Rats are being trained to be sent into earthquake debris wearing tiny backpacks, so rescue teams can talk to survivors.
The innovative project is being worked on by 33-year-old research scientist Dr Donna Kean from Glasgow.
So far seven rats have been trained, taking only two weeks to get them up to speed.
At the moment homemade prototype backpacks containing a microphone are being used, and scientists are sending them into mock debris.
Specialist backpacks containing microphones and video gear as well as location trackers will be created to allow rescue teams to communicate with survivors during real earthquakes.
Donna has been based in Morogoro, Tanzania, for one year, working with non-profit organization APOPO for a project named Hero Rats.
The rodents will get the chance to work in the field when they are sent to Turkey, which is prone to earthquakes, to work with a search and rescue team.
Donna, who studied ecology at Strathclyde University before going on to do an MA at the University of Kent and a PhD at Stirling University, originally was interested in primate behavior.
SWNS
But she was fascinated by how quickly rats can learn and be trained, and said it is a misconception that they are unhygienic.
She described them as “sociable” creatures, and believes the work being done will save lives.
Altogether 170 rats are being trained for projects including landmines and TB and it is hoped rats could sniff out Brucellosis, an infectious disease which impacts livestock.
The rats are so nimble that they have never set off a landmine and their agility makes them perfect for using in disaster zones.
“Rats would be able to get into small spaces to get to victims buried in rubble,” Donna said. “We have not been in a real situation yet, we have got a mock debris site.
“When we get the new backpacks we will be able to hear from where we are based and where the rat is, inside the debris.
“We have the potential to speak to victims through the rat.”
The rodents are trained to respond to a beep, which calls them back to the base.
“A colleague is a seamstress, she makes the backpacks, she’s very talented,” Donna added. “We are getting custom-made backpacks which will have video recorders, microphones and a location transmitter.
“It’s quite unusual. They are so agile, they are so good at moving through all kinds of different environments. They are perfect for search and rescue-type work. They can live off anything.
“They are very good at surviving in different environments which just shows how suitable they are for search and rescue work.”
Dogs have been used for similar purposes but rats have an advantage due to their small size and flexibility.
“They are very trainable, the first stage is to train them to come back to base point—they respond to a beep,” Donna added. “We hope it will save lives, the results are really promising.”
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Shark Bay, Australia should perhaps consider a name change to Seagrass Bay, since the largest resident isn’t a great white predator, but a single seagrass meadow.
After discovering that the whole bay’s worth of seagrass spread from one seed and was all part of the same plant, it instantly became the world’s largest plant—as large as 20,000 football fields.
At 77 square miles, it’s three-times the size of Manhattan, and could be 4,500 years old to boot.
Neither old trees nor big trees are anything new. GNN recently reported on a re-thiking of the world’s oldest tree list after the dating of a Patagonian cypress revealed it to be over 5,000 years old, and anyone who has visited Sequoia National Park will know that some of the bigger trees can add the equivalent weight of a 40-year old oak in wood volume every year.
As it turns out, quantity beats quality, and it’s the numerous waving arms of a single seagrass meadow at the bottom of Shark Bay, Australia, that can now be considered the world’s largest.
Jane Edgeloe and colleagues took samples from several stalks from across Shark Bay, looking to find out how many individual plants made up the rich meadow, which spreads 110 miles (180 kilometers) throughout the giant inlet.
“The answer blew us away—there was just one!” Edelgoe told BBC. “That’s it, just one plant has expanded over 180km in Shark Bay, making it the largest known plant on Earth.”
Seagrass in healthy conditions can grow around a little more than 1 foot, or 35 centimeters a year, making it similar to most lawn grasses. At that rate, to reach the size it has today, this specimen of Poseidon’s ribbon weed needed 4,500 years at least.
“It appears to be really resilient, experiencing a wide range of temperatures and salinities plus extreme high light conditions, which together would typically be highly stressful for most plants,” added Dr. Elizabeth Sinclair, one of the researchers.
Last month, rookie Republican governor of Virginia may have quashed any partisan quarrelling in his state following his unexpected election. How? By abolishing traffic ticket and arrest quotas for police.
Glenn Youngkin signed the law with total bipartisan support, joining 20 other states that have issued similar bans.
The National Motorists Association says that “a speed trap exists wherever traffic enforcement is focused on extracting revenue from drivers instead of improving safety.”
To that end, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana Montana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Wisconsin have all passed legislation barring, in different ways, the establishment of ticketing quotas—or ticket numbers as a prominent part of performance evaluation.
Inter-state banter is common across many sectors. For example people might say that anyone who thinks D.C. traffic is bad hasn’t seen L.A. traffic, or that Chicago pizza is too doughy, and therefore New York pizza is better.
It’s difficult, however, to conjure examples of everyday over-policing like a Virginian can.
Take this “standard of protection” expected of Alexandria officers for example. It requires them to issue 8 tickets per 10 shift hours or face “performance improvement courses.”
When the bill hit committee Sen. Dick Saslaw, he was confused they even existed at all.
“You used to hear about these all the time many, many, many, many years ago,” the senator said. “I thought that was pretty much something that was done away with, you’re saying it still exists?”
By curtailing quotas, Virginia drivers will hopefully free themselves from a long-tolerated state characteristic of over-policing—not to mention the terrible traffic resulting from countless officers stopping in the right lane to bother someone about a taillight, cracked windscreen, or traveling 5 over the speed limit.
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Quote of the Day: “Let the truth be your delight; let it always be in your mouth. Proclaim it lovingly to everyone, especially those you love.” – St. Catherine of Siena
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What if I told you that investing roughly $500 for therapy, plus providing a little cash, helped some of the most troubled young men in West Africa reduce their crime and violence by half—and the results continued for at least 10 years.
In their follow-up study, Chris Blattman and his colleagues calculated almost 350 fewer crimes per participant over the decade.
“That’s ~$1.50 per crime averted,” he exclaimed in a tweet last month.
“It was the most unexpected project of my life,” he said. And, now it’s “changed the way cities tackle violence, from Bogota to Chicago.”
In 2009, he flew with his wife Jeannie to Liberia for 2-week spring break as she did research on reintegrating ex-fighters from the war. Chris studies violence and wondered what he could do in the capital city (Monrovia), so he called up Johnson Borh.
“He was a combatant in the war and now ran some kind of NGO. He seemed to know everyone and be able to go everywhere. So I asked him to show me around how the crime and drug markets worked.”
Johnson obliged. One day they would learn how phones get fenced, another day they talked to the pickpockets. Chris’s favorite was the drug den run by Charles Taylor’s former anti-terror squad chief.
“But every time we go to one of these shady places, there’s a guy on the corner shining shoes or selling clothes out of a wheelbarrow, or something else pretty basic. He spots Borh, gets excited, and comes to give him a hug.”
He asked, “How do you know Borh?” Each time he heard the same response:
“I used to be like them,” and they’d point to the drug den or pickpockets. “But then I went through Borh’s program.”
Chris, an economist and professor who studies global conflict at the University of Chicago, sat down with Borh in bar for two afternoons and they wrote down exactly what he does with the men during the 8-week program designed to transform their lives.
When his wife got back from jungle mining adventures, Chris says, “What does this look like to you?”
She’s a psychologist and says, “Oh, this looks like CBT.” Cognitive behavioral therapy.
“I’d never heard of it,” said Chris. “But it’s a common method of behavior change for lots of things, like anxiety.”
For 15 years, through trial and error, Borh and colleagues had adapted it to address aggression and crime—and toward adopting a mainstream social identity.
“He and his organization, NEPI, recruited the most dangerous men in the city. People who led lives of violence.”
“They met in abandoned buildings, in groups of maybe 20, for a couple of hours a day. Johnson trained some counselors, and they eked out a living on the program.”
Chris Blattman
Partly, they would learn and practice behavior changes, like managing anger and difficult social interactions. But they were also trying on and practicing a new identity. “NEPI encouraged them to stop dressing and acting tough. Get a haircut. Look like the 99% of Liberians who were respectable.
“So we partner with NEPI. We go out, run a pilot, measure impacts, and it looks really promising,” explains Chris. “We also try giving the men $200, to see whether it helps them solidify the new identity and behaviors.”
They watched closely, because they were worried about the men buying drugs or investing in guns.
“Things looked really good. So I recruit my coauthors to help run a large-scale study. We scaled up, raised a million dollars, and ran a huge randomized controlled trial with 999 of the toughest men in Monrovia.”
They followed up one month and one year later and found an impressive impact had endured.
50% overcame their destructive behaviors
Crime, violence, and antisocial behaviors were slashed by about 50% among those who received the CBT and the cash. Receiving the therapy alone seemed to fade a little in its impact over time.
Most of the evidence pointed to the economic assistance as being a big key to helping the men entrench their behavior changes, and avoid a return to crime.
That was almost a decade ago. Would any impacts last?
“I was pessimistic, said Chris. “We surveyed experts in advance. Almost all expected CBT Only or Cash Only to have no effect whatsoever after 10 years. For Therapy plus Cash, one-third of the experts predicted no effect at all. 2/3 predicted steeply diminished impacts.”
“But we saw HUGE sustained impacts. Crime & violence still down by about 50% from CBT+Cash.”
Chris Blattman
“On thefts and robberies alone, they report ~34 fewer at both 1- and 10-year points. Interpolating, this means ~338 fewer crimes per participant over 10y—$1.50 per crime avoided given $530 the cost.”
(And that’s not counting all the other bad behaviors averted.)
The program is such a success that people have begun replicating Borh’s ideas around the world. “Even Chicago adopted it as a main response to the 2016 gun crime spike. It’s called READI.”
Gun violence is spiking in the Americas and cities need solutions—and they’re searching especially for ideas that don’t involve coercion.
All the evidence suggests CBT-informed programs are fast, effective, hyper-targeted, non-coercive ways to reduce violence.
“The fact that CBT works suggests deeper insights into why we fight as human beings, and what could make for a more peaceful world,” said Chris. “These are programs of socializing, and in them I see a microcosm of what the sociologist Norbert Elias called The Civilizing Process.”
It’s the big theme in Chris’s new book, Why We Fight—how, over centuries (or 8 weeks), societies have found ways to build more peaceful norms and institutions “because violence is so awful”.
At the same time as violence is curtailed, social scientists observe the slow invention of manners, habits of self-control, more sympathy and consideration for others, and a more rational and forward-looking mindset.
“In Why We Fight, I walk through the why. Some of the credit goes to a gradual cultural enlightenment, some to checks and balances, some to the development of the state. But much of it is due to the ways we socialize every generation to be more peaceful. Some of our patience, restraint, empathy, and consideration is imbued in our genes, but mostly it is learned and reinforced. Self-control is a habit. So is looking ahead to the future, controlling your anger, recognizing your biases, or trying to see the world from another POV.
“Some people just need a little remedial help to acquire these skills & norms—Chicago’s shooters, or the street criminals in West Africa. People like Borh show us how social workers can remake their own societies, and that peace is the product of this peer to peer socialization.”
Chris Blattman is the Ramalee E. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies at the University of Chicago, in the Harris School of Public Policy and co-leads the university’s Development Economics Center and the Obama Foundation Scholars Program.
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Dancing to musical rhythms is a universal human activity. But now, researchers from Japan have found that musical beats don’t just feel good, hearing them also enhances brain function.
In a study recently published in Scientific Reports, researchers from the University of Tsukuba have revealed that music with a groove can significantly increase measures of executive function and associated brain activity in participants who are moved by the music.
Music that elicits the sensation of groove—a rhythm that induces the sensation of “wanting to move to the music”—can elicit feelings of pleasure and enhance behavioral arousal levels.
Exercise, which has similar positive effects, is known to enhance executive function. This may also be an effect of listening to groove music. However, no studies have examined the effect of such music on executive function or brain activity in those regions, such as the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (l-DLPFC), so the researchers set out to measure them.
“Groove rhythms elicit groove sensations and positive affective responses, but whether they influence executive function was unknown,” says lead author of the peer-reviewed study Professor Hideaki Soya. “Accordingly, in the present study, we conducted brain imaging to evaluate corresponding changes in executive function, and measured individual psychological responses to groove music.”
To do this, the researchers performed functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) with a color-word matching task to examine inhibitory executive function before and after listening to music.
They also conducted a survey about the subjective experience of listening to groove music.
“The results were surprising,” explains Professor Soya. “We found that groove rhythm enhanced executive function and activity in the l-DLPFC only in participants who reported that the music elicited a strong groove sensation and the sensation of being clear-headed.”
In fact, these psychological responses to listening to groove rhythm could predict changes in executive function and l-DLPFC activity.
“Our findings indicate that individual differences in psychological responses to groove music modulate the corresponding effects on executive function. As such, the effects of groove rhythm on human cognitive performance may be influenced by familiarity or beat processing ability,” says Professor Soya.
Strategies for enhancing executive function have a wide range of potential applications, from preventing dementia in elderly people to helping employees enhance their performance.
Furthermore, the positive effects of groove music on executive function could include the effects of positive emotions and of rhythmic synchronization.
Frans Timmermans and John Kerry By Jadranko Marjanovic / Copyright European Union, 2022
Frans Timmermans and John Kerry By Jadranko Marjanovic / Copyright European Union, 2022
Total greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union reached their lowest level since 1990, according to official EU data reported this week by the European Environment Agency to the UN.
The overall reduction in 2020 greenhouse gas emissions was 34% compared to the 1990 base year, or 1.94 billion tons of CO2.
Prior to the pandemic, the EU had already reduced its emissions by 26% in 2019 and had achieved its 20% target before the lockdowns started to impact emission levels.
Key drivers that led to emission reductions over the past three decades include the growing use of renewables, the use of less carbon intensive fossil fuels, and improvements in energy efficiency. Also, winters in Europe have become warmer.
All sectors reduced emissions except for transport and refrigeration and air conditioning (although the latter have been decreasing in the last few years).
The EU continued to record substantial greenhouse gas emissions reductions in 2020, posting an 11% drop compared to 2019.
The report revealed that almost all EU Member States reduced emissions compared to 1990 and contributed to the overall positive EU performance. Germany and the UK (which withdrew from the EU in February 2020) accounted for 47% of the total net reductions over the past 30 years.
Striking a powerful pose like Superman or Wonder Woman does actually make people feel more confident—and maybe even behave more confidently—according to a new study.
The German team has confirmed what small studies already suggested, after crunching data from 130 different experiments from published and unpublished studies involving more than 10,000 people.
“We found a connection between an upright posture and power posing and a more positive self-perception,” said Professor Astrid Schütz from the University of Bamberg.
She and her colleagues at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and Ohio State University decided to do a meta-analysis of many studies because previous research had only been done in small studies—some without control groups.
The research of power posing deals with the extent to which a bold pose can influence a person’s feelings and self-worth.
A common example is the victory pose with outstretched arms, which, according to several studies, can increase self-confidence.
They wanted to find out whether posture influences a person’s self-perception, behavior and hormone levels. The team used complex statistical methods to re-assess the data and found that a dominant pose can make you feel more self-confident.
The team found a similar correlation with behavior, for example task persistence, but these effects were less robust.
Their analysis did not find any proof of the physiological effects of power posing, however.
“The assertion that certain poses can boost the production of physiological effects, for example hormones, such as testosterone and cortisol, which had been claimed in previous research, was not supported” (or replicated by independent research groups), said MLU psychologist Robert Körner.
The study, published in the journal Psychological Bulletin, found no differences between males and females and across different age groups.
Now that research has confirmed a connection between an upright power posture and more positive self-perception, try sitting up a little taller with your chin a little higher.
Quote of the Day: “We do not love each other without changing each other.” – Madeleine L’Engle
Photo by: Priscilla Du Preez
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A woman whose family fled to Britain to escape a war has closed her seaside hotel to tourists—so she can give Ukrainian refugees a place to stay.
Nitsa Michael is no longer taking guests at the Seaward Hotel—even during her busiest season in Weston-super-Mare, England. Instead, she has rolled out the welcome mat to 22 Ukrainians, so far, providing a “home away from home”.
Her family fled from Cyprus to Britain following a Turkish invasion in 1974, and she wanted to do something to help people in the same ‘horror situation’, fleeing from Russian aggression in Ukraine this year.
“I felt for them,” said the 84-year-old widow and great-grandmother of five.”Lets help in a big way, this is what I want to do.”
Her daughter Michelle Michael is in charge of running the hotel, which has room for 70 refugees.
“Mum always has and still does listen to the news every day and it was really bothering her. She was feeling quite sad about it all, and that’s when she came up with the idea of opening the hotel to refugees.”
The 22 arrivals share meals and time together, “and basically they heal together,” said Michelle.
“Seeing all the people staying here and how happy they now are, it’s all due to her.”
Nitsa Michael – SWNS
Decades earlier, Nitsa worked as a seamstress in London and her husband Axentis was a chef before they eventually moved to the South West where they took over the Seaward Hotel.
They made it their family home where they raised their four children.
Back in ‘74 when Turkey invaded, Nitsa recalled, “We had no way of knowing if my father’s family were dead or alive because there was no connectivity. Everyone fled their homes with nothing to their names.”
To alleviate the same sort of anxiety this year, Michelle registered their family’s hotel on the Homes For Ukraine webpage, and before they knew it, they were welcoming their first refugee.
Yuliia, 31, now lives in the hotel with her husband and their dog after she left their home in Berdyansk after explosions started in February. She had to leave behind her parents, and had not spoken to them for a month prior to arriving at the Seaward Hotel a month ago.
“This life here is very good, and I’m very glad to be in this country,” said Yuliia. “Here we have a hotel, a room, a shower, a kitchen and many other things – we also have the sea.”
Since arriving in the UK she has been provided with a phone to speak to her family back at home and she could finally communicate with her parents and brother again.
There is a WhatsApp group set up for the other families who have arrived at the hotel and Yuliia helps to translate Michelle’s messages for the other refugees.
Seaward Hotel in Weston-super-Mare / SWNS
Michelle and the team provide the refugees with welcome packs on their beds with essentials such as shower gels and deodorants. The local government has provided $250 to each person to allow each refugee to mobilize themselves to get a National Insurance number and open a bank account.
Michelle explained Nitsa visits the hotel once a week and makes sure to meet every guest and listen to their stories. She loves to see the children around in the hotel as it reminds her of raising her own four children there. It has brought the hotel back to life.
Any refugees in need of accommodation can find the Seaward Hotel listed on Homes For Ukraine—and you can donate on the hotel’s website to help Nitsa’s family support refugees.
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Finally, some research we can all use right away—especially if you’re prone to being bitten by mosquitoes more than anyone around you. It could hinge on what you wear.
New research led by scientists at the University of Washington indicates that a species of common mosquito flies toward specific colors, while ignoring the cooler shades of green, purple, blue and white.
On the other end of the color spectrum, human skin emits a strong red-orange signal for the mossies—and those are two of the colors that attract the bugs.
“Mosquitoes appear to use odors to help them distinguish what is nearby, like a host to bite,” said Jeffrey Riffell, a UW professor of biology. “When they smell specific compounds, like CO2 from our breath, that scent stimulates the eyes to scan for specific colors and other visual patterns… and head to them.”
“I used to say there are three major cues that attract mosquitoes: your breath, your sweat and the temperature of your skin, said Riffell, who is senior author on the paper.
“In this study, we found a fourth cue: the color red, which can not only be found on your clothes, but is also found in everyone’s skin. The shade of your skin doesn’t matter, we are all giving off a strong red signature. Wearing clothes that avoid those colors, could be another way to prevent a mosquito biting.”
The researchers tracked individual mosquitoes inside a test chambers where they sprayed specific odors and presented different types of visual patterns—such as a colored dots, human hands, or gloved hands.
Save your slimming black clothes for winter
Without any odor stimulus, mosquitoes largely ignored a dot at the bottom of the chamber, regardless of color. After a spritz of CO2 into the chamber, mosquitos continued to ignore the dot if it were green, blue or purple in color. But if the dot were red, orange, or black, mosquitoes would fly toward it.
Oddly, the color between green and blue on the spectrum—cyan—was also attractive to the creature.
Humans can’t smell CO2 (which we exhale with each breath), but mosquitoes can. Past research by Riffell’s team and other groups showed that smelling CO2 boosts female mosquitoes’ activity level—and they start searching the space around them, presumably for a host. The colored-dot experiments revealed that after smelling CO2, these mosquitoes’ eyes prefer certain wavelengths in the visual spectrum.
It’s similar to what might happen when humans smell something good.
“Imagine you’re on a sidewalk and you smell pie crust and cinnamon,” said Riffell. “That’s probably a sign that there’s a bakery nearby, and you might start looking around for it. Here, we started to learn what visual elements that mosquitoes are looking for after smelling their own version of a bakery.”
Most humans have “true color” vision: We see different wavelengths of light as distinct colors: 650 nanometers shows up as red; 450 nanometer appear blue. The researchers do not know whether mosquitoes perceive colors the same way that our eyes do. But most of the colors the mosquitoes prefer after smelling CO2 — orange, red and black — correspond to longer wavelengths of light. Human skin, regardless of pigmentation, also gives off a long-wavelength signal in the red-orange range.
When Riffell’s team repeated the chamber experiments with human skintone pigmentation cards — or a researcher’s bare hand — mosquitoes again flew toward the visual stimulus only after CO2 was sprayed into the chamber. If the researchers used filters to remove long-wavelength signals, or had the researcher wear a green-colored glove, then CO2-primed mosquitoes no longer flew toward the stimulus.
Riffell says knowing which colors attract hungry mosquitoes, and which ones do not, can also help design better repellants, traps, and other methods to keep mosquitoes at bay.
The paper, published Feb. 4 in Nature Communications, describes how the team used female yellow fever mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti, which are common in tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions throughout the world, and can transmit dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya and Zika. Like all mosquito species, only females drink blood.
More research is needed to determine if other mosquito species may have different color preferences, based on their preferred host. But these new findings add a new layer to mosquito control: color.
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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY – Week of June 4, 2022
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
A blogger named Sweetlikeacherry reminds us, “Some epiphanies are only possible when you put away your phone and go completely offline for a while.” She adds that sometimes you also need to at least partially avoid your phone and the internet if you hope to incubate new visions of the future and unlock important discoveries in your creative work and summon your untamed genius. According to my astrological analysis, all these possibilities are especially likely and necessary for you in the coming weeks. I trust you will carry out the necessary liberations to take full advantage.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Poet Carolyn Kizer (1925–2014) won a Pulitzer Prize for her poetry. She was smart! But when she was young and still studying her craft in college, a professor objected to one of her poems. He said, “You have pigs in this poem; pigs are not poetic.” Kizer was incensed at such ignorance. She testified, “I got up and walked out of that class and never went back.” Judging from the astrological omens, I suspect you may have comparable showdowns headed your way. I advise you to be like Kizer. You are the only one who truly knows the proper subjects of your quest. No one else has the right or the insight to tell you what your work (or play) should be about.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Leo author James Baldwin said it wasn’t often “that two people can laugh and make love, too—make love because they are laughing and laugh because they’re making love. The love and the laughter come from the same place: butnot many people go there.” Your assignment, Leo, is to be the exception to Baldwin’s rule during the coming weeks. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, there’s a high possibility that interesting eros can converge with humorous fun in a glorious synergy. You will have a knack for conjuring up ribald encounters and jovial orgasms. Your intuition will guide you to shed the solemnity from your bliss and replace it with sunny, carefree cheer.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
I’m worried you will over-indulge in your pursuit of perfection during the coming weeks. It’s fine to be exquisitely skillful and masterful; I hope you do that. Butif you get obsessed with flawlessness, you will risk undoing your good intentions. As an antidote, I offer you two pieces of advice. The first is from actor and activist Jane Fonda. She said, “We are not meant to be perfect; we are meant to be whole.” The second counsel is from philosopher and psychologist William James, who wrote, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chaseperfection, wecancatchexcellence.”
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Author Mustafa Mahmoud described the signs of love between two people: 1. feeling a comfortable familiarity; 2. having no urge or need to lie; 3. being natural, not trying to be different from who one is; 4. having little or no possibility of being embarrassed in front of the other person; 5. experiencing silence as delicious, not alienating; 6. enjoying the act of listening to the other person. I bring these pointers to your attention, Libra, because the coming months will be a favorable time to define and redefine your understandings about the signs of love. How do you feel about Mahmoud’s ideas? Are there any more you would like to add?
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
“We do not love each other without changing each other,” wrote author Madeleine L’Engle. Meditate on that gem, Scorpio. Now is a perfect time for you and your loved ones to acknowledge, honor, and celebrate the ways your love has changed each other. It may be true that some transformations have been less than ideal. If that’s the case, the coming weeks will be a favorable time to correct those trends. As for the positive changes that you and your allies have stimulated in each other: I hope you will name them and pledge to keep doing more of that good work.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
“I always deserve the best treatment, because I never put up with any other,” wrote Sagittarian novelist Jane Austen. Sagittarian politician Stacey Abrams said, “From the moment I enter a room, I am clear about how I intend to be treated and how I intend to engage.” You’ll be wise to cultivate those attitudes in the next seven weeks, Sagittarius. It’s high time for you to raise your self-respect in ways that inspire others to elevate their appreciation and regard for you.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
In 1963, Jim Munro and Alice Munro founded Munro’s Books, a store in Victoria, British Columbia. After being on the job for a few months, Alice found she was not impressed with many of the products they sold. “I can write better books than this,” she told Jim. Five years later, she published her first collection of short stories, Dance of the Happy Shades. Fourteen books later, she won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Will the coming months bring your equivalent of Alice Munro’s pivotal resolution? I suspect they could.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
“True love for whatever you are doing is the answer to everything,” proclaimed performance artist Marina Abramovic. Amen to that righteous attitude! I hope you will embrace it in the coming weeks. I hope your heart and imagination will reveal all you need to know to bring tender fresh streams of true love to the essential activities of your life. Now is an excellent time to redefine the meaning of the word “love” so it applies to all your relationships and pursuits.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
A homeless woman in a wheelchair stopped where I was sitting outside a café. She was pushing her belongings in a small shopping cart. “Would you like to go dancing?” she said to me. “There’s a nearby park that has a great grassy dance floor.” “Maybe another day,” I told her. “My energy is low. I’ve had a lot of personal challenges lately.” I’m sure the expression on my face was less-than-ebullient. “Cheer up, mister,” she told me. “I’m psychic, and I can tell you for sure that you will live a long life and have many more fine adventures. I’ll be in the park if you change your mind.” My mood instantly brightened. “Thanks!” I yelled toward her as she rolled away. Now I predict that you, Pisces, will have comparable experiences in the coming days. Are you willing to welcome uplifting surprises?
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Who loves the truth better than you Aries people? Who has the greatest potential to speak the real story in every situation, even when it requires extra courage? Who has more fun than you in discovering and defining and expressing the raw facts? In my Book of Life, you Rams are radiant beacons of candor—the people I go to when I need accuracy and honesty. And all I’m saying here will be especially crucial in the coming weeks. The whole world needs concentrated doses of your authenticity. Now read this pep talk from Aries philosopher St. Catherine of Siena: “Let the truth be your delight; let it always be in your mouth, and proclaim it when it is needed. Proclaim it lovingly and to everyone, especially those you love with a special love—but with a certain congeniality.”
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Before the 20th century, you couldn’t buy a loaf of bread that was already sliced into thin pieces. Then in 1912, the American inventor Otto Frederick Rohwedder developed a slicing machine. But all his work, including the blueprints and the machine prototypes, was destroyed in a fire. He had to seek new funding and begin again. Sixteen years later, his innovation was finally ready for broad public use. Within five years, most of the bread in the US was sold sliced. What does this have to do with you? I am picking up an Otto Frederick Rohwedder vibe when I turn my visions to you, Taurus. I suspect that in the coming months, you, too, will fulfill a postponed dream.
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Quote of the Day: “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.” – Vince Lombardi
Photo by: Afif Kusuma
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This is the heart-warming reaction of care home residents as they enjoyed a visit from an adorable group of Pomeranian and British bulldogs.
The adorable video shows the residents of Romford Grange Care cooing, stroking at the tiny dogs, and having their noses licked in return.
The visit, which took place last month, was organized by Larry Cooley, owner of The Bully Ranch, as part of the “Bully Ranch to you” project.
The project is a personal one for 34-year-old Larry who organized the trip to raise the spirits of the residents at the care home.
He said, “Being raised by my nan and grandad in the East End of London, I have always had utmost respect for the elderly, always helping out carrying bags and doing what I could to contribute.
“Puppies and dogs have amazing benefits such as lowering anxiety, helping with depression, stress, conquering loneliness and even reducing physical pain.”
SWNS
Conquering loneliness was a big factor in their going after the effect the pandemic had on the elderly.
He added, “From the moment we entered the care home there were smiles all round from staff and residents. It was a really nice atmosphere I must say.
“During the pandemic it was hard not to notice that the elderly were affected dramatically, with no visits from family and friends and the massive change in climate.
“The residents in the care home had a rough two years but on Wednesday they were told we were coming to visit, they were very excited and kept asking after us.”
A protein that destroys hard-to-treat cancers has been discovered by scientists, offering hope of effective new treatments.
Experiments on mice and human tissue found it is effective against the most aggressive tumors.
They include those of the breast, pancreas, ovaries, and brain. The compound, known as ERX-41, leaves healthy tissue unscathed.
It is one of the most promising breakthroughs to date—offering hope of a ‘one size fits all’ pill that was once thought impossible.
Results were so encouraging that clinical trials are expected to begin in the next few months.
“We identified a critical vulnerability in multiple cancers and have validated our findings in multiple cancer cell types and animal models,” Lead author Professor Ratna Vadlamudi, of the University of Texas said. “The range of cell lines and xenografts in which the compound has been shown to work is compelling and indicates that it is targeting a fundamental vulnerability in cancer cells.”
Xenografts are human tumors grown in mouse models for research purposes. The findings could lead to exciting drugs for cancers that have few effective treatments.
Breakthrough research
Prof. Vadlamudi’s lab staff study breast and ovarian cancer with a goal to developing small-molecule inhibitors for tumors that are resistant to current therapies.
In 2017, they identified a compound called ERX-11 that targets the oestrogen receptor (ER) protein that drives most breast cancers.
By screening similar chemicals, the researchers showed ERX-41 killed ER-positive and triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) in petri dishes.
They lack receptors for the hormones oestrogen, progesterone, and human epidermal growth factor 2 – and are the most deadly.
The researchers then showed ERX-41 also attacked a large number of human tumors grown from several of these cell lines in mouse models.
It was also potent against patient-derived xenografts, shrinking human tumors grown in lab rodents without affecting normal breast cells or causing any discernible toxicity.
“The safety profile and high therapeutic index of this compound is particularly notable and bodes well for clinical translation,” Prof Vadlamudi said.
Further tests found ERX-41 is also effective against pancreatic, brain, and ovarian tumours. They are among the most lethal, with few effective treatments.
“This vulnerability has a large therapeutic window, with no adverse effects either on normal cells or in mice,” Prof. Vadlamudi added. “Our study implicates a targeted strategy for solid tumours including breast, brain, pancreatic, and ovarian whereby small, orally bioavailable molecules result in tumor cell death.”
Dallas-based biotech company EtiraRx hopes clinical trials will be underway in early 2023.
The study was published in the journal Nature Cancer.
Almost the only thing Birmingham, Alabama, and Pakistan have in common is Shahzeb Anwer—a man who left his home country for an important surgery in the U.S. and found so much more than medical help.
The 31-year-old found his ‘home away from home’ in the southern city, and now considers it—and all its 211,000 residents—part of his family.
So, as he was preparing to be married, he did what anyone would do; he invited his family—all of Birmingham—to his special day.
This heartwarming story began in Pakistan where Anwer, who suffered from kidney stones every year or two, needed a surgery that he found could be done most effectively and cheaply at UAB Hospital in Birmingham.
Never having heard of this city or state before, Anwer began doing his homework; what should he wear, what’s the best way to get around? Posting on a small Reddit group for the Magic City, Anwer soon got a double dose of southern hospitality.
“People responded in a way that I wouldn’t even expect from my own people in Pakistan,” Anwer told a CBS local affiliate.
Folks in the group started cheering him on, making recommendations, and helping to facilitate his trip/stay by making sure he had rides to places.
One Birminghamer, Andrew Harris would drive him around, take him out to dinner, and ensure he got to try as many foods from other countries as possible, adding that Anwer always tried to pay him, but that he never accepted, because it was like he was making a great friend out of the South Asian visitor.
Home away from home
Then the day came. After the surgery was a complete success, Anwer was set to return to Pakistan.
“When he started to leave, I got this huge hole in my stomach–in my heart–that I was about to lose him,” Harris said. “Knowing him such a short time, I was surprised that I started having those feelings, but he’s already become such an important part of my life.”
After returning to Pakistan, Anwer felt that since Harris and the rest of Birmingham had become such a part of his life, they should be at his upcoming wedding. He posted in the same Reddit group that all the members to the thread were invited, and they could bring anyone from the city.
In the Reddit Birmingham community he wrote days later: “Hello home city and its people. I hope you’re all fine. Just a glimpse of one of my days though marriage is a multiday celebration here.”
Comments soon after rained well-wishes on him and his fiancee.
One took the opportunity to express how Anwer’s journey influenced their decision to move to Alabama.
“I was considering permanently moving to Birmingham when I first read about your story through this Reddit,” one person wrote. “I was so touched that it (among many other things) helped convince me to take the plunge and commit.”
Anwer responded that, “for you it’s a golden opportunity, no hugs are turned down in this place.”
His wedding took place on May the 22nd, and it’s unclear how much of Birmingham made it out, as it was short notice and a long flight. But they were all invited, and that’s all that matters.
(WATCH the video for this story below.)
SAY ‘I do’ to Stories of True Hospitality Like This One; Share It on Social…
When a woman recently found a lump in the cushion of a chair she had received for free on Craigslist, she thought it was a heating pad someone with a bad back had stuffed into it.
But when Vicky Umodu from Colton in California unzipped the cover, she pulled out a dozen envelopes of cold, hard cash.
She yelled “we’ve got to call the guy” to her son, and quickly returned every cent—saying it never once occurred to her to keep even a dollar.
An ABC news local affiliate reached out to the vendor and his family, who said that they were getting rid of the chair and a matching sofa after the death of a loved one.
The money totaled $36,000, which the family believes was hidden away by the deceased as part of a saving strategy, and that there could be more dough in unseen places.
Mrs. Umodu was given $2,200 as a reward for her good deed, money she’ll use to buy a new refrigerator.
“God has been kind to me and my children,” Umodu told reporters. “They are all alive and well, I have three beautiful grandchildren, so what can I ever ask of God?
Quote of the Day: “Remember… Triumph is made up of two words: TRY and UMPH.” – Robert Schuller
Photo by: Julia Caesar
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The Shard building / Shangri-La hotel by Cmglee, CC license
The Shard building / Shangri-La hotel by Cmglee, CC license
A sick schoolgirl who dreamed of staying at The Shard as she looked out at it from her bed at Great Ormond Street Hospital has been treated to a $25,150 (£20,000) stay there.
14-year-old Angel Growns was diagnosed with Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency and Sacral Agenesis at birth, which means her lower spine did not develop properly and her right femur was completely missing.
She has spent years of her life in and out of hospital.
In 2018 she nearly died following an operation to amputate her lower leg at the world-famous hospital While the operation was successful, Angel contracted deadly sepsis afterwards following an infection.
It was there that she could see The Shard from her hospital bed and kept asking the nurses about it.
“When she learned there was a hotel inside, called Shangri-La, she desperately wanted to go,” her mom, Holly, said.
The family were treated to the luxury stay through charity Make-A-Wish UK free of charge.
“I really can’t put into words just how amazing the whole thing was. A real VIP experience,” Her mom added. “Angel has been through so much in her young life and continues to go through a lot but has always done it with a brave face. This was such a magical thing for her to enjoy.
Instead of staring out at The Shard from her sick bed, she was able to look back across to Great Ormond Street from her window. And her room in the hotel was beautifully decorated with balloons, flowers and edible decorations.
Low-Res_filippo-giustozzi-tyre-media.jpgRMIT UNIVERSITY
RMIT UNIVERSITY
Rubber from used tyres acts like sunscreen for roads and halves the rate of sun damage when mixed with bitumen, new research has found.
Engineers at RMIT University in Australia have discovered a bitumen blend that is both UV-resistant and withstands traffic loads, with the potential to save governments millions on road maintenance annually.
Unlike much outdoor infrastructure—such as playground equipment and outdoor furniture— roads are not designed with any sun protection, making them prone to cracking and potentially unsafe to drive on.
Incorporating recycled rubber not only offers sun protection but is a promising sustainable solution to the used-tyre crisis in many countries, including Australia where an export ban on used tyres has been in place since December 2020.
While research efforts have focused on improving the durability of roads in terms of traffic load, thermal ageing and weather-related events, sun damage has received little attention, until now.
Sunscreen for roads
The new study led by RMIT’s Associate Professor Filippo Giustozzi provides a sustainable solution to UV protection for roads.
“We found that the ageing trend is actually slowed down when you add crumb rubber, which is recycled from scrap tyres, into the top layer of a road,” Giustozzi said.
“This acts so effectively as a sunscreen for roads that it actually makes the surface last twice as long as regular bitumen.
“We knew that UV would be a factor in road degradation, but not by what degree or how to protect against it, as nobody has really been looking at this aspect.”
RMIT is one of the few universities in Australia to have a UV machine for asphalt studies, which can simulate weather-related ageing and is usually used for testing outdoor furniture paints.
Giustozzi’s team used this machine to simulate the long-term effect of solar degradation in the lab on bitumen with different concentrations of crumb rubber: from a low concentration of 7.5% to a medium of 15% and a high of 22.5%.
After a month and a half of continuous exposure in the UV machine—equivalent to about a year of UV radiation in Melbourne, Australia—they measured the changes in bitumen’s chemical and mechanical properties.
Giustozzi said bitumen mixed with the high concentration of crumb rubber from recycled tyres showed 50% less UV damage compared to regular bitumen.
While using more rubber was better in terms of UV resistance, Giustozzi said it was also important to balance this with mechanical performance.
“You don’t want something that is UV resistant but not truck resistant,” he said.
“We found adding between 18% and 22% of crumb rubber generates an ideal balance in terms of improving rut and fatigue resistance to traffic loads, while resisting UV ageing.”
A sustainable solution to the used tyre crisis
Tyre Stewardship Australia CEO, Lina Goodman, said while Australia produced around 450,000 tonnes of end-of-life tyres in 2021, only around 70% of those were recycled or reprocessed.
Goodman said they were encouraged by the research in showcasing the viability and benefits of using crumb rubber from end-of-life tyres, not only in roads and civil infrastructure, but across multiple sectors.
“We’re excited to collaborate on this project with industry and leading researchers at RMIT University,” she said.
“A multi-organisational approach paves the way for new innovation and the opportunity to turn this resource into a value-added product.”
Giustozzi said an added advantage of crumb rubber was that it was already widely in use, including in some roads, but that the councils and state authorities using it were not aware of this ‘sunscreen’ effect revealed in the research.
“We hope this research will change that and open new opportunities.”
