing an epic 3000 miles row across the Atlantic Ocean. See SWNS story SWSMrowing. Adventurous siblings Jack and Hamish Friend, 26, and younger brothers Euan and Arthur Friend, 24, have already raised more than 80k for charities since setting off on their epic endurance challenge nearly a month ago. The foursome, from Tiverton, Devon, trained for the gruelling feat for 18 months ahead of their departure on December 12 from La Gomera, in the Canary Islands. And they are expected to finally complete the Talisker Atlantic Challenge race and arrive at their destination, Antigua, in the next week. Upon their arrival they will set a world first by becoming the first four brothers to row any of the world's great oceans.
– SWNS

In a few days time, four brothers will set a world record as the first rowing team made entirely of brothers to cross the whole of the Atlantic.

While many siblings find being stuck under one roof challenging, it’s a testament to their endurance that the four of them have shared two rowing benches and one tent-sized cabin for nearly 4 weeks.

The adventurous brothers are two sets of twins—26-year-olds Jack and Hamish Friend, and 24-year-olds Euan and Arthur Friend.

The foursome from Devon, England have already raised more than 80k for charities since setting off on their epic endurance challenge nearly a month ago.

Naming their team ‘The FriendShip,’ they trained for the grueling feat for a total of 18 months ahead of their departure on December 12th from La Gomera, in the Canary Islands.

And they are expected to finally complete the Talisker Atlantic Challenge race and arrive at their destination, Antigua, in the next week. The Talisker Challenge usually consists of 20-40 rowing teams, and the boys’ latest diary entry claims they were in 4th, but gaining fast on 3rd place-holders.

“There have been some massive highs and some pretty low moments over the past 26 days,” said Hamish in a video, reflecting on their progress on Friday. “High moments from just surfing down some massive waves (…) and these amazing starry skies and amazing sunrises and sunsets.

SIMILAR: Hero or Nuts, He Ran a Marathon Every Day in 2022–and Then Went to Work at His Job–Raising a Million for Charity

“Low moments such as being slapped in the face by a flying fish at two in the morning, to getting absolutely soaked by these Atlantic storms that come along. Sitting in your cabin all damp and wet trying to get to sleep.”

Indeed, Talisker describes the Atlantic Challenge thusly.

“Sleep deprivation, hallucinations, hunger and the ultimate test of body and mind will be balanced by sighting incredible marine life, witnessing the breaking of a new day and sun sets that cannot be viewed by land.”

The twins each complete 2-hour rowing sessions before rotating into the cabin for rest and recovery.

They consume around 6,000 calories a day of freeze-dried food and make their own drinking water from a solar-powered desalination unit.

The brothers are completing the challenge in aid of three local charities, and have so far raised a whopping £82,000 for the cause.

The charities are CHAT, a vital service for those struggling with housing issues in Mid Devon; the Drive Forward Foundation, which enables children and young people with experience of foster or residential care to achieve their full potential; and Friends of Kiwoko Hospital, a charity set up to support the work of the Kiwoko Hospital in Uganda.

MORE ATHLETICS STORIES: Why Senegal Winning Africa’s Biggest Sports Trophy is the Ultimate Feel-Good Story

Katie Humphreys, 22, is Euan’s girlfriend and has been keeping in regular contact to share their progress on social media.

“They are loving it,” she said. “I’m quite shocked—they don’t even want it to end.”

“They have loved being able to push themselves to their mental and physical limits. They have also raised over £80k for three fantastic charities and that’s what’s driving them to do the challenge.”

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Marine Veteran-Turned-Cop Tracks Down Stranded Man in Forest Who Nearly Died of the Cold

By
Andy Corbley
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New Jersey State Police - Facebook
New Jersey State Police – Facebook

A team of New Jersey police officers went “above and beyond” to rescue a stranded man who nearly died from the cold.

Tom McHugh was reported missing by his daughter on December 17th, 24-hours after she had last seen him—when he left for a ride in the mountains of rural Sussex County in his side-by-side.

A search was organized as temperatures were low and snow was on the ground. After finding McHugh’s tire tracks, his side-by-side was found crashed by the side of the trail in Stokes State Forest.

Troopers were able to follow his boot prints through the snow a mile-and-a-half to reach the man, who was alive but unconscious and suffering from hypothermia, a frightful condition that renders the limbs difficult to control, and seriously impairs thinking ability.

One trooper was an ex-marine, and used his training to raise the McHugh’s body temperature without fire or blankets.

“That’s what they teach us to do: life-saving skills in cold conditions,” said New Jersey State Trooper James Thonus. “Strip down, get on top of him, give him sternum rubs, body heat to body heat, whatever you can do to get [him warm].”

Body camera footage released records one trooper calling on another who had just finished running and had “excess body heat” to take turns laying on top of McHugh in the same way.

MORE RESCUE STORIES: Hero Honeymooners Rescue Sleeping Babies from Burning Nursery in Spain: ‘Instinct Took Over’

McHugh’s breathing improved, but the team were then forced to carry the 6-foot-2, 200-plus pound man all the way back to the vehicles through snow and mud.

McHugh made a full recovery.

“Because they found him so fast. They did what they had to. But they went above and beyond,” said McHugh’s daughter, who called them heroes.

WATCH the footage live… 

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“To hope is to give yourself to the future—and that commitment to the future is what makes the present inhabitable.” – Rebecca Solnit

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “To hope is to give yourself to the future—and that commitment to the future is what makes the present inhabitable.” – Rebecca Solnit

Photo by: Jorge Salvador

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Free Airfare to Anyone Looking to Adopt One of These Three Kittens

By
Andy Corbley
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- Las Vegas Animal Foundation
– Las Vegas Animal Foundation

Las Vegas Animal Foundation was delighted to learn that Frontier Airlines is offering free travel vouchers to anyone who adopts one of three newborn kittens the hospital just received.

The three kittens are just two weeks old, and their eyes aren’t fully open yet. They were found in the north of Las Vegas and were given the names Spirit, Delta, and Frontier, for unknown reasons.

Per pet parent, Frontier Airlines, who got word their name was being given to a tiny kitten, is offering two $250 vouchers totaling $500, which are redeemable until the end of the year. For those looking to adopt Frontier, Frontier Airlines is doubling that.

“We were delighted the rescue organization decided to name these three adorable kitties after airlines, including ours,” said Frontier in a statement emailed to CNN. “Underscoring the plight of animals is near and dear to us.”

“We were more than happy to provide a little extra incentive to encourage the adoption of these three precious kittens.”

The foundation said it’s rare to get a litter of kitties in December. At the moment they are living in a foster home until they are 6-weeks old or 1.5 pounds in weight, at which time they will be available for adoption.

FROM 2020: Chiefs Player Celebrates Super Bowl Win By Covering the Adoption Fees for 109 Shelter Animals

It’s been one of the worst years for passenger aviation in history, but not always for four-legged, finned, or fluffy passengers.

GNN reported back in September that when a passenger’s beta fish was denied boarding in Orlando, two Southwest Airlines employees offered to take care of it for 4 months until the guest came back to Florida.

Also in December, United Airlines employees applied by the dozen to adopt a black shepherd dog abandoned at SFO.

MORE ADOPTION NEWS: Students Write Adorable Letters on Behalf of Shelter Animals to Boost Adoptions – And it Worked

“Sometimes we deal with the craziest of situations,” United Director of Customer Service Vincent Passafiume said at the time. “This was probably one of the oddest we’ve ever dealt with and also one of the most challenging.”

“To be able to get the outcome that we did as a team and see that Polaris will go home to a family that will give him a good life is really a special moment for me.”

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Australia Cut Plastic Waste on Her Beaches by Nearly One-Third Over Just 6 Years

By
Andy Corbley
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By Sören Funk
By Sören Funk

A recently-completed scientific survey found that plastic on Australian beaches has fallen by 29% since the last survey in 2013.

The authors state it is a result of well-executed and locally focused waste control strategies, as well as an example of what Australians can do when they band together.

Organized by the Australian national science agency, this year’s survey included 562 new survey plots across 32 local government entities, with an emphasis on gathering data on which methods implemented by the local officials were the most successful.

“Our research set out to identify the local government approaches that have been most effective in reducing coastal plastics and identify the underlying behaviors that can lead to the greatest reduction in plastic pollution,” said lead researcher Dr. Kathryn Willis.

“We were really surprised and excited to also find that there was on average 29 per cent less plastic on our beaches than in 2013 when similar surveys were conducted.

The strategies were divided into planned behavior such as educational programs and recycling guides, economic strategies, crime prevention such as closer monitoring of illegal dumping and other such activities.

Economic strategies were found to have the biggest impact. More economic waste management strategies led to comparatively cleaner coastlines.

MORE AUSTRALIA NEWS: Australia Sets Aside 30% of Land Mass to Protect its Unique Species

“For example, household collection services, where there are multiple waste and recycling streams, makes it easier for community members to separate and discard their waste appropriately,” said CSIRO researcher and paper co-author, Dr. Denise Hardesty.

“Our research showed that increases in waste levies had the second largest effect on decreases in coastal plastic pollution. Local governments are moving away from a collect and dump mindset to a sort and improve approach.”

The research also found that municipalities that didn’t update their waste control measures over long periods tended to have dirtier coasts.

RELATED: Retired Banker Devotes His Millionaire Fortune to Restoring Protective Sand Dunes on Island Beaches

CSIRO has a mission to reduce plastic waste by 80%, towards which they are clearly on their way to achieving.

Near-Record Snowfall in California Mountains Might Reverse State’s Historic Drought

By
Andy Corbley
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Kenneth James / California Department of Water Resources

 

Kenneth James / California Department of Water Resources

Europe isn’t the only place that’s experiencing unusual winter weather. California’s snowfall in the mountains this year is nearly double the seasonal average, giving the drought-stricken state hope for a moist 2023.

Last Tuesday, the state performed its first formal snow survey up in the Sierra Nevadas. Currently it’s 174% of the historical average for this time of year. That’s the third-largest snowpack in the past 40 years, trailing only 1983 and 2011.

California has had 3 years of drought, and many reservoirs and lakes are showing it.

Heavy storms which dumped all the snow on the mountains also deposited floodwaters around the north of the state, which the LA Times reports is actually normal. Officials say that while the storm damage is of course unfortunate, several more storms will be needed to refill reservoirs.

“It could be a drought-buster of a year if things continue on a wet track,” Dan McEvoy, regional climatologist at Western Regional Climate Center in Reno, told the Times.

The Times continued with the good news. Southern CA is dependent on water flows from the north, but also from the Colorado River which flows partly into a seriously-depleted Lake Mead.

RELATED: California Begins Covering Canals with Solar Panels to Fight Drought

Colorado snows are also hitting high records, with the Upper Colorado River Basin snowpack now standing at 142% of the the last three decade median.

Experts say that if the wet season continues as is, there’s a chance it could reverse the last three years of drought. The next ‘major’ storm is due to arrive either tomorrow or Thursday.

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A Star Nursery That Fuels the Formation of New Stars is Seen by VISTA Telescope in Chile

By
Andy Corbley
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- ESO/VVVX
– ESO/VVVX

High in the Atacama Desert where the skies are clear, a 67-million-pixel camera imaged a far away star nursery in infrared light, revealing a level of detail that the James Webb Space Telescope would be proud of.

Astronomers working at the VISTA telescope in Chile zoomed in on the Sh2-54 Nebula, around 6,000 light years from Earth, and a region where clouds of dust and gas obscure normal camera imaging.

However like the aforementioned Webb telescope, VISTA sees into the infrared, meaning that it can effectively image the nebula as if that gas and dust weren’t even there.

MORE ASTRONOMY NEWS: Webb Telescope Captures Images That Move a NASA Scientist ‘to Tears’ – LOOK

The resulting picture twinkles with thousands of stars, most of which were obscured when imaged using the light from the stars themselves.

Located at the tail-end of the Serpens constellation, Sh2-54 was named after Stewart Sharpless, who cataloged over 300 nebulae during his lifetime.

SEE MORE: Stunning Image of Lobster Nebula Captured by Chilean Telescope

CNN compares the two images side by side to give readers a key understanding of the difference which infrared makes when shooting pictures of stars.

The images were gathered as part of a Milky Way nebulae survey called VISTA Variables.

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“My greatest beauty secret is being happy with myself.” – Tina Turner 

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “My greatest beauty secret is being happy with myself.” – Tina Turner 

Photo by: Surface

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

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