This City Created the Largest Free Food Forest in the Country, Where Anyone Can Pick Fruits and Veggies

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Mar 2, 2021

garden released Shannon Lee The Conservation Fund Parks with Purpose Program — Shannon Lee, The Conservation Fund Parks with Purpose Program

There’s a seven-acre farm in Atlanta where residents can walk into a forest, take a deep breath, and begin pulling crops right off the land for dinner.

Shannon Lee, The Conservation Fund Parks with Purpose Program

A one-time pecan farm, the Food Forest at Browns Mill project contains 2,500 edible and medicinal plants available to anyone in need.

It’s one of a growing number of free-food forests cropping up in cities around the country, as citizens and organizations both public and private attempt to grapple with problems of hunger and food deserts.

In Atlanta, this problem is acute, with the USDA’s Food Access Research Atlas estimating that at least one in every four Atlantans, or around 125,000 people, live in areas defined as food deserts based on their geographical distance from grocery stores.

Having created the nation’s largest free-food forest, The Conservation Fund, with the assistance of the city of Atlanta and the U.S. Forest Service, is ensuring this former pecan-farm continues its tradition of feeding the community.

Right next door

Urban Forest Food at Browns Mill/Facebook

Located in Browns Mill, only 10 minutes from Atlanta airport, the nearest grocery store for the 2,100 residents in that area a 30-minute bus ride away.

“Access to green space and healthy foods is very important. And that’s a part of our mission,” Michael McCord, a local arborist, told CNN.

The scheme is utilizing practices known collectively as permaculture, and specifically as “agroforestry”—a term that describes marrying the forest and the field in a way that benefits both, as well as the global and local climate. GNN has reported extensively on agroforestry in the US, and in the UK.

Already filled with large, mature pecan trees and blackberry brambles, the conversion process was enough to create some space underneath the trees with which to grow row and cover crops, and clear non-use bushes for replacement by other crops.

Community, corporate, and non-profit partners involved in the project have committed over 1,000 volunteers.

“It’s really a park for everyone,” Atlanta city councilwoman Carla Smith told CNN. “Every time I go there’s a community there who respects and appreciates the fresh healthy foods. There’s a mentality there that people know to only take what they need.”

MORE: Spanish City is Squeezing Green Electricity From Leftover Oranges

Reports of people taking more than they need are rare, and food that’s left over will be harvested by full-time volunteers and distributed among the community.

According to the Conservation Fund, gardening and cooking classes are being held to help teach community members about healthy food, and the project includes community garden beds which the most enterprising of visitors can utilize.

Their project map reveals the scope of the project, with mycelium cultivation for edible mushrooms, boardwalks, and an apiary for honey production.

It’s a project carrying the most robust of democratic sympathies; stretching all the way back in likeness to the Athenian Agora—or public square—where members of the community would make intentional efforts to create a flourishing society through specialization and mutual exchange.

CHECK OUT: Startup Builds 3 Huge Indoor Farms in Appalachia Turning Coal Country into Agricultural Hub

With 70 such forests growing in the country, American cities hold the promise of having a bright, green future.

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“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” – Suzy Kassem

Quote of the Day

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Mar 2, 2021

Quote of the Day: “Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” – Suzy Kassem

Photo by: Jonas Geschke

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

New Jersey Plumber Drives 22 Hours With Equipment to Help the Overwhelmed Texans Whose Pipes Burst

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Judy Cole

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Mar 1, 2021

new jersey texas plumber supplied andrew mitchell (1) — Andrew Mitchell

When a crippling ice storm hit Texas, leaving a bonanza of burst waterlines, homeowners found themselves scrambling to find help. With local supplies and plumbers exhausted by demand, crucial repairs seemed out of reach—until an unlikely hero rode to the rescue.

After loading up his truck with about $2,000 of materials, New Jersey plumber Andrew Mitchell, along with his wife, Kisha Pinnock, the couple’s 2-year-old son, Blake, and his newly apprenticed brother-in-law, Isiah Pinnock, made the 22-hour trek from Morristown to Houston—and got to work putting things right.

“A lot of the people we’ve helped were telling us they either can’t get a plumber on the phone or—if they do get one on the phone—the wait to be serviced is three to four weeks out, so they can’t have water during that entire time,” Kisha told the BBC.

Mitchell’s first stop was his sister-in-law’s home in Humble. Throughout the storm, Kisha and Andrew had been keeping tabs on her sister in Texas and learned from her situation just how dire circumstances in the Lone Star State truly were.

Facebook posts from harried local plumbers pleading for help cemented the couple’s resolve to take action. “This is your time,” Kisha told Andrew in a conversation she recounted in an interview with the CBS News program Uplift. “Everybody has their time to shine. You have the skills; you have the credentials…You should just go.”

After tackling his sister-in-law’s plumbing woes, word of Mitchell’s efforts soon spread. With days starting at 7 a.m. and often not ending until after 2 a.m. the following morning, Mitchell and Isiah were servicing on average between 6 to 10 houses per day.

One recipient of their good work was 71-year-old Barbara Benson. After a week without water resulting from a burst pipe, she was at her wit’s end.

She’d contacted more than a dozen plumbers and was told it would be weeks before an appointment could be scheduled. To make matters worse, Benson said some plumbers quoted as much as $2,000 just to show up for an estimate.

Far from price gouging, Mitchell routinely charged clients only what they could afford. “I always ask a customer what do they think is fair, what do they have to spare,” Mitchell told NJ.com. “I never try to take advantage of somebody.”

Satisfied customer Benson couldn’t have been more pleased with the outcome of Mitchell’s house-call. “For a woman living by herself, you can get scammed easily and I was just pleasantly surprised,” she told NJ.com. “It was like somebody’s watching out for me.”

MORE: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Come to the Rescue of Texas Women’s Shelter After Winter Storm

While Mitchell and his family originally planned to stay until the plumbing supplies run out, since the need remains so great, they’re considering restocking materials and spending at least a little more time in Texas.

“A lot of times when you see devastation it could be across the world; it could be across the country; it could be in your own town,” Kisha told Uplift. “You really feel like your heart is breaking with them and you can’t do anything but in this instance, we really could. I really knew if we could only help one family, we did make a difference.”

Doing what you love and being of service to others has proven to be an immense inspiration.“It’s really a blessing to be a blessing to other people and Andrew truly enjoys the work,” Kisha told the BBC. “Plumbing is his passion.”

(WATCH the CBS video about the New Jersey team below.)

EDITOR’S NOTE: Viewers outside the US can view this video on the CBS website, here.

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Watch 2,200 Cold-Stunned Turtles Being Released by Volunteers Back Into the Gulf

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Andy Corbley

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Mar 1, 2021

Hundreds of turtles are now returning to their home in the Gulf of Mexico after suffering a terrible ordeal during the recent winter storm in Texas.

When the now famous and freakish cold front devastated Texas’ power grid, a local sea turtle rescue shelter, Sea Turtle Inc, lost power and wasn’t able to keep the water at the normally balmy temperatures needed to ensure the turtles’ health.

That would have been the first concern, but then, as GNN reported, literally thousands of sea turtles around South Padre Island and in the Gulf were being “cold-stunned,” a term that describes a comatose state brought on by falling water temperatures sapping the life from the cold-blooded animals.

Volunteer rescue efforts from staff, community members, beachgoers, wardens, and even nearby SpaceX rocket engineers wound up bringing more than 5,000 turtles to makeshift hospitals managed by Sea Turtle Inc. staff.

The infirm reptilians overflowed their property, and a rescue center was set up in a nearby convention center—with turtles lined up nose-to-tail on sheets of tarpaulin, waiting for their turn in warm water kiddie pools, the only method of recovery available when the power was out.

MORE: Volunteers in Texas Saved Thousands Of Sea Turtles From The Shocking Cold Weather

The “overwhelming support” of community volunteers prevented a sea turtle “Armageddon,” and two days ago Sea Turtle Inc. reported that 2,200 of the rescued turtles were returned to the sea.

“We still have lots of work to do but we are rejuvenated with passion,” Sea Turtle Inc. staff wrote, “having seen our first released turtles swim away.”

Another video published by the BBC showed rehabilitators cheer as they sent their first turtle speeding down a slide into the ocean now that record low temperatures have ceased.

(WATCH the amazing BBC video below.)

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Rugby Team Sings to Restaurant Workers in Spirit of Their Heritage in Pacific Islands

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Andy Corbley

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Mar 1, 2021

When a video surfaces of the Fijian national rugby team singing a rousing song from the balconies of their hotel rooms, you know it’s going to be good.

At the end of a mandatory 14-day quarantine in Australia, the players and coaches sang a traditional song to thank the hotel staff for their presumably kind and attentive service over the two weeks.

MORE: Gospel Singer’s Hilarious Song About Quarantine Snacking Goes Viral: ‘The Fridge Again!’

The team had traveled to join a rugby competition in New South Wales, but their performance could make one think the athletes were in town as a professional choir.

The curved shape of the hotel’s walls provided helpful acoustics and stunning optics. And the show clearly delighted the other guests—who watched from the other balconies and from the courtyard below. Naturally, the video of the Fijians singing has since gone viral.

(WATCH the video of the special moment below.)

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Canadian Soccer Lover Collects Football Scarves From Around the World Using Maple Syrup

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Mar 1, 2021

soccer scarves supplied daniel robertson — Daniel Robertson

What do you do while stuck at home in the age of COVID-19? When you’re a soccer-mad Canadian, you get creative and start trading maple syrup for football scarves from around the world, of course.

19-year-old Daniel Robertson lives in Whitby, Ontario with his family. To pass the time during what’s been, well, a quiet year, he’s been trading syrup for scarves through a light-hearted Reddit thread he created.

Robertson hasn’t had to worry about no-one responding to his unique exchange idea. Since making his first post, he’s received an impressive 113 scarves from 59 countries—from Latvia, Japan, and Singapore, from Nigeria and Belarus and Senegal.

For Daniel, receiving post from across the globe has been a delight. In fact, the surprise gifts have made him feel a little like he’s traveling, while staying safely in one place.

And he’s not done yet. To make his collection complete, he’d love to receive 80 to 90 more scarves—one for all the 193 countries currently recognized by the U.N.

(WATCH Daniel’s fun story in the video below.)

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The Inspiring and Playful Hidden Message in the Mars Perseverance Rover’s Parachute

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Andy Corbley

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Mar 1, 2021

mars-perseverance-rover-public domain nasa jpl caltech — NASA/JPL-Caltech

When computer nerds are placed in command of one of humanity’s most ambitious scientific undertakings, you know there’s going to be some fun involved.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)—home of mission control for the Mars rovers Perseverance and Curiosity—takes advantage of the brilliance of their staff, and the fact that tens of millions of people tune in to watch their handiwork of landing craft on Mars, to sprinkle their missions with hidden puzzles and messages that need decoding.

If only the IRS were so playful!

In the video NASA recently released of Perseverance deploying its parachute, Director and Mission Lead Allen Chen announced that hidden within the strange white and orange shapes of the parachute canopy’s underside was a hidden message in binary code.

“So we invite you all to give it a shot and show your work,” Chen said, with “you all” in this instance referring to the entire internet user base.

Unsurprisingly, it took just six hours for people to decode the message hidden in the parachute, matching the variations in color to binary code, before translating that into English letters and numbers.

It looks like the internet has cracked the code in something like 6 hours! Oh internet is there anything you can’t do? For those who just want to know: #Mars2020 #CountdownToMars pic.twitter.com/yTJCEnbuLY
— Adam Steltzner (@steltzner) February 23, 2021

“Dare Mighty Things,” read the parachute, the motto of NASA’s JPL, with the outermost ring of the parachute containing the GPS coordinates for their facility in California.

“Oh internet, is there anything you can’t do?” wrote Chief Engineer for Perseverance Adam Steltzner in a tweet.

MORE: See Incredible Photos and Hear Martian Winds From the Red Planet—Thanks to Perseverance Rover

Taken from a Teddy Roosevelt speech in which he noted that “far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure,” the motto perfectly captures the spirit of the JPL, which undertakes many of NASA’s most ambitious projects.

Another jape on the current Mars mission has Sherlock Holmes’ fictional address—221B Baker Street—plastered along one of the lenses of the rover’s principal camera, known as the “Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals.” Can you see why?

Curiosity, the previous Mars rover, had the Morse code spelling of the JPL embedded into its wheels, effectively putting a librarian’s stamp on every square foot of Martian dust the rover passed over during its long stay on the Red Planet.

(WATCH the video of Perseverance make its big Mars touchdown below.)

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“Never place a period where God has placed a comma.” – Gracie Allen

Quote of the Day

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Mar 1, 2021

Quote of the Day: “Never place a period where God has placed a comma.” – Gracie Allen

Photo by: Suzanne D. Williams

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

Puppy Gets Tooth Pulled at the Dentist, And Adorably Smiles for the Camera

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Good News Network

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Feb 28, 2021

Usually, when dogs are actually “smiling,” meaning expressing happiness, it is when they have their ears in the relaxed state for the breed, and a big wide open mouth—tongues a-flailing.

So, although we are giving our thumbs-up for the best pooch smiles today, we are really reflecting our humanness onto the animals—and enjoying it immensely.

Dogs normally are signaling that they accept being the lowly beta in the pack by pulling the corners of their mouths upwards—the same signal we call a smile.

Even so, not all dogs have the talent for making a ‘smile’, but these pups are pros—especially when asked the right question.

Loni had a visit at the doggy dentist where she had to get one of her teeth pulled.

Watch how she shows off her dental work for the camera. Priceless!

“Did you get a tooth pulled? Let me see…”

This Golden Retriever puppy shows off his baby teeth, and the added music makes this is a cuteness overload.

When mom asks Bill the Labrador to smile, he is all too happy to oblige.

This smile might be the most adorable, of all…

But dogs aren’t the only animals that can produce a giddy-faced ‘smile’ on cue. Check out this sea lion. A zookeeper from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates plays a game with one of the animals in his care.

“When I smile at the camera she imitates me and makes the same face.”

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Scientists Use Novel Ink With Calcium to 3D-Print ‘Bone’ With Living Cells

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Good News Network

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Feb 28, 2021

3D printers may one day become a permanent fixture of operating rooms, now that Australian scientists showed they could print bone-like structures containing living cells.

Scientists have worked out how to print bone-like structures using a 3D-printer and a gelatinous ‘bath’ containing living cells. Photo: UNSW

Scientists from UNSW Sydney have developed a ceramic-based ink that may allow surgeons in the future to 3D-print bone parts complete with living cells that could be used to repair damaged bone tissue.

Using a 3D-printer that deploys a special ink made up of calcium phosphate, the scientists developed a new technique, known as ceramic omnidirectional bioprinting in cell-suspensions (COBICS), enabling them to print bone-like structures that harden in a matter of minutes when placed in water.

While the idea of 3D-printing bone-mimicking structures is not new, this is the first time such material can be created at room temperature – complete with living cells – and without harsh chemicals or radiation, says Dr Iman Roohani from UNSW’s School of Chemistry.

“This is a unique technology that can produce structures that closely mimic bone tissue,” he said, pointing to repairs of bone defects caused by accidents or cancer.

Associate Professor Kristopher Kilian who co-developed the breakthrough technology with Dr Roohani says the fact that living cells can be part of the 3D-printed structure, together with its portability, make it a big advance on current state-of-the-art technology.

Up until now, he says, making a piece of bone-like material to repair bone tissue of a patient involves first going into a laboratory to fabricate the structures using high-temperature furnaces and toxic chemicals.

“This produces a dry material that is then brought into a clinical setting or in a laboratory, where they wash it profusely and then add living cells to it,” Professor Kilian says.

“The cool thing about our technique is you can just extrude it directly into a place where there are cells, like a cavity in a patient’s bone. We can go directly into the bone where there are cells, blood vessels and fat, and print a bone-like structure that already contains living cells, right in that area.”

“There are currently no technologies that can do that directly.”

LOOK: Stylish Tiny Homes Are Now Being 3D-Printed In 24 Hours And Shipped to Your Site

In a research paper published recently in Advanced Functional Materials, the authors describe how they developed the special ink in a microgel matrix with living cells.

“The ink takes advantage of a setting mechanism through the local nanocrystallization of its components in aqueous environments, converting the inorganic ink to mechanically interlocked bone apatite nanocrystals,” Dr Roohani says.

“In other words, it forms a structure that is chemically similar to bone-building blocks. The ink is formulated in such a way that the conversion is quick, non-toxic in a biological environment and it only initiates when ink is exposed to the body fluids, providing an ample working time for the end-user, for example, surgeons.”

LOOK: Homeschooled 12-Year-old Boy Designs COVID-19 Protection Device – The Safe Touch Pro

He says when the ink is combined with a collagenous substance containing living cells, it enables in-situ fabrication of bone-like tissues which may be suitable for bone tissue engineering applications, disease modeling, drug screening, and in-situ reconstruction of bone and osteochondral defects.

Already there has been keen interest from surgeons and medical technology manufacturers. A/Prof. Kilian thinks while it’s early days, this new bone-printing process could open up a whole new way of treating and repairing bone tissue.

“This advance really paves the way for numerous opportunities that we believe could prove transformational – from using the ink to create bone in the lab for disease modelling, as a bioactive material for dental restoration, to direct bone reconstruction in a patient,” says A/Prof. Kilian.

MORE: Scientists Unveil World’s First 3D-Printed Heart With Human Tissue

“I imagine a day where a patient needing a bone graft can walk into a clinic where the anatomical structure of their bone is imaged, translated to a 3D printer, and directly printed into the cavity with their own cells.

“This has the potential to radically change current practice, reducing patient suffering and ultimately saving lives.”

Next up the duo will be performing in vivo tests in animal models to see if the living cells in the bone-like constructs continue to grow after being implanted in existing bone tissue.

WATCH the video from the full article on UNSW…

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Scientists Achieve Breakthrough, Talking With Lucid Dreamers in Their Sleep—And There’s Now An App For That

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Feb 28, 2021

Dreams take us to an alternative reality while we’re fast asleep. So, you might not expect that a person in the midst of a vivid dream would be able to perceive incoming questions and provide answers to them. But a new study led by Northwestern University researchers shows that, in fact, they can—and they developed an app for those who’d like to try it at home.

Konkoly watches monitor – Northwestern University

With partners at three universities around the world, they confirmed that real-time dialogue with a dreaming person is possible—and that dreamers were able to solve simple math problems and answer yes-or-no questions.

The researchers studied 36 volunteers who aimed to have a lucid dream, wherein a person is aware that they’re dreaming.

Using polysomnographic data, they could confirm that study participants had reached the REM stage of sleep—the rapid eye movement phase in which lucid dreaming can occur.

“We found that individuals in REM sleep can interact with an experimenter and engage in real-time communication,” said senior author Ken Paller, professor of psychology and director of the Cognitive Neuroscience Program at Northwestern. “We also showed that dreamers are capable of comprehending questions, engaging in working-memory operations, and producing answers.

“Most people might predict that this would not be possible — that people would either wake up when asked a question or fail to answer, and certainly not comprehend a question without misconstruing it.”

While dreams are a common experience, scientists still haven’t adequately explained them. Relying on a person’s recounting of dreams is also fraught with distortions and forgotten details. So Paller and colleagues decided to attempt communication with people during lucid dreams.

The researchers realized that finding a means to communicate could open the door in future investigations to learn more about dreams, memory, and how memory storage depends on sleep, the researchers say.

They also used a rotten egg smell to associate with cigarette smoking, which caused the dreamer less inclined to smoke the following week.

CHECK OUT: Inspired Sleep—How to Put Your Dreams to Work

The paper is unique in that it includes four independently conducted experiments using different approaches to achieve a similar goal. Studies were conducted at Sorbonne University in France; Osnabrück University in Germany; and Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands.

“We put the results together because we felt that the combination of results from four different labs using different approaches most convincingly attests to the reality of this phenomenon of two-way communication,” said Karen Konkoly, a Ph.D. student in psychology at Northwestern and main author of the paper published this month in the journal Current Biology.

“In this way, we see that different means can be used to communicate.”

How this can be helpful to people

One of the individuals who readily succeeded with two-way communication had narcolepsy and frequent lucid dreams. Among the others, some had lots of experience in lucid dreaming and others did not. Overall, the researchers found that it was possible for people, while dreaming, to follow instructions, do simple math, answer yes-or-no questions, or tell the difference between different sensory stimuli.

They could respond using eye movements or by contracting facial muscles. The researchers refer to these successful conversations as “interactive dreaming,” and they chose questions with known answers so that they could assess whether participants’ answers were correct.

Konkoly says that future studies of dreaming could use these same methods to assess cognitive abilities during dreams versus while awake. They also could help verify the accuracy of post-awakening dream reports. Outside of the laboratory, the methods could be used to help people in various ways, such as solving problems during sleep or offering nightmare sufferers novel ways to cope. Follow-up experiments run by members of the four research teams aim to learn more about connections between sleep and memory processing, and about how dreams may shed light on this memory processing.

LOOK: Study Shows That Sleeping With a Weighted Blanket Can Reduce Insomnia

There’s an App for that…

Students in Paller’s lab group have developed a smartphone app for Android devices that aims to make it easier for people to achieve lucidity during their dreams. Information on the lucid app, and the link to download it, is available on Paller’s cognitive neuroscience lab site, here.

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Surfer Reunited With His Board By Good Samaritans 400 Miles Away – A Month After it Floated Out to Sea

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Good News Network

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Feb 28, 2021

surfboard with couple on beach-swns — Stephanie Riise and Jake Anderson on Shetland Islands - SWNS

After a couple stumbled across a strange sight while walking the beach, the blue and yellow surfboard became like a message in a bottle—and they had to know its origins.

Stephanie Riise and Jake Anderson on Shetland Islands – SWNS

It all started when Lee Brogan had been “wiped out” by a massive wave while surfing off the Yorkshire coast in England last year and watched in agony as his surfboard disappeared into the ocean.

He had given up hope of ever being reunited with his 10-year-old board but luckily a young couple found it—some 400 miles away.

Stephanie Riise, 22, and Jake Anderson, 23, were hiking on the Shetland Islands off the coast of Scotland when they spotted the nine-foot board and decided to investigate further.

The Walden board, which costs between £800 and £1,200, was marooned off shore on some gravel but was completely intact.

“Our interest was piqued at that point and we were just wondering where it had come from, how far it had travelled, who lost it, what story was behind it,” said Stephanie, from Shetland.

The inquisitive pair took to Facebook on the day of the discovery to see if anyone could trace the owner as they wanted to know the story behind the board. She posted about her find on the Shetland Seashore Discoveries Facebook page and the community quickly put on their detective hats.

Just a day later, they were put in touch with Lee who couldn’t believe they had found his beloved board which had been lost in the waves in Runswick Bay in Scarborough, England.

LOOK: Geologist Finds Rare Formation Inside Rock That Looks Exactly Like Cookie Monster on Sesame Street

“We were so surprised by how quickly it all came about, we didn’t think we’d ever find the owner in all honesty. We were so pleased he had gotten in touch.”

She said they quizzed Lee to make sure he was indeed the owner, but after he provided photo evidence and explained how he’d fallen off the board, they were convinced.

The kind couple not only solved the mystery, they got a friend to deliver the board to his home in a van and said they were just tickled to have been able to help. And, they signed the board with a message—not needing any bottle to preserve the 400-mile synchronicity of fellowship.

“Knowing (now) where it had come from, it’s even more impressive that it was completely intact.”

CHECK OUT: Man Becomes Rich When Meteorite From Heaven Crashes Through His Roof

“It’s just been fun to have been able to do something nice for someone during lockdown as everything’s been quite doom and gloom.”

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“A person must break with the illusion that her life has already been written and her path already determined.” – Marc-Alain Ouaknin

Quote of the Day

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Feb 28, 2021

Quote of the Day: “A person must break with the illusion that her life has already been written and her path already determined.” – Marc-Alain Ouaknin

Photo by: Jonas Denil

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

First Cloned Endangered Species in U.S. From Genes Frozen 30 Years Ago Gives Hope For Black-footed Ferret

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Good News Network

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Feb 27, 2021

Elizabeth-cloned-black footed ferret-released-USFWS Mountain-Prairie — Elizabeth Ann, at the USFWS National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center

Black-footed ferret recovery efforts aimed at increased genetic diversity and disease resistance took a bold step forward on Dec. 10, 2020, with the birth of “Elizabeth Ann,” created from the frozen cells of a black-footed ferret that lived more than 30 years ago.

Elizabeth Ann, at the USFWS National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center

The groundbreaking effort to explore solutions to help recover this endangered species results from an innovative partnership among the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and scientists at Revive & Restore, ViaGen Pets & Equine, San Diego Zoo Global, and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

“The Service sought the expertise of valued recovery partners to help us explore how we might overcome genetic limitations hampering recovery of the black-footed ferret, and we’re proud to make this announcement today,” said Noreen Walsh, Director of the Service’s Mountain- Prairie Region, where the Service’s National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center is located.

“Although this research is preliminary, it is the first cloning of a native endangered species in North America, and it provides a promising tool for continued efforts to conserve the black-footed ferret.”

“Successful genetic cloning does not diminish the importance of addressing habitat-based threats to the species or the Service’s focus on addressing habitat conservation and management to recover black-footed ferrets,” Walsh continued.

Today, all black-footed ferrets are descended from seven individuals, resulting in unique genetic challenges to recovering this species. Cloning may help address the issues of genetic diversity and disease resilience in wild populations. Without an appropriate amount of genetic diversity, a species often becomes more susceptible to diseases and genetic abnormalities, as well as limited adaptability to conditions in the wild and a decreased fertility rate.

Once thought to be extinct and currently listed as an endangered species, black-footed ferrets were brought back from nearly vanishing forever by the Service and its partners after a Wyoming rancher discovered a small population on his land in 1981. Ferrets from this population were captured by the Wyoming Game & Fish Department and others to begin a captive breeding program to recover the species.

WATCH: ‘It’s working!’ From Bobcats to Bears, Utah’s First Wildlife Bridge is a Hit–And There’s Video to Prove it

‘Willa’, a black-footed ferret captured among the last wild individuals, has no living descendants and is therefore not one of the seven founders. The Wyoming Game & Fish Department had the foresight to preserve her genes and sent tissue samples from Willa to San Diego Zoo Global’s Frozen Zoo in 1988. The Frozen Zoo established a cell culture and stewarded these precious frozen cells ever since, making today’s achievement possible.

A win for biodiversity

“San Diego Zoo Global’s Frozen Zoo was created more than 40 years ago with the hope that it would provide solutions to future conservation challenges,” said Oliver Ryder, their Director of Conservation Genetics. “We are delighted that we have been able to cryobank and, years later, provide viable cell cultures for this groundbreaking project.”

LOOK: Rescued Dog Helps Save Endangered Whales By Sniffing Out Their Poop as a Conservation Canine

A genomic study revealed Willa’s genome possessed three times more unique variations than the living population. Therefore, if Elizabeth Ann successfully mates and reproduces, she could provide unique genetic diversity to the species.

“We’ve come a long way since 2013 when we began the funding, permitting, design and development of this project with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,” said Ryan Phelan, Revive & Restore Executive Director. “But it was a commitment to seeing this species survive that has led to the successful birth of Elizabeth Ann. To see her now thriving ushers in a new era for her species and for conservation-dependent species everywhere. She is a win for biodiversity and for genetic rescue.”

In 2018, the Service issued the first-ever recovery permit for cloning research of an endangered species, allowing Revive & Restore to initiate genetic analyses and proof of concept trials. This work builds upon recent advancements in cloning processes developed by ViaGen Pets & Equine, which successfully created embryos from the frozen cell line and implanted them into a domestic ferret surrogate.

Mid-gestation, the surrogate mother was transferred from ViaGen Pets & Equine to the Service’s National Black-Footed Ferret Conservation Center to give birth to the cloned kit under the Service’s authority. The NBFFCC staff’s extensive experience breeding and caring for black-footed ferrets ensured the safe arrival of the first U.S. endangered species clone.

Researchers continue to closely monitor the young kit and Elizabeth Ann and her surrogate mother are kept separate from other breeding black-footed ferrets. She will live her life at the Center as additional research is completed. The team is working to produce more black-footed ferret clones in the coming months as part of continuing research efforts.

(Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

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Gary Sinise Launches Mental Health Network For Veterans and First Responders

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Feb 27, 2021

After years of charity work on behalf of veterans, the Oscar-nominated actor who played Lt. Dan in Forrest Gump, has launched a mental health wellness network to provide ‘transformative care, treatment, and training’ to veterans and first responders who are experiencing post-traumatic stress or substance abuse.

The Gary Sinise Foundation Avalon Network aims to establish 20 treatment sites nationwide to serve thousands of veterans, first responders, and their families.

“When I formed the Gary Sinise Foundation in 2011, it was rooted in a personal mission to provide support, raise spirits, and improve the mental wellness of our nation’s heroes and their families,” said Sinise, the Foundation’s Chairman.

“Always wanting to do more, as the foundation approaches its 10th anniversary this June, I am proud to announce the launch of the Avalon Network to help heal the invisible wounds afflicting too many of our veterans and first responders—transforming struggle into strength…”

An estimated 30% of first responders in the U.S. are dealing with depression and post-traumatic stress, and 1 in 3 veterans have suffered with mental health and brain issues since 2001.

Building on the work of the Marcus Institute for Brain Health and the Boulder Crest Foundation’s Warrior PATHH program, Sinise is partnering with the Co-founders of The Home Depot, philanthropists Bernie Marcus and Arthur M. Blank, who each invested $20 million from their personal foundations to lay the groundwork.

WATCH: ‘Lieutenant Dan’s’ Emotional Reaction to Heartfelt Thank-You Video From Veterans

According to The Gary Sinise Foundation, the Network marks the first time that Marcus and Blank have partnered together since co-founding The Home Depot in 1978.

“We’ve lost more veterans to suicide than we have on the battlefields of the Global War on Terror,” said Bernie Marcus. “Our veterans and their families put their lives on the line for us and they deserve the highest level of care available.”

CHECK OUT: Another Study Shows Psychedelic Psilocybin Mushrooms Offering Long-Term Relief From Depressive Symptoms

Those who are suffering can apply for assistance here.

“We’ve found the perfect partner in the Gary Sinise Foundation to scale this idea into a national network that will provide cutting-edge care and improve the quality of life for our nation’s heroes in one of the most critical times in our history,” said Blank.

Since 2003, Gary Sinise, along with his “Lt. Dan Band,” has contributed hundreds of personal appearances and concerts on military bases in Iraq and around the world. He has helped to raise millions of dollars, as well as donating his own money to help give back to military personnel and their families.

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

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Good News Network

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Feb 27, 2021

Our friend 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 February 27, 2021
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Piscean author Anais Nin was a maestro of metamorphosis, a virtuoso of variation, an adept at alteration. She regarded her ceaseless evolution as a privilege and luxury, not an oppressive inconvenience. “I take pleasure in my transformations,” she wrote. “I look quiet and consistent, but few know how many women there are in me.” Her approach is a healthy model for most of you Pisceans—and will be especially worth adopting in the coming weeks. I invite you to be a Change Specialist whose nickname is Flux Mojo.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
I invite you to think about one or two types of physical discomforts and symptoms that your body seems most susceptible to. Next I encourage you to meditate on the possibility that there are specific moods or feelings associated with those discomforts and symptoms—perhaps either caused by them or the cause of them. The next step is to formulate an intention to monitor any interactions that might transpire between the bodily states and emotional states. Then make a plan for how you will address them both with your own healing power whenever they visit you in the future.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Poet Billy Collins describes “standing on the edge of a lake on a moonlit night and the light of the moon is always pointing straight at you.” I have high hopes that your entire life will be like that in the coming weeks: that you’ll feel as if the world is alive with special messages just for you; that every situation you’re in will feel like you belong there; that every intuition welling up from your subconscious mind into your conscious awareness will be specifically what you need at the moment it arrives.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
You’re entering a potentially heroic phase of your astrological cycle. The coming weeks will be a time when you’ll hopefully be motivated to raise your integrity and impeccability to record levels. To inspire you, I’ve grabbed a few affirmations from a moral code reputed to be written by a 14th-century Samurai warrior. Try saying them, and see if they rouse you to make your good character even better. 1. “I have no divine power; I make honesty my divine power.” 2. “I have no miracles; I make right action my miracle.” 3. “I have no enemy; I make carelessness my enemy.” 4. “I have no designs; I make ‘seizing opportunity’ my design.” 5. “I have no magic secrets; I make character my magic secret.” 6. “I have no armor; I make benevolence and righteousness my armor.”

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
“The only way to live is by accepting each minute as an unrepeatable miracle,” writes Cancerian author and Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield. I disagree with him. There are many other modes of awareness that can be useful as we navigate our labyrinthine path through this crazy world. Regarding each minute as an opportunity to learn something new, for instance: That’s an excellent way to live. Or, for another example, treating each minute as another chance to creatively express our love. But I do acknowledge that Kornfield’s approach is sublime and appealing. And I think it will be especially apropos for you during the coming weeks.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
The coming weeks will be a poignant and healing time for you to remember the people in your life who have died—as well as ancestors whom you never met or didn’t know well. They have clues to offer you, rich feelings to nourish you with, course corrections to suggest. Get in touch with them through your dreams, meditations, and reminiscences. Now read this inspiration from poet Rainer Maria Rilke: “They, who passed away long ago, still exist in us, as predisposition, as burden upon our fate, as murmuring blood, and as gesture that rises up from the depths of time.” (Translation from the German by Stephen Mitchell.)

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
I’m fond of 18th-century Virgo painter Quentin de La Tour. Why? 1. He specialized in creating portraits that brought out his subjects’ charm and intelligence. 2. As he grew wealthier, he became a philanthropist who specialized in helping poor women and artists with disabilities. 3. While most painters of his era did self-portraits that were solemn, even ponderous, de La Tour’s self-portraits showed him smiling and good-humored. 4. Later in his life, when being entirely reasonable was no longer a top priority, de La Tour enjoyed conversing with trees. In accordance with the astrological omens, I propose that we make him your patron saint for now. I hope you’ll be inspired to tap into your inner Quentin de la Tour.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with your overall health, Libra—in fact, I expect it’s probably quite adequate—but from an astrological point of view, now is the right time to schedule an appointment for a consultation with your favorite healer, even if just by Zoom. In addition, I urge you to consult a soul doctor for a complete metaphysical check-up. Chances are that your mental health is in fair shape, too. But right now it’s not enough for your body and soul to be merely adequate; they need to receive intense doses of well-wrought love and nurturing. So I urge you to ask for omens and signs and dreams about what precisely you can do to treat yourself with exquisite care.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
“Love commands a vast army of moods,” writes author Diane Ackerman. “Frantic and serene, vigilant and calm, wrung-out and fortified, explosive and sedate.” This fact of life will be prominently featured in your life during the coming weeks. Now is a fertile time to expand your understanding of how eros and romance work when they’re at their best—and to expand your repertoire of responses to love’s rich challenges. Don’t think of it as a tough test; imagine it as an interesting research project.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Sagittarian poet and visual artist William Blake (1757–1827) cultivated a close relationship with lofty thoughts and mystical visions. He lived with his wife Catherine for the last 45 years of his life, but there were times when he was so preoccupied with his amazing creations that he neglected his bond with her. Catherine once said, “I have very little of Mr. Blake’s company. He is always in Paradise.” I hope that you won’t be like that in the coming weeks. Practical matters and intimate alliances need more of your attention than usual. Consider the possibility, at least for now, of spending less time in paradise and more on earth.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Poet Robert Graves regarded the ambiguity of poetry as a virtue, not a problem. In his view, poetry’s inscrutability reflects life’s true nature. As we read its enigmatic ideas and feelings, we may be inspired to understand that experience is too complex to be reduced to simplistic descriptions and overgeneralized beliefs. In fact, it’s quite possible that if we invite poetry to retrain our perceptions, we will develop a more tolerant and inclusive perspective toward everything. I’m telling you this, Capricorn, because whether or not you read a lot of poetry in the coming weeks, it will be wise and healthy for you to celebrate, not just tolerate, how paradoxical and mysterious the world is.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
The coming weeks will be a favorable time to shed old habits that waste your energy, and create new habits that will serve you well for months to come. To inspire and guide your efforts, I offer these thoughts from author and naturalist Henry David Thoreau: “As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.”

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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Tired of Streaming Old Sitcoms? Check Out This TV Comedian Visiting Tiny Towns Across Canada –An Absolute Gem

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Good News Network

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Feb 27, 2021

There are a lot of great shows streaming on HBO, Netflix, and Disney+. But if you want to lighten your stress load at the end of a long day, maybe watching a dark drama isn’t your best option.

I was out of TV options. After ten months of lockdown, living alone, and searching every night for entertainment to keep me company while I do routine tasks for GNN on my laptop, this editor was OUT OF OPTIONS.

Earlier this month, while clicking through the depths of Amazon Prime, I found a series from the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting) which has brought me so much joy—and hope for the future.

The first thing you might appreciate is the beautiful Canadian scenery—from the mountains to the remote harbors and inland to a unique saltwater lake… But, never mind that.

Every episode, you get to follow around the engaging Canadian comedian Jonny Harris as he visits the fun-loving inhabitants in far-flung small towns. His journeys are both hilarious and heart-warming.

These towns were all struggling after factories or mines closed, or when the railroads and highways were diverted. But Jonny always ferrets out the good news.

Best of all, after immersing himself in the lives of local characters and unearthing the tall tales in these tiny towns, Jonny writes and delivers a rousing comedy stand-up routine about his experiences.

It’s called Still Standing—but, some of the towns are not just standing, they are thriving in always colorful ways.

Season 6, featuring Jonny’s latest cross-country road trip was shot in 2019 and premiered in October 2020 on CBC and CBC Gem. It featured the town of Pelee Island, Ontario.

LOOK: The Public Gave Names to Over 50 Snowplows in Scotland And They are Hilarious!

I just finished a fascinating episode about Cobalt, Ontario, which in the 1900s was the third biggest producer of silver in the entire world.

The silver mines were abandoned, most of the miners moved on, but what was left behind as waste may soon be a boon to the old mining town. The silver industry dumped their byproducts on the nearby property—rock dust that was heavily laced with cobalt, the element used in making lithium batteries needed for everything from our phones to computers and electric cars. The hilarious stand-up comedy he wrote about this place did not disappoint.

CHECK OUT: This Austin Restaurant is Making the Wittiest Pandemic Signs Anywhere

One of the best episodes I’ve seen so far features Wilberforce, Ontario, the “geo-caching capital of Canada”.

If you’re not in the Great White North, you can stream the first four seasons on Amazon Prime right now. When you get near the end of season four—if you’re like me—you will be longing for more.

You’re welcome.

The Still Standing host Jonny Harris—also the show’s producer and co-writer—is best known for his role in the detective series Murdoch Mysteries, now in its 14th season on CBC.

WATCH a scene where he meets some seniors for drinks, then turns it into humor…

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“Don’t worry about losing. If it is right, it happens – The Main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away.” – John Steinbeck (born 119 years ago)

Quote of the Day

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Good News Network

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Feb 27, 2021

Quote of the Day: “Don’t worry about losing. If it is right, it happens. The Main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away.” – John Steinbeck (born 119 years ago today)

Photo by: chester wade

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

Teen Collects 30,000 Pairs of Shoes to Donate ‘Dignity’ to LA Homeless

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Judy Cole

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Feb 26, 2021

lindsay sobel released Sierra Canyon Athletics — Sierrra Canyon Athletics

For children raised in the Jewish faith, a bar or bat mitzvah is the celebration of the symbolic passage into adulthood. While at age 13, we’re not truly grown up, we can begin to see our place in the larger world.

What Lindsay Sobel saw in the months leading up to her own bat mitzvah was that a life of privilege wasn’t a blessing that everyone shared—and she was determined to do something about it.

As she became increasingly aware of the day-to-day hurdles homeless people living on the streets of Los Angeles faced, one thing Sobel saw time and again was how many lacked proper footwear.

“I noticed a lot of them were in really awful living conditions, no way any person should have to live. On top of that, I noticed a lot of them did not even have shoes on,” she said in an interview with A Mighty Girl. “At 12 years old, I was like, ‘Wow, people don’t have shoes?’ It kind of put things into perspective for me.”

For her Tikkun Olam—an “act of repairing the world” central to the bat mitzvah ceremony—Sobel came up with the idea to launch Shoes for Soles, a charitable outreach program that collects and distributes shoes for Southern Californians in need.

“Part of the requirement for having a bar or bat mitzvah is that in some way you give back to your community, give back to the world,” Sobel told KNX-1070 News Radio. “I decided I wanted to give back as big as I could.”

Since its inception, Shoes for Soles has “re-homed” 30,000-plus pairs of gently used shoes collected during school shoe drives and from shout-outs to her fellow volleyball players and their families.

When the coronavirus pandemic caused many of her usual sources to dry up, Sobel took to the Internet to solicit donations via the Next Door app. The trickle became a steady flow once more.

Sobel only accepts shoes in good condition. “I want to try to give the best experience to all the people,” she told A Mighty Girl. “…A fresh, new pair of shoes can really brighten someone’s day, brighten their attitude, and their outlook on life.”

MORE: Teen from Wildfire-Hit Town Wins $250k Scholarship for Awesome Explanation of Quantum Tunneling

Shoes are such a simple thing, but the repercussions of not having them can impact everything from health to mobility to the possibility of looking for work. “That one pair of shoes could change someone’s life,” Sobel told KNX-1070.

Sobel’s mission to help people who are down at heel put their best foot forward is obviously something she believes in heart and “sole.” While she’s received numerous accolades for her efforts, seeing the impact her act of repairing the world has had on her community has been its own reward.

A recent visit to the Beach Mission gave Sobel an opportunity to see how her all hard work is paying off. “There are [so] many homeless people right now and the challenge for me is how can I help as many of them as possible,” she told the Los Angeles Daily News. “It was a chance to see who I’m giving the shoes to in person. I felt pretty good about myself and great about the community.”

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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Come to the Rescue of Texas Women’s Shelter After Winter Storm

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Good News Network

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Feb 26, 2021

Prince_Harry_and_Meghan_Markle cc license wikimedia commons Mark Jones — Mark Jones, CC license

When a women’s shelter was badly damaged during the brutal winter storms that recently hit Texas, a famous couple came to the rescue—with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle donating to get the vital facility back on its feet.

Every year, Genesis Women’s Shelter & Support gives around 3,700 women and kids in abusive situations a route towards a safe and stable life. But during storm Uri, its buildings—which includes transitional housing, a school, and offices—were badly damaged. Pipes burst, a roof caved in, furniture was destroyed. For the first time in nearly 40 years of operation, the Dallas-based facilities had to close.

Luckily, word of the damage got out to generous people around the world—including the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Today, the news of our damages reached Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex! Through their nonprofit, they are supporting us by replacing the roof at our transitional housing facility & helping us meet our immediate needs. THANK YOU, ARCHEWELL FOUNDATION! pic.twitter.com/rFtxzvtFRo
— Genesis Women’s Shelter & Support (@GenesisShelter) February 22, 2021

Making a donation through their nonprofit the Archewell Foundation, Meghan and Harry have been helping replace a damaged roof and make repairs at the women’s shelter.

“Not only will this gift provide for our critical needs,” stated Jan Langbein, CEO of Genesis Women’s Shelter & Support, “it shines an international spotlight on violence against women and children, letting survivors know that they are not alone.”

Further donations have come in from people across the States and abroad. Because of people’s generosity, the shelter is open for women and children in need once again.

This might be just a photo of a bed, but it was taken in our emergency shelter today & that reflects the fact that a survivor of domestic violence will have a safe place to rest her head tonight. We are so grateful for the support we’ve received from all 50 states - YOU did this! pic.twitter.com/f5YSzZk3t1
— Genesis Women’s Shelter & Support (@GenesisShelter) February 20, 2021

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who announced on February 14 that they are expecting a second child, reconfirmed their commitment to philanthropy this month.

“We can all live a life of service,” they stated earlier this month. “Service is universal.”

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