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

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Nov 22, 2021

Airless tires released Michelin 1 — Michelin

Innovation has pretty much finished with car tires right, I mean, what’s left to change? How about the whole “air” part?

Michelin’s attempt to tackle tire trash around the world saw them roll out puncture-proof “airless” tires, which they say should help reduce the 18% of all world tires that are discarded early due to punctures.

In September, an interesting showpiece at the Munich Auto Show was tire giant’s new concept for an airless tire that is immune to the punctures that render many useless.

Discarded tires are a huge worldwide waste problem—the U.S. produces 260 million discarded tires per year, many of which end up in landfills or on the sides of the freeway where they release harmful gases and microplastic pollutants as they break down.

Michelin’s Unique Puncture Proof Tire System or “UPTIS” is designed using 46% recycled material, and made from a plastic matrix laced with glass fibers that provide a flexible outer layer with a stiffer inner one.

MORE: Bike Tires That Need No Air Are Made From NASA Rover Tech –But Soon Will Be Available to Any Cyclist

“The truly distinctive structure of the Michelin UPTIS prototype, or its ‘weirdness’ as we have often heard it called, really attracted the attention of many visitors and left a lasting impression on them,” stated Cyrille Roget, Michelin Group Technical and Scientific Communications Director.

“It was an exceptional experience for us, and our greatest satisfaction came at the end of the demonstration when our passengers, who were admittedly a little wary at first, said they felt no difference compared with conventional tires.”

This isn’t just a European “green” plan to satisfy politicians, the internal spokes of the tire can be tuned to exquisite detail, New Atlas reports, to improve handling or comfort.

Michelin believes airless tires will improve everyone’s lives. With tires less susceptible to wear from the roads, maintenance costs for company’s vehicle fleets will be less expensive, while inexperienced car owners won’t accidentally ruin their rubbers by driving them while they are over- or under-inflated.

No current price has been suggested, and even though they’ve been in development since 2005, they aren’t likely to be available for another 24-36 months. In another 30 years, Michelin hope to manufacture only airless tires, with 100% recycled material.

(WATCH the airless tire test-drive below.)

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Thrilled Astronomers in Chile Are First to Photograph a Moon-forming Disc Around an Exoplanet

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Nov 22, 2021

moon exoplanet released ALMA (ESO_NAOJ_NRAO)_Benisty et al.

Wide and close-up views of a moon-forming disc as seen with ALMA/ ALMA (ESO_NAOJ_NRAO)_Benisty et al.

Using the ALMA (Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimeter Array), astronomers have unambiguously detected the presence of a disc around a planet outside our Solar System for the first time. The observations will shed new light on how moons and planets form in young stellar systems.

“Our work presents a clear detection of a disc in which satellites could be forming,” says Myriam Benisty, a researcher at the University of Grenoble, France, and at the University of Chile, who led the new research published today in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. “Our ALMA observations were obtained at such exquisite resolution that we could clearly identify that the disc is associated with the planet and we are able to constrain its size for the first time,” she adds.

The disc in question, called a circumplanetary disc, surrounds the exoplanet PDS 70c, one of two giant, Jupiter-like planets orbiting a star nearly 400 light-years away. Astronomers had found hints of a “moon-forming” disc around this exoplanet before but, since they could not clearly tell the disc apart from its surrounding environment, they could not confirm its detection—until now.

In addition, with the help of ALMA, Benisty and her team found that the disc has about the same diameter as the distance from our Sun to the Earth and enough mass to form up to three satellites the size of the Moon.

MORE: To Unravel Earliest History of Our Solar System, NASA’s Lucy Mission Launches Toward Asteroid Swarms Tomorrow

But the results are not only key to finding out how moons arise. “These new observations are also extremely important to prove theories of planet formation that could not be tested until now,” says Jaehan Bae, a researcher from the Earth and Planets Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution for Science, and author on the study.

Planets form in dusty discs around young stars, carving out cavities as they gobble up material from this circumstellar disc to grow. In this process, a planet can acquire its own circumplanetary disc, which contributes to the growth of the planet by regulating the amount of material falling onto it. At the same time, the gas and dust in the circumplanetary disc can come together into progressively larger bodies through multiple collisions, ultimately leading to the birth of moons.

Widefield image of the sky around PDS 70/ESO Digitized Sky Survey 2; Davide De Martin

But astronomers do not yet fully understand the details of these processes. “In short, it is still unclear when, where, and how planets and moons form,” explains Stefano Facchini, a Research Fellow involved in the research at the European Southern Observatory (ESO), which is an ALMA partner.

“More than 4000 exoplanets have been found until now, but all of them were detected in mature systems. PDS 70b and PDS 70c, which form a system reminiscent of the Jupiter-Saturn pair, are the only two exoplanets detected so far that are still in the process of being formed,” explains Miriam Keppler, researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany and one of the co-authors of the study.

The dwarf star PDS 70 in the constellation Centaurus/ESO, IAU and Sky & Telescope

“This system therefore offers us a unique opportunity to observe and study the processes of planet and satellite formation,” Facchini adds.

PDS 70b and PDS 70c, the two planets making up the system, were first discovered using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in 2018 and 2019 respectively, and their unique nature means they have been observed with other telescopes and instruments many times since.

The latest high resolution ALMA observations have now allowed astronomers to gain further insights into the system. In addition to confirming the detection of the circumplanetary disc around PDS 70c and studying its size and mass, they found that PDS 70b does not show clear evidence of such a disc, indicating that it was starved of dust material from its birth environment by PDS 70c.

An even deeper understanding of the planetary system will be achieved with ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), currently under construction on Cerro Armazones in the Chilean Atacama desert. “The ELT will be key for this research since, with its much higher resolution, we will be able to map the system in great detail,” says co-author Richard Teague, a researcher at the Center for Astrophysics partnership between Harvard & Smithsonian.

In particular, by using the ELT’s Mid-infrared ELT Imager and Spectrograph (METIS), the team will be able to look at the gas motions surrounding PDS 70c to get a full 3D picture of the system.

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“All human beings should try to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why.” – James Thurber

Quote of the Day

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Nov 22, 2021

Quote of the Day: “All human beings should try to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why.” – James Thurber

Photo: by Emma Simpson

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?

Vending Machines Are Now ‘Giving Machines’ Where People Can Donate Chickens, Blankets, Boots, or Basketballs

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Nov 21, 2021

Employing the common and easily understood method of the vending machine—these Giving Machines allow passersby in American cities to make a charitable donation to a fellow citizen through local and global causes.

Catering to impulsive givers to indulge their altruistic impulses, they can use the vending machine to purchase anything from a single goat or two chickens to providing a household cleaning kit, polio vaccines, or even a day at Yankee Stadium for an orphaned teen.

When donors make their purchase via credit card, the Giving Machine dispenses a postcard featuring an image and description of their donation.

Of the 10 cities with vending machines nationwide, one of them will be located at Rockefeller Center in New York City, just south of its famed Christmas tree. The machine will kickoff on Tuesday, Nov. 30—the day known as “Giving Tuesday”—with speeches from people at UNICEF, WaterAid, the UNHCR, CARE, the Mariano Rivera Foundation, and other charities.

The first Giving Machine ever installed opened in 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah, where the sponsoring organization, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is headquartered.

The Utah pilot program was impressive, yielding donations totaling more than a half million dollars. One year later, the response was even stronger, with more than $2.3 million donated through a total of 92,190 Giving Machine transactions.

In 2019, the program expanded, and donations topped $6.2 million—with two locations outside the United States that year: in the Philippine capitol and in London.

After being halted in 2020 due to COVID, the Giving Machines are back, in ten different U.S. cities—with the sponsoring Church covering all administrative costs for this campaign so that 100 percent of each donation goes to each charity.

LOOK: Keanu Reeves Gifts His 4 Stuntmen With $20,000 Rolex Watches Engraved With Fun Messages

The machines launch on the following dates in these cities and will remain operational throughout the Christmas season:

• Las Vegas, Nevada– Currently active in downtown Summerlin Mall
• Nashville, Tennessee– Currently active at 18 Bridgestone Arena
• Honolulu, Hawaii– Currently active in the Pearlridge Center
• Orem, Utah– University Place Mall on November 23, 2021
• Salt Lake City, Utah– City Creek Center on November 24, 2021
• Oakland, California– Temple Hill on November 27, 2021
• Gilbert, Arizona– Water Tower Plaza on November 29, 2021
• Denver, Colorado– Writer Square on November 30, 2021
• Kansas City, Missouri– Crown Center on November 30, 2021
• New York City, New York– Rockefeller Plaza on November 30, 2021

The Giving Machines will feature over two dozen choices for charity initiatives with items to purchase, including:

Meal for a Family
Warm Blanket
Five Sleeping Mats
Solar Lantern
Winter Clothing
One Tent
One Pair of Gloves
One Dozen Pairs of Socks
Two Winter Scarves
Winter Boots
Weekly Metro Card
Two Basketballs
One Month of Meals
Emergency WASH Kit
Polio Vaccines for 100 Kids
Five Menstrual Care Kits
Rainwater Storage Tank
Water Pump
Install a Well
Two Chickens
One Goat
Household Cleaning Kit
One Laptop
A Day at Yankee Stadium
WaterAid
Portable Vaccine Carrier
Spiritual Care of Seniors
Protect a Health Care Worker
Passover Meal for Two People

All through organizations like UNICEF, USA,The Mariano Rivera Foundation, USA for UNHCR – The UN Refugee Agency, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, and The Actors Fund, a safety net for performing arts and entertainment professionals over their lifespan.

In 2019, a total of 255,814 items were purchased from ten Giving Machine locations around the world. The top five purchased items were:

Three chickens (31,006 transactions)
100 polio vaccines (15,132 transactions)
Take-home meals for a child (12,623 transactions)
One sheep (10,187 transactions)
Box of fresh produce (9,730 transactions)

The annual #LightTheWorld holiday initiative by the nonprofit Latter-day Saint Charities is “an invitation to all to make the most of the Christmas season by giving, one person at a time — in homes, in communities, and around the globe.”

DONATE This Brilliant Inspiration on Social Media to Toast #GivingTuesday…

Couple Answers Loneliness With Organized Walks And Games in London – And Hundreds Show Up

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Nov 21, 2021

London Meetup community social Talk the Walk : Alexandru Ciobotaru — Talk the Walk / Alexandru Ciobotaru

A couple in their 30s were absolutely done with the constant isolation, following more than a year of COVID, and they decided to launch a community initiative this summer.

Jake Williams and Charlotte Sinclair started Talk the Walk, which seeks to promote people getting together, exploring London on foot, and getting to know each other.

The number one mission was to have fun—even if only a few people showed up for the free events. That’s what they expected when they started in September on Meetup.com.

Suddenly they were getting hundreds of people RSVPing with enthusiasm.

“Our services are really in demand,” Jake told GNN.

200-300 people of various ages now regularly attend each event, which opens with the playing of icebreaker games. The couple designed the games to be easy for introverts, too, with “fun questions” breaking the nervousness.

They pick interesting landmarks to visit, with the first locations chosen being Hampstead Heath, King’s Cross, and the Regent’s Canal. Attendees are even surprised with an offer of chocolate.

LOOK: Man Inspires Town During Lockdown—Spelling Out Messages with Rubber Duckies in Front Yard

“I have a megaphone now, thank God,” Jake told My London. “I’ve done some crazy things in my time working from home to stop loneliness, like dog sitting for people and joining gyms just so I can have more conversations with people.”

“I think that it’s hugely impactful for people who have been affected by Covid, by being forced to work from home and having that isolation,” he continued.

“Our focus is to end loneliness and to bring communities back together,” wrote Jake via email.

They’ve seen older folks conversing with younger folks, and people becoming friends—so much so, that the strangers are now meeting on their own after becoming acquainted.

Talk the Walk organized their last event for October 23, but told us they will resume shortly.

LOOK: Wisconsin Town Falls in Love With Huge Beach Ball, Playing ‘Where’s Waldo’ and Hiding It on Local Streets

“It’s getting cold here. But we’ll be back once it starts to warm up again 🙂

Nearly 2,000 members in their Meetup community and followers on their Facebook Page are waiting for that day also, but meanwhile, this young couple might serve as your very own inspiration to connect people in your own communities.

SHARE the Idea to Connect Your Isolated Friends on Social Media…

This Cabin’s Flexible Design Can Open To Nature or Enclose into Cozy Space Again (Watch)

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Andy Corbley

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Nov 21, 2021

Open air cabin by Cabin ANNA - Caspar Schols — Cabin ANNA - Caspar Schols

What’s more cozy than a cabin nestled in nature?

Well, one architect wanted even more nature, so he designed a cabin with moving walls that can slide open.

Cabin ANNA, by architect Casper Schols, accomplishes what our zipped jackets do when the weather changes; the walls open wide on rails to allow in the sunshine and scenery.

Delivered pre-assembled or as a flat pack, sliding away the wall on an ANNA cabin, one can have a glass greenhouse for a chilly yet sunny day, or nothing between you and the nature which surrounds you.

For nighttime or cold days, simply push all the components together again, and you have a cozy, insulated traditional cabin.

There are two versions, ANNA Stay and ANNA Meet—the former comes with either an on-grid version with plenty of amenities, or an off-grid version with self-sustaining technologies like a waste-water treatment system, solar panels, and a fire-heating water boiler.

LOOK: Developer Turns Farm Storage into Soaring Yet Affordable Apartments

For the construction, only high-quality natural materials are used. The outside is made of sustainable Siberian larch wood. On the inside, birch plywood has been used for high quality and its light color. Most wood is left untreated and sawdust was used for insulation.

Both versions come with a fully-equipped kitchen, shower, bathroom, and room for two adults and two kids or three adults. A bathtub is fully integrated under the floor paneling.

Schols tells Dezeen that it was actually a garden house he designed and built for his mom that gave him the inspiration to make ANNA. She wanted a place she could paint, play with her kids, garden, and be outside, and so he made her a small structure with two exterior wall panels that moved and two interior ones.

“ANNA Stay has two sliding shells instead of the four in the original Garden House,” Schols told Dezeen. “But the two are longer and cover more area.”

MORE: They’ve Designed a Livable Pontoon Boat Inspired by a Volkswagen Bus

“ANNA is a dynamic home in the shape of an open platform to live with rather than against the elements, by playing with the configuration of the layers of the house,” he writes on the CABIN ANNA website.

“Just like the way you dress yourself to suit different weather conditions, occasions, and moods.”

If the designer’s aesthetic, ‘let nature be your home,’ resonates with customers, they can contact the company to discuss prices.

(SEE the grand design in action in the video below.)

Expand The View On This Dream Cabin – Share the Pics on Social Media…

Woman Becomes ‘Natural Suppressor’ of HIV as Her Body Completely Clears the Disease – Doctors Find Only Antibodies

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Andy Corbley

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Nov 21, 2021

Another patient has seemingly recovered fully from a diagnosis of HIV.

The woman in Argentina may have become the first person whose immune system, itself, cured her of the virus. And, though it has been heralded as a miracle, it presents hope to scientists—and patients—that one day we may be able to put the HIV scourge behind us.

The 30-year-old woman dubbed the “Esperanza” Patient (in the tradition of naming HIV-cured patients after their city of residence), may prove a little more special.

“This is really the miracle of the human immune system that did it,” Dr. Xu Yu, a viral immunologist at the Ragon Institute in Boston, told NBC. Yu led the exhaustive, no-stone-unturned search for any trace of HIV in the Esperanza Patient, and published the study this month in Annals of Internal Medicine.

The few details released to the public regarding the unique case includes that she was diagnosed in 2013, and has been showing ‘non-existent viral presence’ for 8 years. Then, in 2020 she gave birth to an HIV-negative child. If researchers’ can figure out how her immune system is capable to neutralizing the virus so effectively, it would lead to more effective and basic treatments, and perhaps even a cure.

HIV has been hypothesized as cured in 2 other people, the “London,” and “Berlin” Patients, who were both cured with a stem cell transplant treatment.

The transplanted donor cells had a gene defect called CCR5delta32mutant which results in the absence of one of the critical entry gatekeepers that HIV generally needs to infect cells.

In the case of the Esperanza Patient, she is defined as an ‘elite controller’, with rare odds and an immune system that can suppress the dreaded virus naturally. HIV is difficult to treat and detect, as it is capable of infecting and living dormant in the immune cells, which live the longest, giving it excellent resilience.

These elite controllers have an ability to preferentially target these long-lived cells, according to another paper published by Yu in 2020 with “Esperanza” as a participant. The “viral reservoir” dries up, removing HIV’s most effective survival strategy.

“I enjoy being healthy,” the Esperanza patient, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told NBC News in a translated email. “I have a healthy family. I don’t have to medicate, and I live as though nothing has happened. This already is a privilege.”

38 million people live with HIV, which over the last two decades has become somewhat treatable with drugs, but the authors state that the more cases like Esperanza that medical science can uncover and study, the more we can begin to understand what it means—and looks like—to cure the disease.

Maybe another reason people are feeling hopeful. The word ‘esperanza’, in Spanish, literally means hope.

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“The important thing is to be able, at any moment, to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.” – Charles Du Bos

Quote of the Day

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Nov 21, 2021

Quote of the Day: “The important thing is to be able, at any moment, to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.” – Charles Du Bos

Photo: by Patrick Tomasso

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?

More Than 70% of Older Americans Feel Younger Than They Actually Are – And Are Embracing Aging

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Nov 20, 2021

Age is nothing but a number for most older Americans, as 84% said they have embraced aging—and they’re living their best lives.

A survey of 2,000 people 65 and older found nearly three-quarters (72%) of people feel younger than they are, with half saying they feel younger than 50-years-old.

The average person stops caring what others think of their age at 43, and over one-third of those polled said that being able to say what you want is one of the best things about getting older.

As older Americans enjoy their golden years, people cited the best parts of aging as having more time to do what they want (64%) and enjoying retirement (60%).

Another recent poll showed that 45% of Americans aged 50 and older reported having the best sex of their lives as they’ve aged. The survey found that 35% are surprisingly more intimate than ever before.

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of ClearMatch Medicare, the results showed that 58% of elders are also tapping into their younger selves by using social media to communicate with their family and friends.

“Baby boomers are reinventing what it means to age, and they resent those outdated stereotypes of older adults,” said Keira Krausz, chief marketing officer at ClearMatch Medicare.

“They’re not letting their age interfere with their quality of life because the best years of their lives are still ahead of them.”

84% of older Americans are confident in their understanding of online safety, and reported are aware of online risks.

“Older adults today are well-equipped to utilize technology to choose goods or services they need—the shift to quarantine as a result of COVID has proved that,” said Krausz.

ALSO: More Americans Now Consider Themselves to be ‘Thriving’ Than at Any Point in 13 Years: Gallop

BEST PARTS OF GETTING OLDER

Having more time to do what I want (64%)
Retiring (60%)
Having more time to relax (56%)
Spending time with my family (49%)
Being able to say what I want (36%)

Let us know in the comments if you’ve experienced the same positive attitudes and feelings, and what your secret is…

Courageous Canine Who Lost His Legs–But Not His Hope–is Named 2021 Hero Dog of the Year

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Nov 20, 2021

Boone Hero Dog American Humane — Boone – American Humane, Hero Dog Award

More than a million Americans voted on their favorite ‘Hero Dog’ finalist this year—and after a deliberating VIP panel of dog experts and judges, the winner was crowned at the American Humane Hero Dog Awards gala in Palm Beach, Florida this month.

A four-year-old hound mix named Boone from Butler, Pennsylvania, took home the top prize.

Boone, who survived heartbreaking treatment as a puppy, bested more than 400 other competitors from across the country to win the award. Finalists from 7 categories went head-to-head collecting votes from the public—Law Enforcement / Detection Dogs, Service Dogs, Military Dogs, Search & Rescue Dogs, Shelter Dogs, Guide/Hearing Dogs, and, Therapy Dogs, which was Boone’s category.

Boone’s two back legs had to be amputated after the initial abuse, and he was fostered by a family with a soft spot for special needs pets. “He was calm as calm could be,” said Tanya Diable, his foster mom, who was so moved by the pup that she adopted him two days later.

Boone’s family had him fitted with a wheelchair to improve his mobility, which immediately changed him. Charley Diable said it was the first time he ever wagged his tail—and he’s been a dog on a mission ever since.

“The light bulb just clicked,” says Tanya. “He was amazing after that.”

The hound’s sweet nature and enthusiasm for life made him perfect for earning a certificate to become a therapy dog. He now goes to children’s hospitals and wherever he is need to help reduce stress in others.

Boone is also an ambassador for the nonprofit Joey’s P.A.W. (Prosthetics and Wheels), which has provided mobility devices to more than 700 dogs in need in Pittsburgh, across the country and globally.

Boone is also helping to erase perceptions around disabled dogs and their adoptability.

“The American Humane Hero Dog Awards were created to honor some of the world’s most extraordinary heroes, as well as celebrate the powerful relationship between dogs and people,” said Dr. Robin Ganzert, president and CEO of American Humane, America’s first national humane organization, which holds the Hero Dog Awards annually.

“These courageous canines have gone above and beyond the call of duty, saving lives on the battlefield, comforting the ill and aged, and reminding us of the powerful, age-old bond between animals and people.”

WATCH Boone’s story triumphant below…

LOOK: Six Puppies Are All Determined to Fit Into One Small Bucket – And They Succeed (WATCH)

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This Week’s Inspiring Horoscopes From Rob Brezsny’s ‘Free Will Astrology’

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Nov 20, 2021

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 beginning November 19, 2021
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
“Some people become so expert at reading between the lines they don’t read the lines,” wrote author Margaret Millar. That’s not a common problem for you Scorpios. You are an expert at reading between the lines, but that doesn’t cause you to miss the simple facts. Better than any other sign of the zodiac, you are skilled at seeing both secret and obvious things. Given the astrological omens that will be active for you during the rest of 2021, I suspect this skill of yours will be a virtual superpower. And even more than usual, the people in your life will benefit from your skill at naming the truth.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Storyteller and mythologist Michael Meade believes that each of us has an inner indigenous person—a part of our psyche that can love and learn from nature, that’s inclined to revere and commune with the ancestors, that seeks holiness in the familiar delights of the earth. The coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to cultivate your relationship with your inner indigenous person. What other experiences might be available to you as you align your personal rhythms with the rhythms of the earth? What joys might emerge as you strive to connect on deeper levels with animals and plants and natural forces?

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Capricorn novelist Haruki Murakami writes, “I was always hungry for love. Just once, I wanted to know what it was like to get my fill of it—to be fed so much love I couldn’t take any more. Just once.” Most of us feel that longing, although few of us admit it. But I will urge you to place this desire in the front of your awareness during the next two weeks. I’ll encourage you to treat your yearning for maximum love as a sacred strength, a virtue to nurture and be proud of. I’ll even suggest you let people know that’s what you want. Doing so may not result in a total satisfaction of the longing, but who knows? Maybe it will. If there will ever be a time when such fulfillment could occur, it will be soon.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
An article published in the journal Scientific American declared, “Most people don’t know when to stop talking.” Conversations between strangers and between friends typically go on too long. A mere two percent of all dialogs finish when both parties want them to. That’s the bad news, Aquarius. The good news is that in the coming weeks, your sensitivity about this issue will be more acute than usual. As a result, your talk will be extra concise and effective—more persuasive, more interesting, and more influential. Take advantage of this subtle superpower!

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Since 1996, Ira Glass has produced the renowned radio series This American Life. In 2013, as a reward for his excellence, he was offered a raise in his annual salary from $170,000 to $278,000. He accepted it for one year, but then asked that it be lowered to $146,000. He described the large increase in pay as “unseemly.” What?! I appreciate his modesty, but I disapprove. I’m always rooting for Pisceans like Ira Glass to embrace the fullness of their worth and to be aggressive about gathering all the rewards they’re offered. So I’m inclined, especially right now, to urge you NOT to be like Glass. Please swoop up all the kudos, benefits, and blessings you deserve.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Aries poet and philosopher Friedrich Hölderlin (1770–1843) had many ups and downs. He was one of Germany’s greatest poets and philosophers, but he also endured more emotional distress than most people. His biographer wrote, “Sometimes this genius goes dark and sinks down into the bitter well of his heart, but mostly his apocalyptic star glitters wondrously.” You may have been flirting with a milder version of a “bitter well of the heart,” Aries. But I foresee that you will soon return to a phase when your star glitters wondrously—and without the “apocalyptic” tinge that Hölderlin harbored.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Author David Foster Wallace felt sad about how little of our mind’s intense activity can be shared with others. So much of what goes on inside us seems impossible to express. Or if it is possible to express, few of our listeners are receptive to it or able to fully understand it. That’s the bad news, Taurus. But here’s the good news: In the coming weeks, I believe you will experience much less of this sad problem than usual. I’m guessing you’ll be especially skilled at articulating your lush truth and will have an extra receptive audience for it.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
“I never resist temptation,” declared playwright George Bernard Shaw. Why did he dare to utter such an outlandish statement? “Because I have found that things that are bad for me do not tempt me,” he said. I propose that you aspire to embody his attitude during the next eight weeks, Gemini. Make it your aspiration to cultivate a state of mind wherein you will only be tempted to engage with influences that are healthy and educational and inspiring. You can do it! I know you can!

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
While still a teenager, Cancerian cowboy Slim Pickens (1919–1983) competed in the rodeo, a sporting event in which brave athletes tangle with aggressive broncos and bulls. When America entered World War II, Pickens went to a recruiting office to sign up for the military. When asked about his profession, Pickens said “rodeo.” The clerk misheard and instead wrote “radio.” Pickens was assigned to work at an armed forces radio station in the American Midwest, where he spent the entire war. It was a safe and secure place for him to be. I foresee a lucky mistake like that in your near future, Cancerian. Maybe more than one lucky mistake. Be alert.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
To create your horoscope, I’ve borrowed ideas from four famous Leos. They all address your current astrological needs. First, here’s Leo author P. L. Travers (Mary Poppins): “More and more I’ve become convinced that the great treasure to possess is the unknown.” Second, here’s Leo author Sue Monk Kidd: “There is no place so awake and alive as the edge of becoming.” Third, Leo poet Philip Larkin: “Originality is being different from oneself, not others.” Finally, Leo author Susan Cheever: “There is no such thing as expecting too much.”

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
I encourage you to adopt the perspective expressed by spiritual author Ann Voskamp. She wrote, “I want to see beauty. In the ugly, in the sink, in the suffering, in the daily, the moments before I sleep.” I understand that taking this assignment seriously could be a challenging exercise. Most of us are quick to spot flaws and awfulness, but few have been trained to be alert for elegance and splendor and wondrousness. Are you willing to try out this approach? Experiment with it. Treat it as an opportunity to reprogram your perceptual faculties. Three weeks from now, your eyes and ears could be attuned to marvels they had previously missed.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Libran educator and anthropologist Johnnetta Cole wrote, “The first sign of an educated person is that she asks more questions than she delivers answers.” I agree and would also say this: A prime attribute of an intelligent, eager-to-learn person is that she asks more questions than she delivers answers. I encourage you to be like that during the coming weeks, Libra. According to my astrological estimation, you are scheduled to boost your intelligence and raise your curiosity. An excellent way to meet your appointments with destiny will be to have fun dreaming up interesting questions.

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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Zero Humpbacks Off Seattle Coast 25 Years Ago – Now 500 Return With Record Number of Calves

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Good News Network

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Nov 20, 2021

Humpback Whale-CC Christopher Michel via Flickr — Photo by Christopher Michel, CC license

By Sara Hysong-Shimazu / Pacific Whale Watch Association

A record number of calves have been recorded in the Salish Sea this season, marking a significant rebound for a species that was endangered just 25 years ago.

Whale watchers and researchers off the coasts of Washington and British Columbia near Vancouver, documented 21 calves, according to the Pacific Whale Watch Association (PWWA).

According to Mark Malleson of Center for Whale Research, that is the highest annual number on record so far for the region, and is nearly twice as many as were reported last year, when 11 calves were documented.

“2021 has been a banner year for female humpbacks coming into the Salish Sea with new calves,” says Wendi Robinson, naturalist with Puget Sound Express. “Calves only travel with mom for a year or so and then they’re on their own. Once they’re familiar with our waters, they will often return year after year to feed.”

As to the cause of this year’s baby boom, Erin Gless, Executive Director of the Pacific Whale Watch Association, can only speculate.

“We’re not sure why there were so many calves this year,” she says. “It’s possible the last two years had an abundance of food for the whales.”

“25 years ago, here off of inland B.C. waters, we had zero humpback whales, so this is a new phenomenon in our waters … they’ve made up for lost time. We are seeing lots and lots of whales, which is super exciting.”

WATCH: Curious Whale Nudges Paddle Boarder in Argentina in Stunning Video

Fall brings the peak of humpback activity in the Salish Sea as the whales seize their last feeding opportunities before traveling south for winter. In the coming months—after eating 2,000 pounds (900 kg) of fish and krill every day—humpbacks will swim to breeding grounds near Hawaii and Mexico to mate, give birth, and return in late spring.

Humpbacks have also bounced back in the South Atlantic. After the population had diminished to only 450 whales, 2019 research showed numbers have has rebounded to 25,000—an estimate now close to pre-whaling numbers.

WATCH: Friendly Humpback Whale Gives Woman the Experience of a Lifetime

In June, the U.S. Biden administration announced it would be officially protecting 116,098 square nautical miles of the Pacific Ocean as critical habitat for three populations of endangered humpback whales.

Evidence shows that endangered or threatened species that have protected critical habitat are twice as likely to be recovering as those without it—so we can expect these positive trends for Pacific humpbacks to continue.

LOOK: Humpback Whales Herd Salmon With Their Fins in Never-Before-Filmed Feeding Behavior

SHARE This Whale of a News Story With Everyone on Social Media… (Featured photo by Christopher Michel via Flickr, CC license)

“Life is like a play: it’s not the length, but the excellence of the acting that matters.” – Seneca

Quote of the Day

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Good News Network

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Nov 20, 2021

Quote of the Day: “Life is like a play: it’s not the length, but the excellence of the acting that matters.” – Seneca

Photo: by Gwen King

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?

Largest Farm to Grow Crops Under Solar Panels Proves to Be a Bumper Crop for Agrivoltaic Land Use

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Andy Corbley

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Nov 19, 2021

Agrivoltaic Jacks Solar Farm-Photo by Werner Slocum: NREL — Jack’s Solar Farm - Photo by Werner Slocum: NREL

Agrivoltaics is a field of study that’s blooming with knowledge: how to combine the harvesting of agriculture with solar energy in a way that augments the performance of both.

Jack’s Solar Farm – Photo by Werner Slocum: NREL

Exciting researchers, farmers, and solar businesses, alike, is the fact that when planting crops under solar panel arrays, the plants grow better and need less watering, while the panels produce more electricity.

In Boulder, Colorado, visit Jack’s Solar Garden and you will likely see a man driving a tractor under rows of solar panels, with people tending, harvesting, or sowing in the nearby furrows. Jack’s represents a dozen such projects in the US—some commercial and some only for research.

The man on the tractor is Byron Kominek. Following a career in both the Peace Corps and USAID, Kominek is now one of the most innovative farmers in the country. His 24-acre farm which used to harvest only alfalfa and hay was in his family for 50 years, after it was bought by his grandfather Jack, the namesake of the thriving ‘solar garden’.

After taking over the farm, he realized that it was losing money—and the county wasn’t keen on his solar-powered idea.

“They said, ‘land’s for farming, so go farm it,’” Kominek told NPR. “I said, well, we weren’t making any money, you all want to be 100% renewable at some point so how about we work together and sort this out.”

Betting the farm

Together with Boulder city and county, he got permission to build an agrivoltaic solar farm on his historic farmland.

He turned to an expert solar-panel firm, Namaste Solar, to plan and erect 3,200 panels over one of his major paddocks. Even having built all manner of arrays before, it would be a first for Namaste to mount one high above row crops.

Solar Power World reports that Namaste selected sophisticated trackers to follow the sun across the sky, and mounted them according to strategically-measured heights and spacing to allow enough sun to reach the crops below. For each row mounted 8-feet off the ground, providing enough room to drive a tractor under, two were mounted at 6-feet.

Jack’s Solar Garden in Boulder Colorado – Photo courtesy of Namasté Solar

Now finished, the electricity Kominek’s farm generates is enough to power 300 private homes, 50 of which are now his energy clients—including the city, and the county. Underneath there are tomatoes, turnips, carrots, squash, beets, lettuce, kale, chard, and peppers.

This success wasn’t obvious, and it required a major leap of faith to reap the rewards.

“We had to put up our farm as collateral as well as the solar array as collateral to the bank,” he told. “If this doesn’t work, we lose the farm.”

Agrivoltaics: i.e. Sun-flowering

Unfortunately for Kominek, a lot of the research in America that has shown how effective agrivoltaics can be was generated over the same period he was “betting the farm.”

GNN has reported on some solar farms that are using agrivoltaics to grow pasture for grazing animals and native pollinators. In India, solar panels are being constructed over canals, which, as they lose water through surface evaporation, cool the panels, and increase their efficiency.

In 2019, a study from the universities of Arizona and Maryland found great benefits in combining solar panels and crops. Up above, the solar panels were found to be kept 16°F cooler by evaporation from the crops below, enough to increase their energy generation by 2%.

Underneath, the few crops tested were 100% to 300% more productive depending on the species, and the shade provided by the solar panels reduced irrigation-water use by 15%, and reduced water consumption by a whopping 157 percent.

The crops are also protected from intense rain or hail from the overhead panels.

LOOK: Aptera Solar-Powered Car With ‘1,000-Mile’ Range Gets 7,000 Preorders for Delivery in 2021

In the last 8 years, agrivoltaic (or agrophotovoltaic) farms have grown in size from 5MW to 2.9GW, and research from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimate that if just 1 million acres of farmland was covered in solar panels, the nation would meet its renewable energy goals.

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12-year-old Uses Boy Scout Know-How to Rescue Lost Couple and Injured Dog on a Hike

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Andy Corbley

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Nov 19, 2021

Boy Scout David rescues dog-family photos by Christine King — David and his handmade stretcher by Christine King

David and his handmade stretcher/Christine King

It’s the textbook beginning of a nightmare: lost on a hiking trail, with no water, and an injured dog too heavy to carry. Fortunately for the family of three this story happened to, they literally ran into a boy scout.

For JD, Aimee, and their dog Smokey, a two-mile hike had become a seven-mile disaster on the Waimanu Trail above Pearl City, Honolulu.

Their phone was dead, and it was getting dark.

That’s when they came across 12 year-old David King and his mom Christine.

“We asked ‘oh do you need any help?’ They said ‘yeah,’ they showed us the dog’s paws had some cuts on it,” David told local reporters. “When the dog would walk, it would just be really painful.”

David was just three miles short of getting his 15-mile-hike merit badge, but despite having done that and played a soccer match earlier in the day, David did what all boy scouts do: he lent a hand.

CHECK OUT: Heroic Dog Gets Award for Saving Over 100 Koalas From Australia’s Bushfires

First, he suggested they build a stretcher by using two lengths of wood and stringing their t-shirts across it—a technique David had learned from his eagle scout older brother.

“It was his idea to make the stretcher,” said Christine. “We didn’t think it would work because we didn’t think the dog would get onto the stretcher. Smokey was just happy to, and we just carried him out.”

Someone (presumably David) knew the way back to the parking lot as well, and so they all worked together, sometimes in twos, sometimes in fours, to get Smokey to safety, who despite his injuries occasionally hopped off to give some relief to the exhausted hikers.

MORE: Sikh Men Created a Lifeline Using Turbans to Rescue Hikers at a Canadian Park

David would later take the opportunity to tell KHON2 News when you’re off on a hike, a good way to be prepared is to imagine what could go wrong, and plan for that.

Good on ya, David.

(WATCH the KHON2 video for this story below.)

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How the Mind Can Be ‘Trained Like a Muscle’ to Focus – Try Using These Simple Exercises

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Andy Corbley

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Nov 19, 2021

When people say “I get distracted easily,” what they’re really saying is, “I receive less of the absolute miracle that is “focus” than other people.” Because when we consider the 10 million bytes of imagery data that the eyes give the brain every second or the 6,000 spontaneous thoughts we have each day, it truly seems like a miracle we can focus on anything at all.

As it turns out, far from being a miracle, focus can actually be trained and developed, just like a human muscle after months of pumping iron.

That is according to a professor of behavioral neuroscience named Dr. Amishi Jha, who has written a book called Peak Mind: Find Your Focus, Own Your Attention.

Her research shows that when people in high-demand jobs like soldiers, elite athletes, or emergency personnel invest 12 minutes a day for four-weeks doing simple mindfulness exercises, many aspects of cognitive and emotional health—including attention—are improved.

“The first step to better focus is accepting a key truth: you cannot just decide to have unfettered attention,” says Jha in a book review piece for The Guardian.

A lot of western ideas about mindfulness are drawn from eastern religious mediation practices. Some Buddhist meditations, for example, involve focusing on nothing—the supreme emptiness that pervades all other things, while Zen mediation focuses on thinking about nothing, but being aware of all things happening around you. Some Zen practitioners will even keep their eyes open.

That’s not the kind of thing most people are able, or willing, to do. Yet Jha explains that attention can be trained through simple exercises.

Specifically, they involve daily steps that “exercise the brain in ways that it is prone to being weakened,” such as when we are brushing our teeth and immediately turn our attention to thinking about other things. One can develop the mental muscle to observe the present, instead of becoming lost in our monkey minds.

MORE: The Best Way to Eliminate Procrastination is Easier Than You Think, Says New Research

Jha’s book contains a lot of brain workouts, all centered around this sort of wisdom.

1: Paying attention to your breath and where in your body you feel it passing the most. Use your focus like a flashlight (a physical challenge of hers).

2: Don’t think of these exercises as peaceful reflection, or time to say “Om,” but rather a rigorous mental workout.

3: Don’t think of being calm, and instead try to imagine the goal of being alone in the middle of a four way intersection, watching people (your thoughts) pass along the crosswalks under each set of lights.

4: As with the breathing focus, spend three minutes a day focusing on the sensation of doing exactly what it is you are doing. If that’s showering, focus on that experience alone.

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“Keep company with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.” – Epictetus

Quote of the Day

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Good News Network

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Nov 19, 2021

Quote of the Day: “Keep company with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.” – Epictetus

Photo: by Dim Hou

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?

Sisters Recreate Adorable Photo – With Daughters Stepping into Roles That Dreamed of Motherhood

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Good News Network

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Nov 19, 2021

Two sisters got pregnant around the same time—enabling them to recreate this adorable childhood photo of them, when they were dreaming of becoming mothers, and placed balloons under their nightgowns.

35-year-old Bri Dietz and her 33-year-old sister, Chaulet Barba, were ecstatic when they discovered they were both expecting.

Then, Bri immediately remembered a photo taken when the pair were just four and six years old, pretending to be pregnant with balloon bumps.

She knew that moment had to be recreated—so once they were both sporting bumps, they took a matching snap.

Bri gave birth to her daughter Goldie Dietz first, and a few months later Chaulet had Gemma.

To complete the circle, the new toddler cousins posed with balloons tucked under clothes in a photo identical to their moms’.

On Instagram Bri said, “It was so special to go through it together. It was actually a dream come true.

“It made it feel not only like it came full circle from playing as a kid, but it felt like a special sister moment. We got lucky to have a chance to recreate that.”

Bri and Chaulet were very close growing up, playing dolls and pretending to be mommies, and even now they talk on the phone every day.

“We chose to share a twin bed every night even though we each had our own,” said Bri, from San Diego, California.

LOOK: Puppy Siblings Adopted by Different Families Immediately Recognize Each Other During Walks One Year Later

Nurse Chaulet lives in Walnut Creek, about seven hours away from her sister, but they both knew they had to recreate that one funny photo from their childhood.

It immediately cropped up in her brain, 25 years later and she dug around until she found it.

Today’s little girls are now as close as their moms are, and also love playing with their dolls together.

Bri said of the image, “I hope it makes people remember that sweet time when you’re in this little world of your own with your siblings—a bond and a core is always there between us.”

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The Best Way to Eliminate Procrastination is Easier Than You Think, Says New Research

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Good News Network

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Nov 18, 2021

They say procrastination is the thief of time—actually deadlines are.

New research from the University of Otago has found that if you want someone to help you out with something, it is best not to set a deadline at all. But if you do set a deadline, make it short.

Professor Stephen Knowles, from the Otago Business School, Department of Economics, and his co-authors tested the effect of deadline length on task completion for their research.

Participants were invited to complete an online survey in which a donation goes to charity. They were given either one week, one month, or no deadline to respond.

Professor Knowles says the research began because he and his team—Dr Murat Genç, from Otago’s Department of Economics, Dr Trudy Sullivan, from Otago’s Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, and Professor Maroš Servátka, from the Macquarie Graduate School of Management—were interested in helping charities raise more money.

However, the results are applicable to any situation where someone asks another person for help. This could be asking a colleague for help at work or asking your partner to do something for you, Professor Knowles says.

The study found responses to the survey were lowest for the one-month deadline, and highest when no deadline was specified.

No deadline and the one-week deadline led to many early responses, while a long deadline appeared to give people permission to procrastinate, and then forget.

Professor Knowles wasn’t surprised to find that specifying a shorter deadline increased the chances of receiving a response compared to a longer deadline. However, he did find it interesting that they received the most responses when no deadline was specified.

“We interpret this as evidence that specifying a longer deadline, as opposed to a short deadline or no deadline at all, removes the urgency to act, which is often perceived by people when asked to help,” he says.

“People therefore put off undertaking the task, and since they are inattentive or forget, postponing it results in lower response rates.”

He says of the research, published in Economic Inquiry, that it is possible that not specifying a deadline might still have led participants to assume that there is an implicit deadline.

MORE: Meditation Training Reduces Long-Term Stress, Hair Analysis Shows

Professor Knowles hopes his research can help reduce the amount of procrastinating people do.

“Many people procrastinate. They have the best intentions of helping someone out, but just do not get around to doing it.”

Source: University of Otago

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Australian Firefighters Pose With Adorable Rescued Wild Animals for Sizzling Charity Calendar – LOOK

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Good News Network

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Nov 18, 2021

Australia’s firefighters are raising money for wildlife foundations by posing with their kit off for an annual calendar featuring adorable pets and endangered native wildlife.

The internationally acclaimed Australian Firefighters Calendar, now in its 29th year, is setting hearts on fire again.

With over 750 million Facebook views and distributed in over 100 countries last year, the world’s most iconic calendar is back bigger and better than ever.

The photoshoot is a 25-day animal lovers’ extravaganza. Much loved pets, Australian wildlife, farm animals, therapy, and rescue horses from all over the Southeast Queensland come together to take part in the photoshoot.

This year the usual five fan favourite editions will be available: the Classic, Cats, Dogs, Horse and Mixed Animal editions will be made available.

For the first time ever, the firefighters are also heating things up with a summer edition calendar featuring firefighters having fun in the sun on some of Australia’s most iconic beaches.

The inaugural Summer calendar cover features Australia’s fittest firefighter, Matt Haydon.

MORE: Australian Firefighters Pose With Adorable Rescued Animals for Sizzling Wildlife Charity Calendar

This year the owners of much-loved cats and dogs entered their pets to take part in the photoshoot.

Crystal Doohan, Australian Firefighters’ Calendar Creative Director, said, “We received over 5,000 photos of every type of animal you can imagine to take part in the photoshoot and they entered from all over world.

“We even had a lady from Moscow that wanted fly her cat to Australia. It takes one month to sort through all the eligible entrants.”

There are many new faces in the 2022 editions. Ben Church is a firefighter from Western Australia that was selected to take part in the photoshoot.

Ben said, “I wanted to do it for my grandma and mom. They were so proud that I was selected to take part in the photoshoot.

“They embarrassed the heck out of me by emailing the calendar co-ordinators advising them I was the most handsome firefighter in Western Australia and the guys have not stopped reminding me of that! Thanks grandma and mom!”

Another new face is Ricky Smith, a Brisbane-based Firefighter, who said, “I received a phone call congratulating me that I had been selected for the 2022 Australian Firefighters Calendar.

“I thought to myself that I had never sent an application in? What is this guy talking about?

“I found out later that my girlfriend had done it without me knowing. Before I knew it I was standing in front of seven members of the photography team. I was absolutely terrified. I have never even taken a selfie!”

The recipients of donations from this year’s calendar are heavily focused on community animal welfare groups.

These include Native Animal Rescue, Wildcare Inc, Safe Haven Animal Rescue, Australian Seabird Rescue, Fauna Rescue of SA, Healing Hooves, Reason to Thrive, Kids with Cancer Foundation, and the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital.

David Rogers, Director of the Australian Firefighters’ Calendar, said, “The unsung work that many of these volunteer-based organizations do is outstanding.

“Without these dedicated wildlife warriors, many sick and injured domestic and wildlife animals simply would not survive.

“These wonderful people are the reason we try so hard to produce calendars that not only help raise funds and awareness but also honor their work.”