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Solar Company Gets Bright Idea to Cover Storage Facilities in Solar Panels—Brings Power to 1,400 Homes

By
Andy Corbley
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Solar landscape - released.
Solar landscape – released.

New Jersey’s largest community solar owner and operator had the bright idea to cover storage space with solar panels.

The project was seen through to its conclusion, and now an Extra Space Storage site in Neptune, NJ, boats a 6.5-megawatt (MW) community solar array totaling 800,000 square feet that will power over 1,400 nearby homes.

Solar Landscape, the solar operator, finished the project on August 1st, and it’s one of 10 sites owned by the company and the first completed one of 46 “community solar projects” approved by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) in year 2 of the Community Solar Energy Pilot Program.

“Partnering with Solar Landscape on this project aligns perfectly with our commitments to be good corporate citizens and to participate in environmental initiatives that are positive for our communities, customers, employees, and shareholders,” said McKall Morris, Senior Manager of Communications and Sustainability.

RELATED: Hundreds of Solar Farms Built Atop Closed Landfills Are Turning Brownfields into Green Fields

Community solar allows residents to subscribe to a nearby solar installation that is often hosted on a commercial property. The residents receive the electricity generated at a discounted rate, with extra savings for low-to-moderate income households.

NJBPU’s Community Solar Energy Pilot Program expands access to renewable energy for those who previously could not install solar panels for reasons such as high costs, lack of roof control, or a shaded property.

As part of the community solar program, Solar Landscape has partnered with dozens of schools, nonprofits and community organizations. Along with Sustainable Jersey City, an environmental education nonprofit, the company awarded $20,000 in scholarships to high school seniors Through its Community Sustainability Challenge scholarships.

READ ALSO: Delaware Will Install Free Solar Panels For Low-income Residents and Paying 70% For Moderate-incomes

“The promise of community solar in New Jersey has arrived, and it’s bringing guaranteed savings to residents at a time when many other costs are increasing,” said Solar Landscape CEO Shaun Keegan. “We’re proud to be partnering with Extra Space Storage on this project, which connects business leaders with the local community and saves residents money.”

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“If there is anything that links the human to the divine, it is the courage to stand by a principle when everybody else rejects it.” – Abraham Lincoln

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “If there is anything that links the human to the divine, it is the courage to stand by a principle when everybody else rejects it.” – Abraham Lincoln

Photo by: Jared Rice

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?

Ukraine Photo of Nesting Storks Returned Home Becomes a Symbol of Hope for Country

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Good News Network
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This picture from Ukraine of two stork eggs nested by its 'sacred' bird after thousands were killed by Russian bombs has become a 'symbol of hope' for the country. See SWNS story SWLSstork; The new nest comes as the species has repeatedly faced missiles and artillery strikes in the shell-shattered outskirts of Kyiv. Putin launched his invasion just as they were arriving to deliver their chicks - forcing some to abandon their young or nest elsewhere. But ten miles outside Kyiv in the shattered town of Moshchun images show one set of storks that have set up home among the ruins. Storks are a 'sacred' bird in Ukraine where they nest in the spring after wintering in Africa.
Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Birds / SWNS

This picture from Ukraine of a stalwart mother stork nesting her two chicks has become a ‘symbol of hope’ for the country.

The new nest was photographed on the outskirts of Kyiv—months after a violent invasion interrupted the normal arrival of the majestic species for annual mating here.

Storks are a ‘sacred’ bird in Ukraine, where they nest every spring after wintering in Africa.

Of the 224,000 storks that visit Europe every year, 16 percent build new nests or return to established ones in Ukraine, and raise chicks through the end of summer.

Some birds have begun to return to their usual nesting areas now, bringing hope to Ukrainians living with the aftermath of the Russian invasion.

Pictures of the nest were taken by the Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Birds. Their director, Oleg Dudkin, explained that the explosions, shelling, and roar of tanks frightened the storks away.

Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Birds / SWNS

However, these new images captured in the town of Moshchun, 10 miles from Kyiv, show the return of storks is underway—at least for this couple that set up a home.

WATCH: Eagle Decides He Wants This Hawk For a Sibling, Rather than a Meal

According to local tradition, storks are seen as a symbol for the arrival of spring, and as an age-old symbol of fertility. They also symbolize “a big harvest, as well as family happiness, procreation, cessation of conflicts and love for the homeland.”

“She has come to symbolize not merely a mother’s devotion to her young but also the great love and devotion of Ukrainians to their motherland and a readiness not to leave,” said Dudkin.

“The storks returned a few days after the Russian troops left the village and immediately began to rearrange their usual nesting place.”

“Storks will always be amulet birds for Ukrainians, strengthening the hope for peace and the inevitable victory of spring over winter and good over evil.”

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

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Switzerland’s Brilliant Plan For Underground Cargo Delivery Tunnels to Reduce Traffic is Now Underway

By
Andy Corbley
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Cargo Sous Terrain
Cargo Sous Terrain

The dream of a new and ambitious mode of freight transportation just took a big leap towards reality in Switzerland.

On August 1st, planning stages commenced to build an automated tunnel network that would ship cargo in shipping pods on a self-charging rail system.

Cargo Sous Terrain (CST), or ‘Underground Cargo,’ will begin with a 46-mile (70 kilometer) stretch between Zurich and a major logistics hub in Härkingen/Niederbipp. It could grow to as many as 310 miles of tunnels (500 km) connecting all the Swiss cantons.

Run on renewable energy, the project is estimated to be able to take 40% of all freight-bearing traffic off the roadways in a sustainable way that doesn’t involve clearing any land for additional roads. The electric pods would receive ongoing electric charges as they move along the induction rails.

A similar set of tracks would run on the tunnel ceilings for transporting baskets of smaller parcels.

SIMIALR: World’s First Electric Self-Propelled Container Ship Launches in Oslo to Replace 40K Diesel Truck Trips

The tunnels are designed to be around 20 feet in diameter, and the pods will be big enough for a pallet or two, with refrigerated ones to carry temperature-sensitive goods. At the terminals, large elevators will pull the pods and podlets out of the gloom and up into fulfilment centers. Dynamic tracks will prevent the elevator stations from jamming the railways of the system.

CST

Federalism is strong in the Swiss governmental structure, and each canton will deal with the project as they wish. However, in this time of rapid inflation across Europe, the Swiss have maintained their fiscal discipline and ruled out using public money for the project.

“No subsidies are being used in building the infrastructure and operating the tunnel,” parliament ruled.

Switzerland’s Federal Council has ruled out co-financing CST with public funds, but thanks to some new legislation from the Swiss government, the company has been armed with US$100 million in private investment that was sourced pre-emptively.

RELATED: Detroit Getting First Public EV-charging Road in the US to Power Electric Vehicles Wirelessly

The project seems very similar to various hyperloop ideas for American passenger transport, but if billions are to be spent, and the Swiss will have to find $35 billion in investment to finish the whole project by 2045, freight seems a much smarter use of underground rails since, to a certain degree, safety, comfort, and aesthetics won’t factor into the design.

So far, two other Swiss cantons in addition to Zurich—St. Gallen and Thurgau—have expressed interest and called it “economically feasible”.

WATCH The Concept Video From Cargo Sous Terrain

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First Effective Treatment for Back Pain Changes How Brain and Back Communicate

By
Andy Corbley
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Back Pain-CC Esther Max
Back Pain-CC Esther Max

The first effective treatment for back pain which changes how the brain and back communicate has been developed by scientists.

The 12-week course which focuses on the nervous system rather than pain killers and manipulation leaves twice as many people pain-free as conventional treatment.

The basic principle comes from a simple concept that sometimes mind can overcome matter, and since back pain has been the number one cause of the Global Disability Burden for the last 30 years, even it bears looking into.

Researchers say the system, called sensorimotor retraining, changes how people think about their body in pain, process sensations from their back and how they move their back as they go about daily lives.

People who did it said they were happier, their backs felt better and they reported having a better quality of life, and improvements were still felt a year later, even while most existing treatments for back pain do not help people for long.

The findings were published in the Journal of the American Medical association.

KEEP READING: Mindfulness Meditation Reduces Pain by Separating it From the Self

The main difference is that sensorimotor retraining sees back pain as a problem in the nervous system that can be changed, rather than a disc, bone or muscle problem.

The treatment is based on research that shows the nervous system of people who suffer from chronic back pain actually behaves in a different way to people who have had a recent injury to their lower back, and includes this education as part of the 12 weeks.

The team say that, because people are told their back is vulnerable and needs protecting, this changes the way the back and brain communicate so their back is given messages that it is vulnerable.

It becomes weaker in the process and the team hope their treatment can stop this self-fulfilling pattern by correcting two problems common in back pain: a hypersensitive pain system, and bad communication between the brain and back.

The authors say people can see their back and brain are not communicating well and slowly learn to train their brain and body to fix the problem.

Normally back therapies focus on fixing something in the back straight away—such as injecting a disc, loosening up joints or strengthening muscles.

SIMILAR: New Study Finds Reading Can Help With Chronic Pain

For the study, 276 people were split into two groups- one who did the therapy for 12 weeks and another who were given bogus therapies for the same amount of time, both of which were delivered by trained physiotherapists, exercise psychologists and other experts.

“If you compare the results to studies looking at opioid treatment versus placebo, the difference for that is less than one point out of 10 in pain intensity, and it is only short term and there is little improvement in disability,” said study author Professor James McAuley from the University of New South Wales.

“We see similar results for studies comparing manual therapy to sham (therapy) and exercise to sham (therapy).”

Their findings are similar to those published earlier this year in PAIN, which detailed a proposed mechanism whereby pain signals still move from the body to the brain, but the individual does not feel as much ownership over those pain sensations, so their pain and suffering are reduced.

“One of the central tenets of mindfulness is the principle that you are not your experiences,” said senior author of the PAIN paper, Fadel Zeidan, PhD, associate professor of anesthesiology at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

“You train yourself to experience thoughts and sensations without attaching your ego or sense of self to them, and we’re now finally seeing how this plays out in the brain during the experience of acute pain.”

It’s an exciting new line of inquiry into an age old problem.

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“It’s a sad day when you find out that it’s not accident or time or fortune, but just yourself that kept things from you.” – Lillian Hellman

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Quote of the Day: “It’s a sad day when you find out that it’s not accident or time or fortune, but just yourself that kept things from you.” – Lillian Hellman

Photo by: Tor Lindstrand, CC license

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This Hero Dog-Lover Keeps Seniors and Their Pets Together With ‘Peace of Mind’

By
Andy Corbley
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Carie Broecker, founder of Peace of Mind Dog Rescue.

A dog rescue program specialized to help the dogs of the elderly has allowed hundreds of dogs to stay with their owners who could no longer physically take care of them.

The program also takes in and finds homes for dogs who have to be put up for adoption in the case that an elderly person has to enter a care home or hospice.

This often heart-breaking, more often heart-fortifying work is done by Peace of Mind Dog Rescue, and has so far helped find new permanent homes and families for 3,000 dogs, each with their own little stories of life alongside a senior citizen.

The heart-brain-child of dog rescue worker Carie Broecker, Peace of Mind was started when a woman with impaired movements had needed Broecker to walk her dog Savannah, but eventually was forced to part with the canine entirely.

“I said I promise I will make sure that Savannah finds a good home,” Broecker said. “She was so relieved that I could make that promise to her.”

SIMILAR: Till Death Do Us Bark: Watch Inseparable Shelter Dogs Get Married in Adorable Ceremony

That was in 2009, and now Broecker runs a senior citizen dog walking service, a foster program to help return the idea of a family change into dogs’ minds, and a rescue shelter for elderly dogs and dogs from the elderly.

“It blows us away over and over again how somebody will fall in love with a silly-looking blind chihuahua with a tongue hanging out and all kinds of medical issues,” Broecker said.

Often the elderly dogs need vet care, paid for by donations, which you can make here.

Broecker says that elderly dogs, like elderly people, often get overlooked in society. She’s working to change that, and provide a safety net for owners who want to make sure their best friends find a home after they’re gone.

WATCH The CNN Heroes Video HERE And SHARE This Vital Work On Social Media.

Fourth Patient Seemingly Cured of HIV Through Wild Coincidence

By
Andy Corbley
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The media continues the one-handed count of patients that seem to be cured of HIV as a man who has lived with the disease since the 1980s has been in remission for 17 months.

The story is always the same—they ‘seem’ to be cured, and they get a cool nickname—in this case the “City of Hope Patient,” after Duarte, California, where he was treated.

The difference in this case was the treatment—a bone marrow transplant to treat blood cancer leukemia from a donor who was naturally resistant to the virus.

The most remarkable difference however, is that he is only patient cured of HIV “by coincidence.”

The man had developed leukemia, and took the bone marrow transplant for that reason. As it happened, the donor was resistant to HIV, and taught the man’s body to create an immune response against the virus.

RELATED: World’s Second Person Cured of HIV: 40-Year-old Man is Confirmed to Be 30 Months Virus-Free

This is also the first one who got it during the epidemic of HIV/AIDS that took so many lives.

“When I was diagnosed with HIV in 1988, like many others, I thought it was a death sentence,” said the City of Hope Patient. “I never thought I would live to see the day that I no longer have HIV.”

SIMILAR: Two Patients Make History After Essentially Being Cured of HIV Using Stem Cell Transplant

So far, only three people have been seemingly cured of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) which weakens the body’s immune system and leads to the more severe AIDS (autoimmune deficiency syndrome) which can be lethal.

The man no longer takes antiretroviral drugs, the only treatment for HIV. A bone marrow transplant is not a likely future cure, do to it being a tricky and side-effectual procedure.

Nevertheless, all cure cases have been those where a patient is given a transplant of some kind, mostly stem cells, that contain the very rarely occurring natural immunity to the virus.

The case was reported at the AIDS 2022 conference in Montreal, Canada.

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‘Transformational’ Therapy Seems to Be a Cure For Hemophilia

By
Andy Corbley
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Elliott Mason received the treatment which is allowing him to do things without constant worry - released. Retrieved from the BBC
Elliott Mason received the treatment which is allowing him to do things without constant worry – released. Retrieved from the BBC

A transformational therapy is changing the lives of patients with hemophilia B.

Hemophilia is a mostly inherited genetic disorder that impairs the body’s ability to make blood clots, which naturally slows bleeding.

British doctors are giving patients a dead virus that’s been re-engineered to produce a protein known as factor IX, which is the vital missing component in hemophiliacs.

Without it, they’re liable to bleed continuously from wounds—the most dangerous of which are internal as they can’t bandaged. This means many children and adults alike are “wrapped up in cotton wool” as the Brits say, for their whole lives.

Elliot Mason was recently part of a trial group for the treatment, which he received as a one-off through a slow, one hour IV drip. It took his naturally-made levels of factor IX from around 1%, up to those of a non-hemophiliac.

SIMILAR: Simple Breakthrough Skin Treatment For ‘Butterfly Children’ is Pending FDA Approval After Excellent Trial Results

Mason was one of ten patients who received the treatment, nine of whom began producing their own factor IX such that no exogenous factor IX injections, a common treatment, were necessary.

“I’ve not had any treatment since I had my therapy, it’s all a miracle really, well it’s science, but it feels quite miraculous to me,” Mason told the BBC.

Many questions about the future of the treatment, such as how much it will cost and at what age it can become available, remain unanswered.

“If they are shown to be safe and effective, NICE [National Institute for Health and Care Excellence] and the NHS must work together to make these innovative treatments available,” stated Clive Smith, chairman of the Hemophilia Society, UK.

Engineer This Story To Go Viral On Social Media…

Smartphones ‘Can Boost Memory Skills’ by Freeing Up Our Brains to Remember Other Things

By
Andy Corbley
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Far from being dumb or making us dumb, the use of smartphones can actually boost people’s memory skills, according to a new study.

Scientists say that rather than making us lazy or forgetful, the digital devices provide a valuable service of storing very important information of a low complexity, which frees up our brains to remember other things.

The University College London team say using a phone as an external memory not only helps people remember what’s stored in the phone, it helps them remember unsaved information too.

Neuroscientists have previously been worried that using too much technology could reduce our brain function.

SIMILAR: First Time Someone With Cut Spinal Cord is Able to Walk Freely, Thanks to New Swiss Technology

For the study, the team developed a memory task to be played on a touchscreen digital tablet or computer. The test was taken by 158 people aged 18 to 71.

“We wanted to explore how storing information in a digital device could influence memory abilities,” lead author Dr. Sam Gilbert said. “We found that when people were allowed to use an external memory, the device helped them to remember the information they had saved into it.”

Participants were shown up to 12 numbered circles on the screen, and had to remember to drag some of these to the left and some to the right. The number of circles that they remembered to drag to the correct side determined their pay at the end of the experiment.

RELATED: New Transistor Could Cut 5% of World’s Digital Energy Use While Upgrading Memory Capacity

One side was designated ‘high value’, meaning that remembering to drag a circle to this side was worth 10 times as much money as remembering to drag a circle to the other ‘low value’ side.

They had to use their own memory on half of the trials and they were allowed to set reminders on the gadget for the other half, before performing this task 16 times.

Results published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology showed participants tended to use the digital devices to store the details of the high-value circles. When they did so, their memory for those circles was improved by 18%.

Their memory for low-value circles was also improved by 27%, even in people who had never set any reminders for low-value circles.

The results also unearthed a potential cost to using reminders. When they were taken away, the participants remembered the low-value circles better than the high-value ones, showing that they had entrusted the high-value circles to their devices and then forgotten about them.

READ ALSO: Girl Scouts Help Seniors Learn to Use Their Cell Phones, Setting up a Free Clinic

“This was hardly surprising, but we also found that the device improved people’s memory for unsaved information as well,” said Dr. Gilbert. “This was because using the device shifted the way that people used their memory to store high-importance versus low-importance information.”

“When people had to remember by themselves, they used their memory capacity to remember the most important information,” he added. “When they could use the device, they saved high-importance information into the device and used their own memory for less important information instead.”

He also warned of the necessity of backing up important information in case the device stops working.

REMIND Your Friends To Feel Better About Their Smartphones…

“The greatest challenge of the day is: how to bring about a revolution of the heart, which has to start with each one of us.” – Dorothy Day

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Good News Network
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By engin akyurt

Quote of the Day: “The greatest challenge of the day is: how to bring about a revolution of the heart, which has to start with each one of us.” – Dorothy Day

Photo by: engin akyurt

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Diabetes Might Be Cured Using Healthy Stool Samples, Say Researchers at UCSD

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By Darryl Leja / National Human Genome Research Institute, CC license
By Darryl Leja / National Human Genome Research Institute, CC license

Experiments found microscopic organisms transplanted into mice stopped the progression of diabetes—and the technique could end the need for painful insulin injections for human patients in the future.

It involves engineering E.coli bacteria from stool samples, which also has the potential to treat a range of gut conditions— from obesity to irritable bowel syndrome.

Residing within the human gut are trillions of bacteria and other microorganisms that can impact a variety of chronic human ailments, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, and cancer.

Even in diseases that don’t involve the microbiome, gut microflora provide an important point of access that allows modification of many physiological systems—and their physical symptoms.

Such a dream has led to the development of live bacterial therapeutics (LBTs), engineering bacterial hosts to repair or restore healthy microbial function and diversity.

In the past, these attempts have focused on engineering common laboratory strains of E. coli, which cannot compete with the native gut bacteria already inside a living body.

Now, a team led by Professor Amir Zarrinpar, of the University of California–San Diego, collected E. coli from both human and mice gut microbiomes—and added a protein called BSH (bile salt hydrolase). It made them more robust, extending survival in the hostile gut environment long enough to treat disease.

RELATED: Trendy Type of Norwegian Cheese May Stave Off Bone Thinning, Shows New Study

“Bacteria in our body are adapted to each one of us specifically: the kind of foods we eat, the common stresses our body experiences or induces, and our genetic background,” explained Prof. Zarrinpar.

They have engineered these bacteria to become factories that can live in our microbiome and potentially produce medicines.

“We know E. coli can pick up pathogenic genes and cause disease, and now we are just realizing if we put a beneficial gene in, it can help us to treat chronic diseases, maybe even cure some of them,” said Zarrinpar, author of the August 4 paper in the journal Cell.

He likened BSH to a superhero: “We say to the bacteria: Hey, we will give you a new superpower, which you may not even benefit from, but we will put you right back into the environment that you thrive in.”

After a single treatment in mice, the E. coli were found throughout the entire gut, with activity retained for the entire lifetime of the host. It was able to positively influence diabetes progression in the rodents.

TRY THIS FOR OBESITY: How Self-Compassion Can Help People Achieve Weight Loss Goals Despite Setbacks–and Resume Dieting Faster

It is a significant improvement over similar treatments with non-native laboratory strains of engineered bacteria, where more than one treatment is often required. And they do not stay in the host’s gut for nearly as long as, or as consistently as, the native E. coli method identified by Prof. Zarrinpar and colleagues.

In addition to successfully influencing diabetes in mice, the group was also able to make a similar modification to E. coli extracted from human gut. Zarrinpar described the results as “substantial,” but there is more work to be done.

Engineering native bacteria comes with another set of challenges because they are very resistant to modifications; it is part of their innate defense mechanism. In the proof-of-concept study, the data suggested that inserting a gene into a native bacterium has about 100-fold lower success rate than doing so with lab strains. But the researchers are optimizing the process.

“There are many new genetic engineering tools available now that will allow us to engineer these bacteria more effectively,” Zarrinpar added.

MORE: Men Free of Prostate Cancer Had Guts Fortified By Microbes Found in Yogurt

The group is planning on using this technology to find ways to treat more diseases.

“This technology is something that can potentially open up the application of the microbiome therapy to influence so many different chronic and genetic diseases.”

“We are dreaming big.”

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Look For the Perseid Meteor Shower and Spectacular Saturn Show This Week

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Good News Network
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By Dave Hoefler
By Dave Hoefler

The Perseid meteor shower is one of the best shows all year for “shooting stars”.

Though the Perseids have been active since July 14, the frequency of meteors hurtling through the sky is now heating up this week.

Scientists say the peak time to view this shower will be on the night of Thursday, August 11. The full moon that night may make it tougher to spot the meteors, so train your eyes toward the darker areas and watch closely.

This week is also one of the best times to see the ringed planet of Saturn in dramatic fashion.

On Sunday, August 14, the giant world will line up with the Earth and the Sun. The alignment is called an “opposition.”

LOOK: New Telescope Captures Images That Move a NASA Scientist ‘to Tears’

Saturn will be closer to Earth than it has been in more than a year. If you want a peek at the planet, look for a golden yellow light shining steadily in the east after sunset.

With binoculars, you may even see the spectacular Saturn rings.

SHARE the Astronomy Alert With Stargazers on Social Media…

This Tortoise Attacks All the Black Shoes That Come Near Him- WATCH for a Laugh

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PIC FROM Kennedy News/@phatonions via SWNS
PIC from Kennedy News/@phatonions via SWNS

A tortoise refuses to let people wear black shoes at the house—bullying his owner’s baffled grandson into wearing other colors or face a ‘painful’ attack.

Tommy Shellby always makes a bee-line for anyone who dares to set foot on the property in black shoes. Whenever he sees one, he charges with a barrage of disapproving head-butts.

Harry Vines says he’s forced to either walk around his 82-year-old grandmother Daphne Woodcock’s yard bare-footed or in white shoes to avoid the reptile’s attacks.

The 24-year-old grandson believes Tommy might be a fashion-conscious reptile.

“Maybe he’s trying to tell me I look good in white shoes, so don’t be wearing black ones,” says Harry, from Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK.

POPULAR: 3-Foot Giant Tortoise Saved From Train Tracks Thanks to Determined Woman Who Spotted the Escapee

Fascinating footage shows Harry wearing one black and one grey shoe, and Tommy walks over to forcefully bash his shell against the black one.

Others show him clambering over a pile of white shoes to reach the single black sneaker, while in another experiment Harry lines up black and non-black shoes for Tommy, which only bashes the black ones.

Harry admits it feels ‘strange’ to be conceding that he’s stopped buying black shoes to please the assertive pet.

Tommy, who is estimated to be at least 15 years old, has gone viral for his bizarre antics, earning almost one million followers since his first appearance in December.

“If he gets your ankle bone, it does hurt quite a bit. It’s more like a shell-bash,” he says. “I’ll only be buying white shoes now.

Harry began posting videos of Tommy shell-bashing black shoes after friends loved one clip and suggested he share more. His popular videos have now been liked more than 39 million times and his grandmother Daphne ‘can’t believe’ how viral her pet has become.

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

WATCH the Amusing Video below…

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Like a deer that finds a quiet place to graze, seek seclusion to digest all that you have gathered. – Ancient Tibetan text

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Quote of the Day: Like a deer that finds a quiet place to graze, seek seclusion to digest all that you have gathered. – Ancient Tibetan text

Photo by: Maria Rodideal

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Tigers in Nepal Come Back From Brink of Extinction With Historic 190 Percent Increase

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Keven Law, CC license
Keven Law, CC license

July 29 was Global Tiger Day—and Nepal had some roaring-good news, reporting that their wild tiger population is 40 percent higher compared to data from just 2015.

In fact, Nepal has nearly tripled the number of tigers in the wild, according to results of the National Tiger and Prey Survey released last week.

The historic 190 percent increase since 2009 is a result of the protection of key tiger habitats and corridors, partnership with local communities, and cracking down on poaching and illegal wildlife trade.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba announced the historic increase in his nation’s tiger population, which has been recorded at 355 individuals during this ‘Year of the Tiger,’ which is the Chinese lunar symbol for 2022.

LOOK: Tiger Dad Upends Stereotype By Caring For 4 Cubs After Mom’s Death, Surprising Researchers

An extensive effort covering 18,928 sq. km—over 12 percent of the country—and 16,811 days of field staff time was invested to complete the survey. The results bring both great hope and reassurance about tigers’ long-term future in Nepal.

The target to double wild tigers worldwide, also known as Tx2, was set by governments in 2010 at the St. Petersburg International summit on tiger conservation.

CHECK OUT: Couple Buys Up Acres Around Indian Tiger Reserve For Reforesting So Big Cats Can Roam

WWF-Nepal was an implementing partner in the survey which was led by the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation.

“This conservation win is a result of political will and concerted efforts of local communities, youth, enforcement agencies, and conservation partners… the result of sustained effort over many years,” said Ghana Gurung, Country Director of WWF- Nepal.

“Nepal’s new tiger population estimate shows that it is possible to a save species from the brink of extinction and gives us a real reason to celebrate this Global Tiger Day,” said Ginette Hemley, Senior Vice President for Wildlife Conservation for WWF in the US.

RELATED: Amur Tigers Are Back From the Brink in China – Thanks to Government Policies

Send This Roaringly Positive Trend to Cats in Your Pack on Social Media..

Georgia Sets Turtle Record With Most Loggerhead Nests Ever Counted on the Beach –LOOK

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Photo by Jeroen Looyé, CC license on Flickr
Photo by Jeroen Looyé, CC license on Flickr

Loggerhead sea turtle nesting in Georgia hit a new high this week as the big reptiles beat their modern-day best for most nests on the state’s Atlantic Ocean beaches.

With hatchings still surging, the nest count reached 3,960 on Wednesday—the largest count in 33 years, since surveys began in the U.S. state in 1989.

That total beat the previous record of 3,950 nests set in 2019, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Even more impressive is the ten-fold increase in sea turtle nests since its lowest point of 358 nests in 2004.

“Loggerheads are a long-lived species that don’t reproduce until 30-35 years of age,” said Georgia Sea Turtle Program Coordinator Mark Dodd, a senior wildlife biologist with the DNR.

The region’s population of loggerheads—listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act–has been increasing at approximately 4 percent annually since the early 1990s. But, based on current trends, Dodd predicts it will take at least another 20 years before recovery goals are reached.

RELATED: 500% Boom in Numbers of Eggs Laid By Breeding Green Sea Turtles

The model also suggests loggerhead numbers will increase again, possibly reaching levels not seen since the late 1950s.

Weighing 300 pounds or more, female loggerheads crawl ashore on beaches, dig a hole at the base of the dunes and lay their eggs, usually at night, from May into August.

All sea turtle nests, including those of species that seldom nest here such as Kemp’s ridley and green, are marked, protected and monitored by the Georgia Sea Turtle Cooperative. The DNR-coordinated network of federally permitted volunteers, researchers, and agency employees have patrolled the beaches daily during nesting season for more than 30 years.

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By David Troeger

Georgians contribute to the program by purchasing special automobile license plates featuring wildlife, which cost only $25 more than a standard plate to buy or renew.

What You Can Do:

  • Minimize beachfront lighting during nesting season. Turn off, shield or redirect lights.
  • When walking the beach at night, don’t use flashlights and flash photography. They can deter turtles from coming ashore to nest or cause them to abort nesting.
  • If you encounter a sea turtle on the beach – including hatchlings – remain quiet, still and observe them only from a distance.
  • Leave turtle tracks undisturbed. Researchers use them to identify the species and mark nests for protection.
  • Protect beach vegetation: It stabilizes sand and the natural coastline.
  • When boating, stay alert and avoid turtles. Boaters who hit a sea turtle are urged to stand-by and immediately call DNR at 800-2-SAVE-ME (800-272-8363).
  • Also report any dead or injured sea turtles seen at 800-272-8363. (If the turtle is tagged, include the tag color and number in the report if possible.)

CHECK OUT: New Tech for Saving Endangered Sea Turtles Uses Decoy GPS Eggs to Catch Poachers – And it Works

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Rare Singing Hummingbird Unexpectedly Rediscovered in Colombia Cloaked in Iridescent Blue and Green

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Yurgen Vega | SELVA | ProCAT
Yurgen Vega | SELVA | ProCAT

A hummingbird species was rediscovered in Colombia after scientists had recorded no documented sightings for over 13 years.

It was only the third time that a sighting of the Santa Marta sabrewing had been documented since it was first described by science in 1946.

The rare sabrewing was included on a list of the ‘top 10 most wanted lost birds’—and the recent sighting gives conservationists hope for the critically endangered species

An experienced local birdwatcher in Colombia rediscovered the relatively large hummingbird (Campylopterus phainopeplus), a species only found in the country’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains.

The last time the hummingbird had a documented sighting was in 2010, when researchers captured the first-ever photos of the species in the wild.

“This sighting was a complete surprise, but a very welcome one,” said Yurgen Vega, who made the rediscovery while working with SELVA, ProCAT Colombia and World Parrot Trust to study endemic birds in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. “As I was leaving the area where I had been working, a hummingbird caught my attention. I got out my binoculars and was shocked to see that it was a Santa Marta sabrewing, and in an incredible stroke of luck the hummingbird perched on a branch giving me time to take photos and video.”

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The male hummingbird was instantly recognizable by its emerald green feathers, bright iridescent blue throat and curved black bill. The hummingbird was perched on a branch, vocalizing and singing, which scientists think is a behavior associated with defending territory and courtship. However, Vega did not see any other hummingbirds in the area, though there have been sporadic reports of Santa Marta sabrewing sightings during the past decade by other local birdwatchers.

Yurgen Vega | SELVA | ProCAT

The species is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, though it was historically common in the south-eastern part of the mountains.

The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is the world’s tallest coastal mountain and home to rich communities of wildlife, including 24 species of birds that are found nowhere else on the planet.

“This rediscovery is tremendous, and it makes me hopeful that we will start to better understand this mysterious and threatened bird,” said Esteban Botero-Delgadillo, a director at SELVA: Research for Conservation in the Neotropics.

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

Scientists know very little about the Santa Marta sabrewing, except that it typically lives in humid neotropical forests at mid elevations between 4,000 and 6,000 feet (1,200-1,800 meters). Ornithologists believe that the hummingbird may be migratory, moving up to even higher elevations in the páramo—an ecosystem of grass and shrubs—during the rainy season in search of flowering plants. Much of the forest in the Santa Marta mountains has been cleared for agriculture, and scientists estimate that only 15% of the forest is still intact.

“Technology has made it much easier to gain and share knowledge about the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and its inhabitants,” said Diego Zárrate, director of conservation with ProCAT Colombia.

The rediscovery of Santa Marta sabrewing is being celebrated by ornithologists around the world, including those working as part of the Search for Lost Birds, a collaboration between Re:wild, American Bird Conservancy and BirdLife International—which curates the ‘top 10 most wanted lost birds’ list.

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

“It’s so incredible to see photos and video of the Santa Marta sabrewing,” said John C. Mittermeier, director of threatened species outreach at American Bird Conservancy. “It’s like seeing a phantom. When we announced the top 10 most wanted lost birds last year, we hoped that it would inspire birders to look for these species. And as this rediscovery shows, sometimes lost species re-emerge when we least expect it. Hopefully rediscoveries like this will inspire conservation action.”

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Your Inspired Weekly Horoscope From Rob Brezsny: A ‘Free Will Astrology’

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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 August 6, 2022
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
In the coming weeks, Leo, I urge you to always be confident that YOU ARE THE PARTY! Everywhere you go, bring the spirits of fun and revelry. Be educationally entertaining and entertainingly educational. Amuse yourself by making life more interesting for everyone. At the same time, be kind and humble, never arrogant or insensitive. A vital part of your assignment is to nourish and inspire others with your radiance and charm. That formula will ensure you get everything you need. I foresee bounty flowing your way! PS: Regularly reward your admirers and followers with your magnanimous Chesire-cat grin.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
In my Astrological Book of Life, here’s what I have inscribed about Virgos: You may not always find the perfect solution, but you are skilled at finding the best solution available. This will be an especially valuable knack in the coming weeks, both for yourself and others. I trust you will scan for practical but compassionate answers, even if they are partial. And I hope you will address at least some of everyone’s needs, even if no one is completely satisfied. You can be the master of creative compromise that we all need. Thanks in advance for your excellent service!

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Everyone knows that “balance” is a keyword for you Librans. However, there are many interpretations of what balance entails. Here’s how I define it for you during the coming weeks: 1. an openness to consider several different ways to capitalize on an opportunity, but to ultimately choose just one way; 2. the ability to see and understand all sides of every story, while also knowing that for pragmatism’s sake you must endorse a single version of the story; 3. the capacity to be both constructively critical and supportively sympathetic; 4. the facility to be welcoming and inviting while still maintaining healthy boundaries.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
“Life is enchanting for me because I have so much control over what I think,” my Scorpio friend Daria told me. “If I decide to flatter myself with comments about how attractive I am, I can do just that. If I would like to imagine a good fairy visiting me while I sleep and giving me a dream of flying with my lover over the Serengeti Plains, I can.” I asked her about the times when worries gush forth unbidden from her subconscious mind and disturb her joy. She said, “I simply picture myself shoving those worries in a hole in the ground and blowing them up with an exploding rose.” I bring Daria’s mind-management expertise to your attention, Scorpio, because the coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to raise your mastery over what you think.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
People might impatiently advise you to relax and settle down. Others might tell you to stop dreaming such big visions and formulating such adventurous plans. Still others might give you the side-eye because they imagine you are having too much fun and brainstorming too wildly and laughing too loudly. If you receive messages like those, give the complainers a copy of this horoscope. It will tell them that YOU WILL NOT COMPLY WITH ANY INHIBITING DIRECTIVES. Your astrologer, me, authorizes you to be as vast and venturesome and enterprising and spontaneous as you dare. In doing so, I am speaking on behalf of the cosmic rhythms. Your plucky audacity has been heavenly ordained.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
In accordance with astrological omens, I hereby authorize you to worry, worry, and worry some more. Stew and simmer and ferment as you weigh all the options and mull the correct actions. But when the time is right, end your fretting with crisp decisiveness. Shake off any residual doubt that still clings to you. And then undertake robust action to transform the situation that provoked your righteous brooding. In my astrological opinion, what I have just described is your best plan for success in the coming days.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
“I was looking for a love unlike my parents’ love or my sister’s love or the love on a foreign kitchen floor,” writes Rebecca Dinerstein Knight in her novel The Sunlit Night. “I wanted to forgive my mother and father for their misery and find myself a light man who lived buoyantly and to be both his light and his dark.” I offer you her thoughts, Aquarius, in the hope of inspiring you to expand and deepen your ideas about the love you want. The coming weeks will be a favorable time to revise and reinvigorate your definitions of intimacy and togetherness. You will have extra power to see new truths about how best to create maximum synergy and symbiosis.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
“Even raw and messy emotions can be understood as a form of light, crackling and bursting with energy,” writes Jungian psychoanalyst Clarissa Pinkola Estés. For example, “We can use the light of rage in a positive way, in order to see into places we cannot usually see.” Likewise, confusion might be a healthy sign that a long-held misunderstanding is dissolving. Disappointment may herald the demise of an unrealistic expectation. So let’s unleash a big cheer for raw and messy emotions, Pisces! I suspect they will soon be your gateway to clarity and renewal.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Aries poet Ada Limón advises us to notice and love “the music of the world.” She says that praising and giving attention to the good things “are as important and necessary as witnessing and naming and holding the grief and sorrow that comes with being alive.” This is always a crucial principle to keep in mind, but it will be extra essential for you in the coming weeks. Your ability to attract the influences and resources you need most will thrive if you focus on and celebrate the music of the world. PS: I encourage you to sing more than usual, too.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Here’s my hope for you in the coming months: You will cultivate a specialty for connecting people and situations that need to be affiliated but aren’t yet. You will regard your flair for blending as a gift you offer generously. Can you picture yourself doing that? I think it will be fun and will also benefit you in unexpected ways. So here’s my proposed plan: Conspire to heal fragmentation and schisms. Unite heavenly and earthly things. Keep the far side and the near side in touch with each other. Never let the past forget about the future, and vice versa. One more thing, Taurus: Be gleefully imaginative as you mix and conjoin and combine.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
In a play by Gemini philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, a character says, “Hell is other people.” What did he mean by that? One interpretation is that our fellow humans always judge us, and their judgments rarely align with who we really are and who we imagine ourselves to be. Here’s my solution for that problem: Choose allies and companions whose views of you match your own. Is that so hard? I suspect it will be easier than usual for you in the coming months, Gemini. Take advantage of life’s natural tendency to connect you with cohorts who appreciate you. Be picky as you avoid the hell of other people.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
The people most likely to succeed as entrepreneurs are those with a high degree of analytical intelligence. Right? Well, it’s more complicated than that. Reasoning ability and problem-solving skills are key skills, but not as important as emotional intelligence: the power to understand and manage feelings. I mention this, Cancerian, because the coming months will be a favorable time to advance your ambitions by enhancing and expressing your emotional intelligence.

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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“To be spiritual is to be amazed.” – Abraham Joshua Heschel

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Credit: Felipe Galvan

Quote of the Day: “To be spiritual is to be amazed.” – Abraham Joshua Heschel

Photo by: Felipe Galvan

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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