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Sweet Dog Was Born With a Defect That Makes Her Look Permanently Surprised

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Lieschen O'Connor / SWNS
Lieschen O’Connor / SWNS

Meet Belle, whose doctor diagnosed her with a birth defect that makes her look permanently surprised.

The adorable mix of doberman and cattlehound was born with the muscles in her head stretched back, leaving her looking wide-eyed at all times.

Lieschen O’Connor adopted Belle in 2017 from Lawrence Humane Society, an organization that provides care for homeless and abused animals.

Belle’s condition doesn’t cause her any pain but her 38-year-old mom regularly needs to apply eye drops as they often get dry.

The dog’s unique look has won her over 160,000 followers on TikTok.

“Her expressions make my heart swell,” said one fan. Another called her the cutest dog on TikTok. “I love her so much”.

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

Lieschen O’Connor / SWNS

Lieschen, a 38-year-old who lives in Tyler, Kansas, says, “Belle is extremely sweet and a little goofy.”

Lieschen O’Connor / SWNS

“If dogs could laugh, Belle would definitely laugh a lot!”

WATCH Stray Dog Become a Fierce Crossing Guard for These Children Every Day

SHARE This One-of-a-Kind Doggy Smile With Friends on Social Media…

Watch a Drone Save a 14-Year-old From Drowning in Powerful Spanish Current

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General Drones

A pioneering drone lifeguard service rolled out across Spanish beaches has saved the life of a 14-year-old boy as he struggled against a powerful current.

General Drones supplies 30 surf rescue drones with operators to lifeguard stations across 22 beaches along Spain’s coast.

The company released a compelling video of the recent rescue in Valencia.

It shows the drone dropping a life vest to the exhausted teen, providing valuable assistance until the jet-ski could arrive with a lifeguard.

They told Reuters, “Because of the heavy waves it was a complicated maneuver, but we finally managed to give him the vest and he could float until the lifeguards reached him.”

RELATED: Drone Helps Save the Life of a 71-Year-old Man Who Has Cardiac Arrest While Shoveling Snow

Watch the real-time video below… (Note: GNN has no affiliation with any ads displayed)

ALSO SEE: Man Brings His Heat-Sensing Drone to Help Find Missing Boy at 1:50 AM

FLY THIS to Social Media and Rescue Your Friends From Hopelessness…

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

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File photo by Jeremy Bezanger
File photo by Jeremy Bezanger

A new two-year pilot program launched this month will spread the benefits of solar power to Delaware residents who otherwise would not be able to afford installing the green energy.

The Solar Pilot Program from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control seeks to test future expansion of photovoltaic systems into low- and moderate-income populations, which have been underserved in the U.S. by existing renewable energy assistance and tax credit programs.

Low-income residents can get an installation of up to 4 kilowatts with no out-of-pocket costs. For moderate-income residents, the program covers 70 percent of the cost for up to 6 kilowatts, with residents paying the remaining 30 percent.

Low-income households must first apply through DNREC’s Weatherization Assistance Program (at 302-504-6111), which helps renters and homeowners cut their energy bills.

Canary Media reports that low credit scores are not going to effect eligibility, and households will qualify as low-income if they live at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. “For a family of three, a total income of $46,060 or less qualifies them for free solar. The thresholds for moderate-income families are the median incomes for different counties.”

RELATED: ‘Radical’ Solar Breakthrough Allows Energy to Now Be Stored for Up to 18 Years, Say Scientists

Moderate-income households must contact one of three approved solar contractors—CMI Solar & Electric, KW Solar Solutions, or Clean Energy USA. The homeowner choses one of the participating contractors, who then sends the application for the program to the agency.

The experiences logged during the two-year pilot program by the DNREC Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy will be used to develop a statewide solar program.

LOOK: Solar Panels That Make Electricity at Night are Finally Here – And They’re Cheap and Don’t Need Batteries

SHINE Some Good Government News on Social Media for Those in Delaware…

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 July 30, 2022
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
It’s always advisable for you Leos to carry on a close personal relationship with mirrors. I’m speaking both literally and metaphorically. For the sake of your mental health, you need to be knowledgeable about your image and monitor its ever-shifting nuances. And according to my analysis of the astrological omens, you are now authorized to deepen your intimate connection with mirrors. I believe you will thrive by undertaking an intense phase of introspective explorations and creative self-inquiry. Please keep it all tender and kind, though. You’re not allowed to bad-mouth yourself. Put a special emphasis on identifying aspects of your beauty that have been obscured or neglected. By the way, Leo, I also recommend you seek compassionate feedback from people you trust. Now is an excellent time to get reflections about your quest to become an even more amazing human.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
At your best, you are a flexible purist, an adaptable stickler for detail, and a disciplined yet supple thinker. Maybe more than any other sign of the zodiac, you can be focused and resilient, intense and agile, attentive and graceful. And all of us non-Virgos will greatly appreciate it if you provide these talents in abundance during the coming weeks. We need you to be our humble, understated leader. Please be a role model who demonstrates the finely crafted, well-balanced approach to being healthy.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
In my Astrological Book of Life, your life purposes as a Libra may include the following: 1. to be beautiful in the smartest ways you can imagine and smart in the most beautiful ways you can imagine; 2. to always see at least two sides of the story, and preferably more; 3. to serve as an intermediary between disparate elements; 4. to lubricate and facilitate conversations between people who might not otherwise understand each other; 5. to find common ground between apparent contradictions; 6. to weave confusing paradoxes into invigorating amalgamations; 7. to never give up on finding the most elegant way to understand a problem. PS: In the coming weeks, I hope you will make extra efforts to call on the capacities I just named.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Author Clive James loved the Latin term gazofilacium, meaning “treasure chamber.” He said that the related Italian word, gazofilacio, referred to the stash of beloved poems that he memorized and kept in a special place in his mind. In accordance with astrological omens, Scorpio, now would be an excellent time to begin creating your own personal gazofilacium: a storehouse of wonderful images and thoughts and memories that will serve as a beacon of joy and vitality for the rest of your long life. Here’s your homework: Identify ten items you will store in your gazofilacium.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Tips to get the most out of the next three weeks: 1. Keep your interesting options open. Let your mediocre options shrivel and expire. 2. Have no regrets and make no apologies about doing what you love. 3. Keep in mind that every action you perform reverberates far beyond your immediate sphere. 4. Give your fears ridiculous names like “Gaffe” and “Wheezy” and “Lumpy.” 5. Be honest to the point of frankness but not to the point of rudeness. 6. Don’t just run. Gallop.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Capricorn poet Richard Hugo wrote, “It doesn’t bother me that the word ‘stone’ appears more than 30 times in my third book, or that ‘wind’ and ‘gray’ appear over and over in my poems to the disdain of some reviewers.” Hugo celebrated his obsessions. He treated them as riches because focusing on them enabled him to identify his deepest feelings and discover who he really was. In accordance with astrological omens, I recommend a similar approach to you in the coming weeks. Cultivate and honor and love the specific fascinations at the core of your destiny.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Authors Violet Trefusis (1894–1972) and Vita Sackville-West (1892–1962) loved each other. In one letter, Violet told Vita, “I want you hungrily, frenziedly, passionately. I am starving for you. Not only the physical you, but your fellowship, your sympathy, the innumerable points of view we share. I can’t exist without you; you are my affinity.” In the coming weeks, dear Aquarius, I invite you to use florid language like that in addressing your beloved allies. I also invite you to request such messages. According to my reading of the planetary omens, you are due for eruptions of articulate passion.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
I’d like to honor and pay homage to a past disappointment that helped transform you into a beautiful soul. I know it didn’t feel good for you when it happened, but it has generated results that have blessed you and the people whose lives you’ve touched. Would you consider performing a ritual of gratitude for all it taught you? Now is an excellent time to express your appreciation because doing so will lead to even further redemption.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Fiction-writer John Banville tells us, “There are moments when the past has a force so strong it seems one might be annihilated by it.” I suspect that’s sometimes true for many of us. But it won’t apply to you Aries anytime soon. In fact, just the opposite situation will be in effect during the coming months: You will have more power to render the past irrelevant than maybe you’ve ever had. You will wield an almost indomitable capacity to launch new trends without having to answer to history. Take full advantage, please!

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Researchers have proved that lullabies enhance the health of premature babies being cared for in hospitals. The soft, emotionally rich songs also promote the well-being of the babies’ families. I bring this to your attention because I believe you should call on lullaby therapy yourself in the coming weeks. Listening to and singing those tunes will soothe and heal your inner child. And that, in my astrological opinion, is one of your top needs right now. For extra boosts, read fairy tales, eat food with your hands, make mud pies, and play on swings, seesaws, and merry-go-rounds.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Dancer and singer-songwriter FKA Twigs has taken dance lessons since she was a child. In 2017, she added a new form of physical training, the Chinese martial art of wushu. Doing so made her realize a key truth about herself: She loves to learn and practice new skills. Of all life’s activities, they give her the most pleasure and activate her most vibrant energy. She feels at home in the world when she does them. I suspect you may have similar inclinations in the coming months. Your appetite for mastering new skills will be at an all-time high. You will find it natural and even exhilarating to undertake disciplined practice. Gathering knowledge will be even more exciting than it usually is.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Cancerian author Laurie Sheck writes, “So much of life is invisible, inscrutable: layers of thoughts, feelings, and outward events entwined with secrecies, ambiguities, ambivalences, obscurities, darknesses.” While that’s an experience we all have, especially you Cancerians, it will be far less pressing for you in the coming weeks. I foresee you embarking on a phase when clarity will be the rule, not the exception. Hidden parts of the world will reveal themselves to you. The mood will be brighter and lighter than usual. The chronic fuzziness of life will give way to a delightful acuity. I suspect you will see things that you have never or rarely seen.

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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“Whatever else we might think of this world—it is astonishing.” – Wislawa Szymborska

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Quote of the Day: “Whatever else we might think of this world—it is astonishing.” – Wislawa Szymborska

Photo by: Yanguang Lan

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?

Religious Practices Have Preserved 125,000 Sacred Groves in India, Growing a Conservation Success

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Andy Corbley
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A sacred grove in Kerala. CC 4.0. Renjusplace
A sacred grove in Kerala. CC 4.0. Renjusplace

Belief in Hinduism and other folklore has an incredible capacity to protect biodiversity in India, where devotees possibly protect 125,000 sacred forest groves containing hundreds of species.

Sacred groves in India are patches of land that are communally protected with religious zeal, that at the same time tend to be relic forest segments. Inside, traditions often lead to the protection even of animals that the broader civilization would find undesirable, like snakes.

Preserved, and mostly associated with temples, sacred groves are culturally important to the people of India, but also harbor incredibly dense amounts of biodiversity.

A landmark paper published in 2017 used a case study of two sacred groves in the western Himalayas to extrapolate their influence on biodiversity in the country.

Hariyali Devi is located above Kodima village at an altitude of 4,200 feet (1,400 meters) in Rudraprayag, in the high northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. Inside the temple contains a bejeweled idol of Ma Hariyali Devi astride a lion, and is an important center of local festivities.

CHECK OUT: 17 Years After Being Declared Extinct in the Wild, Turtle Species is Saved by Caretakers of Hindu Temple

Within this relatively small space were 80 species of plants, 12 kinds of mammals, 9 species of birds, and 7 species of butterflies. The neighboring Tungnath sacred grove even included black bears.

Other studies have confirmed the incredibly rich biodiversity in sacred groves and their tree species, according to a 2018 study. There were 144 tree species recorded in sacred groves in the central-western Ghats, compared with 91 species counted in rural forests in the region.

Indian sacred grove, Kerala – Manoj Karingamadathil/ CC 3.0

“It’s something which is ingrained into every Hindu worshipper: temples, trees and ponds are all meant to be a collective space of worship,” Lakshman Acharya, a priestess in Pallalamma temple in Andhra Pradesh, southern India, told the BBC.

SIMILAR: Muslims in Town Adopt a Sacred Hindu Tenet So They Won’t Hurt the Feelings of Their Religious Neighbors

All manner of institutions are beginning to recognize the value of these groves to the natural heritage of the country, as well as to the country’s ambitious reforestation goals.

The Applied Environmental Research Foundation (AERF) has helped restore 80 of these sacred groves across the western Ghats mountain range while simultaneously helping locals switch from destructive logging to cultivation of commercially-important fruit species that happen to be the favorite haunts for endangered hornbills and tree pangolins.

The Devrai Foundation, an environmental non-profit in Pune in western India, is involved in building man-made sacred forests, known as devrais. To date they have preserved 119 species of plants, including the giant crape myrtle and Indian coral tree, also called pangara or flame of the forest.

While they can’t support India’s biodiversity on their own, their existence is both romantic and practical for the policy maker looking to try and protect the country’s wild places.

Share This Hindu News With Your Friends On Social Media…

Good Gardening Week 4: What Are Your Zone, Climate Risks, and Weather Conditions? – Share Tips and Photos

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Andy Corbley
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Japanese Garden in Argentina – Photo by Willian Justen de Vasconcellos
Japanese Garden in Argentina – Photo by Willian Justen de Vasconcellos

Welcome back to Good Gardening! In our Week 3 discussion, we wanted to know what people’s go-to flowers or vegetables were—the kind they can’t get through a season without growing. We took it to social media and shared photos…

ELIZA CAIN was the first to chime in, writing about a variety of species we had never heard of before, including Tzimbalo which is a very rare fruit with a melon-like taste, giant goosefoot, and blue sweet peas.

Eliza’s blue sweet peas and giant goosefoot

Ilanit Eliaz told the group she grows tomatoes are her go-to crop, mainly because they are tasty, and can be started so early in the year. Ilanit added that more plants than she remembered planting came up this year, which she attributes to fruit falling between the cracks in the beds. She notes how awesome nature is—we agree!

Joe Pye Weed – CC 2.0. Pollinator

From the mail bag, Owen wrote in to tell us about us about his go-to vegetable—cucumbers. These he uses for pickling. He is doing a little native gardening also, waiting every year for his Joe Pye weed to return and bring in the pollinators, which apparently arrive in droves.

“Slowly, through records, letters and diaries, I came to see how vegetable plots, ornamental plants, landscapes and forests had played a crucial role in America’s struggle for national identity and in the lives of the founding fathers,” — Andrea Wulf.

Topic Week 4: Zone, Climate, Conditions

Question 1: Which zone are you located in?

Question 2: Which climatic hazards do you face gardening in your zone?

Question 3: Do you try to work with conditions naturally, or beat them with technology?

Tell Us Here in The Comments… or, send your questions, tips, and photos to [email protected]. Join our Facebook Good Gardens thread every Friday on the GNN Facebook Page…

Good gardening rules

  • Positive attitude required.
  • Green thumbs can help novice greenhorns.
  • Share your gardening photos and resources.
  • Garden jargon encouraged!

Send In Your Favorite Tartan For Year-Long Scottish Exhibition Honoring the Iconic Fabric

By
Andy Corbley
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Scotland’s premier design museum is calling all Scots to rummage through their house and find unusual objects made or decorated with that most iconic of Scottish contributions to the world—Tartan.

The result of this nationwide appeal will be Tartan, a year-long museum exhibition on the fabric, celebrating its unique history.

Flannels, plaid, tartan, the fabric has many names, but what started as a textile art to identify family clans has become one of the most widely-used patterns on Earth.

The museum, V&A Dundee, is asking for any object covered in tartan, from Christmas decorations to ceramics, and are being urged to email details of their own “tartan story.”

Tartan will celebrate the story of this unique pattern which has connected communities worldwide, expressed unity and dissent, tradition and rebellion, which has been adored and derided, and inspired diversity, playfulness, and drama.

Flora Macdonald helped potential Scottish king Charles Edward Stuart avoid capture after battle, painted here wearing tartan.

It was outlawed during the 18th century Jacobite Uprising, but eventually made its way onto the British Army uniforms, and even embraced and worn by the royal family. It decorated the jacket linings and pockets of the UK punk scene, and is now utilizing its multicolored character to express queer identity, according to The Scotsman.

CHECK OUT: Wes Anderson Designed a Luxury Train Car – and It Looks Like Something Out of His Movies

“We will be looking at its history of attachment to tourism, tradition and the clans, how it was used across the Empire, how it has been subverted by punks and fashion designers, and how it has endured from quite simple beginnings to be something that is recognized by everybody,” said V&A Dundee director Leonie Bell.

The exhibition will launch in 2023, and run until 2024. It will even include a tartan festival featuring a performance by Rod Stewart.

Ramble Over To Social Media And Share This Scottish Appeal With Your Friends…

Dead Solar Panels Are About to Become a Lot More Valuable – a $2.7 Billion Market by 2030

By
Andy Corbley
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CC B137 via Wikipedia Commons
CC B137 via Wikipedia Commons

The demand for recycled solar photovoltaic (PV) panel components is set to skyrocket in the coming years as the number of installations surges and the threat of a supply bottleneck looms.

A Rystad Energy analysis shows recyclable materials from PV panels at the end of their lifespan will be worth more than $2.7 billion in 2030, compared to just $170 million this year.

This trend will only accelerate in the coming decades and the value of recyclable materials is projected to approach $80 billion by 2050.

PV recycling is still in its infancy but is seen as an essential element of the energy transition, with solar PV waste projected to grow to 27 million metric tons per annum by 2040.

Landfills are an easy and cheap option as current resale prices for recycled materials do not compensate for the transportation, sorting and processing costs. Yet, the rapid growth rate of large-scale utility farms within solar energy can change this. A growing demand for minerals is projected, meaning recycling can be a supply relief as panels reach the end-of-life stage.

READ ALSO: IKEA Will Start Selling Solar Panels in Some U.S. Stores This Fall

“Rising energy costs, improved recycling technology, and government regulations may pave the way for a market where more defunct solar panels are sent to recycling rather than the nearest landfill. Recycling PV panels can help operators save costs, overcome supply chain woes and increase the likelihood of countries meeting their solar capacity goals,” says Rystad Energy analyst Kristin Stuge.

Demand for the materials and minerals used in solar PV is set to climb with the energy transition, with higher prices a likely result.

Solar recycling projections – Rystad energy

By assuming a 15-year lifespan of a PV panel and analyzing installation activity in 2022, Rystad estimates which regions and countries will benefit most from recycling PV materials in 2037. China is set to account for 40% of global installations this year, and when these panels mature in 15 years, the estimated recycling value will be around three-fourths of Asia’s total of $4.8 billion, out of a $9.6 billion global total.

Recycled PV materials in North America in 2037 is projected to be worth $1.5 billion, with Europe set to hold $1.4 billion.

The panel components with the highest value are aluminum, silver, copper and polysilicon. Silver accounts for about 0.05% of the total weight but makes up 14% of the material value.

MORE GOOD NEWS: General Electric Produces Its First 100% Recyclable Wind Turbine That Can be Reconstructed as It Ages

The first step of PV panel recycling is disassembly, where the aluminum frame and junction box are separated from the panel, ground into pieces, and sorted by material. There are PV disassembly machines on the market today, including one by Japan-based NPC, which separates the panel parts even further before grinding the remains, enhancing the recovery rate for materials.

With evolving technology, the market is gradually perceived with greater enthusiasm, and new companies are emerging, such as the US-based start-up SolarCycle, which has generated significant seed funding from investors.

Recycle This Rare-Earth News With Your Friends On Social Media…

“Advice is like snow; the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind.” – Samuel Taylor Coleridge

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Advice is like snow; the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind.” – Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Photo by: Jason Mitrione

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?

Rare Chinese ‘Magic Mirror’ That Projects Hidden Image Rediscovered After Decades in Museum Storage

By
Andy Corbley
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Credit: Rob Deslongchamps / Cincinnati Art Museum
Credit: Rob Deslongchamps / Cincinnati Art Museum

Mirror, mirror on the wall—what is the rarest artwork of them all?

Under special lighting conditions, a plain-looking bronze mirror from the 16th century held at the Cincinnati Art Museum, reflects an image of a Buddha surrounded by numerous emanating rays of light.

This “magic” mirror will be on display beginning July 23, 2022, for the world to finally see.

It was in spring 2021, while conducting research on an ancient artwork in the museum’s collection that the Curator of East Asian Art, Dr. Hou-mei Sung, made a once-in-a-lifetime discovery.

Before glass manufacturing, people groomed themselves in mirrors of polished bronze. This technology has been found everywhere from Ancient Egypt to the Indus Valley.

READ ALSO: Modern Art Cache Stolen by Nazis Found in Munich

Known as “magic” or “transparent” or “light penetrating” (透光鏡) mirrors, these types of artworks were first created in China during the Han dynasty (202 BCE – 220 CE). When light is projected on them, the mirrors appear transparent and reveal characters or a decorative design.

“This is a national treasure for China, and we are so lucky to have rediscovered this rare object and have on view in Cincinnati,” said Sung.

Indeed, before being exhibited once in 2017, the mirror had sat in the East Asian collection without being touched for decades, according to CNN.

The front of the museum’s mirror is a polished reflective surface, and the back is marked with six characters, 南無阿彌陀佛, the name of Amitābha Buddha.

Credit: Rob Deslongchamps/Cincinnati Art Museum

Ancient magic mirrors are extremely difficult to make and are very rare. Other than the Han dynasty magic mirrors in the Shanghai Museum, only two other similar Buddhist magic mirrors are known: one in the Tokyo National Museum and the other in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Both are Japanese mirrors made in the Edo period (1603–1867). Sung believes the one in Cincinnati was made in an early period in China.

While the nature of their function is broadly understood, how ancient metalworkers achieved the effect of light-penetration is not known. To create the effect, metalworkers carved images or words on one side of a bronze plate. On the opposite side, it was polished to become the mirror aspect, and perhaps even treated with mercury.

CHECK OUT: Seven Lost Artistic Masterpieces That Were Found in 2021

The trick was that the carvings on one side would indent ever-so-slightly into the mirror side that when struck by sunlight, they would appear on the wall behind. However the carvings were so dainty and shallow as to not disturb the mirror-like surface, so that people could still use it as a mirror.

Visitors can see the secrets of the mirror for free in the museum’s East Asian Gallery (Gallery 140) after July 23.

The museum acquired its first East Asian art works in 1881, making it one of the oldest museum collections of East Asian art in the United States.

Watch local news have a field day with the discovery…

REFLECT This Story Back Onto Social Media And Share The Buddha’s Light…

1 In 30 Million Orange Lobster Noticed in Delivery and Rescued By Restaurant Workers

By
Andy Corbley
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- courtesy of Red Lobster
– Red Lobster. Released.

An incredibly rare sea creature was saved from the jaws of death after restaurant workers were struck with its unusual color and called experts for a second opinion.

A bright orange lobster arrived in a shipment at a Red Lobster restaurant in Hollywood, Florida, where an alternative universe would have seen it cooked on a plate.

But this one in particular was saved from becoming someone’s date night dinner when staffers noted her unusual golden coloring.

They called Ripley’s Aquarium in Myrtle Beach, who sent two members of its husbandry team to inspect the crustacean. Sure enough, they identified her as an orange lobster—a one in 30 million find.

“Sometimes ordinary miracles happen, and Cheddar is one of them,” said Mario Roque, a manager at Red Lobster who led the rescue of Cheddar, in the release. “A group of incredible people helped us make this possible. We are so honored to have been able to save Cheddar and find her a good home.”

SIMILAR: Red Lobster Employee Saves a Rare Blue Lobster And Restaurant Finds a Zoo To Adopt It

The restaurant admitted they were incredibly proud of Mario for recognizing and ultimately rescuing her.

It’s now found a forever home at the aquarium, whose staff said they are grateful the Red Lobster team recognized how special she was. She was named “Cheddar” after Red Lobster’s famous Cheddar Bay Biscuits.

“Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach is honored to become Cheddar’s forever home,” said the aquarium in a statement emailed to CNN. “Though the odd and unusual are a part of everyday life here at Ripley’s, orange lobsters like Cheddar are truly one in 30 million.”

Red Lobster is on the front line of rescuing fantastically rare lobsters. In 2021, restaurant workers at their location in GNN’s birth place of Manassas, Virginia, rescued another rare mutant known as a calico lobster, which they also said were born at a rate of 1 in 30 million.

This one was a male, and called Freckles.

– Red Lobster. Released.

“Calico-colored lobsters like Freckles are so rare because their coloring makes them very visible and thus vulnerable to predators,” the Red Lobster spokesperson said. “Because a calico-colored lobster is so rare and vulnerable in the wild, it was important that we found him a good home versus setting him free in the wild where he likely would not survive.”

READ ALSO: Conservationists Save Rare Blue Iguana From Extinction

They contacted the Akron Zoo, who transferred the restaurant’s inquiry to the Living Museum in Virginia, which arrived days later to take Freckles to their Chesapeake Bay Gallery.

“We hope Freckles brings lots of joy to guests of the museum and lives a long and wonderful life,” the spokesperson said.

Share These TWO In 30 MILLION Lobsters… 

Village Tackles Speeding by Planting Thousands of Flowers Because Drivers Slow Down as They Pass By

By
Andy Corbley
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- SWNS
– SWNS

Wildflower meadows are beautiful; so beautiful in fact that a village in Britain has found they act as natural speed traps from motorists slowing down to look at them.

The village of Long Newnton in Gloucestershire has a problem with fast moving through-traffic between nearby towns. Almost all drivers moving through areas they frequent will break posted speed limits, and neither a 30 mile per hour limit, nor warning signs made any difference.

Officials first planted flowers along the roadside during the pandemic to help improve biodiversity.

But they noticed that as well as attracting more wildlife, motorists also slowed down when they passed the flowers.

The village, between Tetbury and Malmesbury, has traffic regularly travelling between them, and the small parish council receives limited funds from the government for traffic control measures.

READ ALSO: Virginia Joins 20 Other States Banning Ticket Quotas For Traffic Cops

Putting two and two together, the village is now relying on its flowers to do the work that the road signs could not, paying for the blooms with crowdfunding in the village.

Why exactly people slow down isn’t entirely clear.

“Evidence has shown that if you introduce things like wildflowers, drivers will slow down because they feel like they’re coming into somewhere that’s looked after,” said Jenny Forde, cabinet member for health and wellbeing at Cotswold District Council.

A crowdfunding campaign that has raised almost £8,000 for traffic-calming measures will be used to fund a three-year care program for the wild flowers.

A sign that flashes and records data when people are breaking the 30mph (48kmph) speed limit was also installed by the council.

RELATED: Impact-Absorbing Traffic Light Poles Could Save Lives

According to the data, 90% of motorists drive above the speed limit.

It goes to show that something the homeschooling revolution in America is getting right applies elsewhere too, that rewards for good behavior will always outperform penalties for bad behavior.

SLOW Down And Share This Clever Idea With Your Friends…

Brits Are Saving $26 on Their Electric Bills By Making Simple Changes

By
Andy Corbley
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Air drying clothes was one of the best ways to save money on electricity.
Air drying clothes was one of the best ways to save money on electricity.

British households have reduced their energy spend by an average of £22-a-month by making simple changes, such as leaving hair to dry naturally, switching devices off at the socket, and limiting use of the tumble dryer.

A study of 5,000 adults found 28% say this is the first summer they’ve made attempts to reduce their energy use.

These attempts include turning unused lights off (49%,) switching devices off at the socket (39%,) and disconnecting phone chargers from the wall (37%.)

Other hacks include hanging washing outside as opposed to using a dryer (38%) and letting their hair dry naturally instead of using a hairdryer (26%.)

The study also found 28% of households use fans to cool off during the warmer months, with nearly one in five leaving them on all night, according to the OnePoll figures.

For those who have adjusted their energy habits for summer, bills have been reduced by an average of £22.09-a-month.

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And of those surveyed who have seen a reduction in their bills, the number of people with a smart meter was 23% higher than those without one installed.

The monthly financial saving, detailed in a report commissioned by Smart Energy GB, over the course of the year would amount to almost £270.

Some economists have said that this will be one of the most important years in the history of modern Europe, and saving energy in whatever way possible could become a necessity to conserve natural gas stores for winter.

TV presenter and author of the report Dominic Littlewood has also launched a new online mini-series in partnership with Smart Energy GB, called What’s Watt, which tracks three families across the UK as they take steps to reduce their energy use.

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“Visiting homes across Great Britain was an eye opener,” says Littlewood. “It’s clear that people have become more energy conscious—even though sometimes it’s one member of the household leading the change.”

“Whilst many people are taking lots of positive steps to manage their energy use, by working directly with families we found we were able to identify more simple steps they could take, such as getting a smart meter to monitor their energy use.”

“We’ve been making a lot of changes around the home to try and reduce our energy bills,” said Charlene Lijertwood, who was visited by Dom Littlewood on the show. “We considered ourselves to be on top of it but speaking to Dom has shown us ways to save energy we wouldn’t have considered otherwise.”

Smart Energy GB included a number of hacks to decrease energy-use in critical areas, including installing a water-efficient shower head, since around a fifth of the average household’s heating bills are spent on heating water, keeping an eye on refrigerator seals, or buying a fan that has a shut off timer that will prevent it from running all night.

SAVE Your Friends A Bit Of Money By Sharing This Helpful Consumer Advice…

“The most important and enjoyable thing in life is grappling with a complicated, tricky problem that you don’t know how to solve.” – William Vollman

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Good News Network
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Greg Rakozy

Quote of the Day: “The most important and enjoyable thing in life is grappling with a complicated, tricky problem that you don’t know how to solve.” – William Vollman

Photo by: Greg Rakozy

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Engineers Turn Water into Carbon-Neutral Jet Fuel Using Solar Radiation

By
Andy Corbley
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The solar reactor tower in Madrid, Spain. - SWNS
The solar reactor tower in Madrid, Spain. – SWNS

A carbon-neutral synthesis of kerosene, or jet fuel, has been produced by scientists, made by combining sunlight with water.

5% of human emissions are generated through kerosene use in aviation, which currently has no alternative for long haul jetting.

It consists of 169 sun-tracking reflective panels that redirect and concentrate solar radiation into a solar reactor on top of a tower built at IMDEA Energy Institute in Madrid back in 2017.

The concentrated solar energy then drives oxidation-reduction (redox) reaction cycles in the solar reactor, in which a porous structure converts water and carbon dioxide injected into the reactor into syngas, which is made of hydrogen and carbon monoxide.

The syngas is then sent into a gas-to-liquid converter where it is finally processed into liquid hydrocarbon fuels that include kerosene and diesel.

The fuel will be even greener if the team can capture carbon dioxide from the air in the not-too-distant future and use it in the fuel.

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“The amount of CO2 emitted during kerosene combustion in a jet engine equals that consumed during its production in the solar plant,” said Aldo Steinfeld, a professor from ETH Zurich and author of the paper. “That makes the fuel carbon neutral, especially if we use CO2 captured directly from the air as an ingredient, hopefully in the not-too-distant future.”

Watch this Reuters news video about the breakthrough… (GNN is not affiliated with any ads showing below)

 

The solar-made kerosene, or jet fuel, is fully compatible with the existing way fuel is stored, distributed, and used in a plane’s engine. It can also be blended with fossil-derived kerosene, the team say.

“With our solar technology, we have shown that we can produce synthetic kerosene from water and CO2 instead of deriving it from fossil fuels,” said Steinfeld, adding that they are the first to demonstrate the entire thermochemical process chain from water to kerosene.

During a nine-day run of the plant reported in the paper published in Joule, the solar reactor’s energy efficiency—the portion of solar energy input that is converted into the energy content of the syngas produced—was around 4%.

SIMILAR: Researchers Pull Carbon Out of the Sky And Convert it to Instant Jet Fuel, Reshaping Aviation For Good

Steinfeld says his team is working intensively on improving the design to increase the efficiency to values over 15%. For example, they are exploring ways to optimize the porous structure for absorbing solar radiation and developing methods to recover the heat released during the redox cycles.

“This solar tower fuel plant was operated with a setup relevant to industrial implementation, setting a technological milestone towards the production of sustainable aviation fuels.”

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Best Friends Have Met in a Photo Booth Every 5 Years Since They Were Ten—Now It’s their 50th Anniversary

By
Andy Corbley
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50 years of change – SWNS

A pair of best friends who have taken a photo booth picture together every five years since they were ten just snapped their 50th anniversary photo.

60-year-olds Keith Laughton and Martin Dowle went down to Skegness Station where they crammed into the booth again for the tenth time; grinning for the camera to commemorate 50 years of friendship.

Keith, a retired probation officer took the first picture together with his friend Martin, a paramedic, in a Woolworths in Lincoln.

Then by chance they found themselves back in the same shop five years later and decided to recreate the original.

“It’s always good,” says Keith. “The excitement building up to it and then reliving our memories from age ten going back into a photo booth.”

ALSO READ: Holocaust Survivors Reunite in Florida After a Labor Camp Friendship was Broken 80 Years Ago

It became a fun tradition for the pair which they’ve kept up for half a century of pictures.

“It’s weird to look back at two ten-year-olds with sweet little innocent faces and then look at the others and think about everything you go through in life together,” said Keith, keeping his British-born natural reserve.

50 years of photos – SWNS

“Our lives haven’t been anything other than two normal guys—we haven’t done anything spectacular or catastrophic, we’ve just always kept that friendship.”

“It’s getting harder and harder to wriggle ourselves in and perch on tiny tiny seats but it was good and now we’ve been doing it for fifty years.”

The pair met when they were just eight after Keith went to introduce himself to Martin after his family moved to his village of Bardney, Lincolnshire.

“We’ve been reminiscing and thinking of everything that’s happened between each five years – it gets a bit scary when you think about it but intermingled with everything that’s been going on we have always managed to get that picture done every five years.”

LOOK: These Women Have Been Penpals for 70 Years, Forging a True Friendship From 10,000 Miles Away

“We don’t live in each other’s pockets or have to talk every week—it’s just a friendship that’s stood the test of time.”

Keith still lives in Bardney; Martin now lives in London.

SHARE With Your Photogenic Friends On Social Media…

22-Year Old Man Found a Baby Abandoned in a Trash Can in Haiti and Decides to Become its Father

By
Andy Corbley
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- SWNS

Taking a “leap of faith,” a young Haitian man is trying to adopt to a baby he found in a trash can despite it cutting into his university studies.

Long since legally-declared the boy’s guardian, 27-year-old Jimmy Amisial is merely waiting to raise money for the adoption procedure, and taking significant time away from university studies to do it.

The story goes that back in December 2017, a 22-year-old Mr. Amisial came home to visit his mom Elicie in Haiti during a study break from Texas State University where he’s studying communication and electronic media.

“When I woke up that day, I was totally unaware that my life was about to change forever,” Jimmy said.

Since he was a teenager, Jimmy has helped out at the orphanage next to his home, and on this trip, he’d brought back presents for the children.

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He was on his way to the orphanage when he came across a large group of people huddled around a trash can. Jimmy made his way to the front of the commotion, and, to his disbelief, there was a four-month-old baby inside.

“People were crowding round this [trash] bin and I heard them arguing about what to do with this tiny baby,” said Jimmy. “Everyone was just staring at him—not a single soul wanted to help.”

Brave Jimmy scooped up the baby and took him home to his mother Elicie Jean, 66, where they washed, clothed and fed him milk, before taking him for medical help. The police launched an investigation to find the boy’s parents, but they were never traced.

With nowhere else to turn, a judge asked Jimmy if he would become legal guardian to the baby.

“I was already behind on my university fees and my family has always struggled to make ends meet,” he explained. “But I didn’t have a dad growing up, and this poor child was facing a lifetime of instability and uncertainty.”

“Something inside was telling me that this had happened for a reason, so I took a leap of faith.”

Ever since those fateful days, Jimmy has been splitting his time between the States and Gonaives, Haiti, where the boy is being cared for by Elicie. He decided to name his charge Emilio.

Jimmy and Emilio, present day – SWNS

Now Jimmy has applied to formally adopt Emilio, who has just started school at age 5.

“I had to do what I had to do when no one else wanted to do it, and I’m so grateful for the past four and a half years,” said Jimmy.

RELATED: They Found A Baby on the Subway—Now He’s Their Adopted Son

“I’m glad I got the opportunity to transform his life from being abandoned in the trash to being a wonderful treasure,” he said. “I truly do feel like a father, and I’m excited to put pen to paper and make Emilio my son. I just need to raise the money first.”

Emilio is a bright spark and loves music. He wants to be a musician when he’s older.

“Mom loves him, the kids in the orphanage love him, and I love him as if he were my own. He really is a special little boy.”

A GoFundMe was set up for the adoption which you can contribute to here. 

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Duolingo Has Created a Course for “High Valyrian” the Dragon Language From Game of Thrones

By
Andy Corbley
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- fair use.
– fair use.

Having already delighted Trekkie fans with their course on the Klingon language from Star Trek, the language learning app Duolingo has created a course on “High Valyrian” the magical dragon language from HBO’s Game of Thrones.

Spoken by numerous characters, most notably star Emelia Clark as her role as the “Mother of Dragons,” Daenerys Targaryen, the language course was created in partnership with HBO in time for the spin-off prequel series.

With more than 150 additional words included in the recent update to the course, it’s by far the fastest way to talk your way through a Comic Con Game of Thrones panel, or watch the show in the off chance that your television’s resolution is messed up and the subtitles appear below the level of the screen.

It’s probably one of the only language courses anyone will actually finish on Duolingo, but it’s not all gibberish, it was created by David Peterson, whose career was built by inventing fictional languages for series like the Thor films, Dune, and others.

RELATED: Dozens of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Paintings and Maps Are Now Online to Inspire Adventure

When partnering with George R. R. Martin, he had just two phrases to start with, “all men must die,” and “all men must serve.” From there Peterson created more than 2,000 words and arranged them as a course on Duolingo.

It’s a different sort of experience learning a language that was invented a few years ago, and fans of the show or books will surely delight in it.

WATCH Peterson explain it in an interview with C-Net below…

Share With Your Targaryen Friends On Facebook, We Know You Have Some…

“Keep personal happiness as your great aim in life, and yet at the same time be ‘good’.” – C.S. Lewis

By
Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Keep personal happiness as your great aim in life, and yet at the same time be ‘good’.” – C.S. Lewis

Photo by: Dollar Gill

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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