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Exhausted Puffin Rescued After it was Found Stranded 100 Miles From Seaside Home

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Credit: The Vet With Pets via FB
Credit: The Vet With Pets via FB

A stranded puffin has been rescued after being found more than a hundred miles away from its natural coastal habitat.

The seabird was blown off course before landing in a garden in landlocked Hereford, England, where it was found by a concerned homeowner who took it to a veterinary office.

It is believed the lost puffin was trying to make its way back to the cliffs of Skomer or its nearby Island in Pembrokeshire, Wales—110 miles (177km) away.

Vets for Pets Hereford reported on Facebook Wednesday that the exhausted bird was weak and underweight, but they managed to nurture it back to health by feeding it a specialized formula designed for fish-eating birds.

“We were surprised, to say the least,” said Dr. Elliot Goodwin, the head surgeon. “Puffins never venture this far inland unless they’re disoriented or have been blown off course.

“It’s likely she was returning to her nesting site in West Wales and lost her way. Although she is not injured she is very tired from her inland holiday.”

The staff nicknamed the bird ‘Lovely Oona’—inspired by Puffin Rock & Friends animation—and she’ll be transported back to West Wales and released into the wild once she regains her full strength.

On that note, yesterday she started on solid food, after the office put out the call for a specific small sardine-like fish the staff couldn’t find.

“A lovely man called, and is bringing us some frozen Sprats,” they wrote in a Facebook update. And when Oona immediately ate two of them, they updated again: “We are over the moon.”

“It was a full team effort, from diagnosis to feeding and nutrition, everyone brought their expertise to the table,” said Dr. Elliot. “Even though we’ve treated many exotics before—including, lynx, meerkats and goshawks—this was our first puffin.”

“As you can imagine, we get phone calls about all sorts of wildlife and sometimes people get a bit confused, so we didn’t quite believe it was going to be a puffin but, sure enough, she came in with a puffin.”

They warned that the colorfully-billed birds usually travel in small groups, so encouraged residents to be on the lookout for other puffins that might have lost their way.

Credit: Vets for Pets Hereford / FB

Puffins are a lot smaller than people realize, with healthy adults weighing less than a pound (14 ounces). Normally weighing 400 grams, Oona weighed just 218.

Dr. Sasha Norris, of Herefordshire Wildlife Rescue, said seabirds blown off course usually don’t make it—so Oona’s been very lucky.

MORE BIRD GOOD NEWS:
• Giant Mystical Eagle Thought to Be ‘Extinct in Mexico’ Reappears, Marking Landmark Moment for Conservationists
• Second-Ever Elusive Night Parrot Egg Discovered in Australia Where it Had Been ‘Extinct’ for 100 Years
• Endangered Thick-Billed Parrot That Once Roamed the US Is on the Way to Recovery

Living exclusively in coastal areas, and making their home on clifftops and islands, puffins are listed in the UK as a species of high conservation concern, but there are 580,000 breeding pairs here.

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“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” – Vincent van Gogh

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Getty Images for Unsplash+

Quote of the Day: “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” – Vincent van Gogh

Photo by: Getty Images for Unsplash+

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?

Getty Images for Unsplash+

Good News in History, June 29

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30 years ago today, the NASA Space Shuttle Atlantis kicked off a new era in international space cooperation by achieving the first docking with the Russian space station Mir. Beyond the Mir docking, the mission of Atlantis flight STS-71 included a series of spacewalks to reconfigure the station for docking and launching the new Spektr module on Mir that contained US research hardware. READ more about the mission… (1995)

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Giant Corporations Protect 15,000 Square Miles of Forests in Partnership With WWF Stewardship Program

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Adriano Gambarini /WWF- Brazil (permission)
Credit: ©Adriano Gambarini /WWF- Brazil (permission)

Four years ago, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) launched their Forests Forward program, partnering with big businesses to reduce deforestation and improve woodland management.

A new report shows that their 26 global partners are positively impacting 15,000-sq-mi of forest—roughly equivalent to the size of Switzerland (4 million hectares or 10 million acres).

Forests Forward companies like Nike, Costco, HP, PepsiCo, and Procter & Gamble, are demonstrating how corporate leadership can be a positive force for nature.

Since more than half of the world’s forests are managed (wholly or partly) for production, the private sector has a critical role in turning the tide on forest loss.

Seven million of the total acres are either Forest Stewardship Council-certified or moving toward certification.

The report reveals that the 26 companies from nine different sectors are going beyond responsible sourcing to support forest conservation projects around the world—nearly 3 million acres of some of the most vital and vulnerable landscapes and tropical rainforests (1.3m hectares).

“Now more than ever, companies understand that better forests mean better business,” said Linda Walker, a senior director at WWF-US.

“From building responsible supply chains to supporting nature-based solutions like forest restoration, Forests Forward partners have demonstrated that leadership is essential to sustaining thriving forests.”

The regenerating Rothiemurchus Forest in Cairngorms – Credit: Cairngorms Connect

AMAZING: Dinosaur Evergreens Thought Extinct for 2Mil Years Discovered by Park Ranger–the Grove is the ‘Find of the Century’

Companies can participate in responsible sourcing, improving forest management, or financing critical work to benefit nature and people.

“Together, our innovative approaches and positive impacts are proving that conserving forests is not only beneficial for the planet but also a wise and sustainable business strategy,” said Dr. Kirsten Schuijt, director general of WWF International.

Among the 26 international corporations participating in Forests Forward, these are the US companies:

  • Costco Wholesale Corporation
  • HP Inc.
  • International Paper Company
  • Kimberly-Clark Corporation
  • Nike, Inc.
  • PepsiCo, Inc.
  • The Procter & Gamble Company
  • Sylvamo
  • Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (A full list of partners can be found here.)

“Through our partnership with WWF, we are focused on large-scale innovative solutions to prioritize the needs of local communities and ecosystems,” said the HP Director of Climate & Responsible Sourcing, Alex Michalko.

REVERSING THE DAMAGE: Couple Plants 2 Million Trees in 20 Years to Turn Destroyed Forest Back Into a Wildlife Haven

“For IKEA, it doesn’t end with our own supply chain,” said their Global Raw Material Manager. “We are proud to have supported WWF’s conservation efforts over 23 years in a total of 22 countries.”

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Minister Goes Viral Over Incredible Sand Sculptures Depicting Everyday Items

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A Mark Lewis sand sculpture – Credit @LewisSandArt / SWNS
A Mark Lewis sand sculpture – Credit @LewisSandArt / SWNS

A part-time minister has gone viral for his lifelike beach sculptures that depict everyday items like a giant toothpaste tube and a pair of crocs.

Mark Lewis is passionate about sculpting sand into weird and wonderful forms—and says he loves to put a smile on people’s faces.

The Star Wars fan has sculpted Jabba The Hutt and R2D2 along with SpongeBob Squarepants for the kids.

“It’s all about bringing joy into the world and inciting a smile on someone’s face as they discover something unexpected on the beach,” said the 57-year-old Englishman.

“I also love making things tall. The higher the sculpture the more impressive it is—and we love it when people look at it, thinking how on earth did they do that!”

The clergyman from York began sand sculpting with his children back in 2010. Mark would take his two boys, Simeon and Ethan, down to Weymouth beach on the coast where a close friend lived.

“We graduated in our thinking from the standard digging a big hole or making bucket sand castles, and started thinking about making our creations look like something definitive.

A Mark Lewis sand sculpture – SWNS / @LewisSandArt

As his kids were really into Star Wars, they started with Darth Vader’s helmet and R2D2. Gradually, Mark developed ‘the sand sculpture bug‘.

“Me and the boys always liked trying to build something very unexpected that you wouldn’t find on the beach,” he told SWNS news agency. “The sculptures got more and more ambitious—and what was just a family hobby turned into a serious one.”

Mark Lewis loves bringing a smile to peoples faces with creations like Spongebob Squarepants – SWNS / @LewisSandArt

During the pandemic, Mark’s sister bought him a day-long sand sculpture training with a company called Sand In Your Eye, during which he learned professional techniques and which tools to use and when, which dramatically enhanced what he was able to do.

There aren’t many professional sand sculptors in England, but the fleeting nature of the medium means his creations are short-lived.

“I do not mind though. By its nature, sand is temporary. It is going to disappear and get washed away, so as long as I have photographs it’s OK.”

Mark’s recent interactive sand sculpture—a pair of crocs that people can step into—went viral on social media, when people were taking pictures standing in his work and sharing them on a Facebook group called ‘I love Weymouth and Portland’. After commenting in the group, Pastor Mark’s Social Media pages blew up (known by @LewisSandArt).

Mark Lewis inside his sand sculpture of a pair of crocs – SWNS

“Out of everything I’ve ever made on the beach, it’s pretty random and funny the crocs are what blew up.”

The longest time Mark has spent on a single sand sculpture on the beach is around nine hours—which was a massive Hogwarts castle built with the help of seven family members and friends.

Mark Lewis sand sculpture of Hogwarts – @LewisSandArt / SWNS

“You are limited by the daylight and the tide, or both—so you have to account for that,” he explained.

LOOK AT THESE WILD SCULPTURES: 
• Hobbyist Hedgetrimmer Transforms His Street into Green Sculpture Gallery in Memory of Beloved Wife
• Minnesota Hosts World Snow Sculpting Championship–And The Giant Ice Art is Pretty Spectacular

Mark also recalled a project in Cambridge assisting the lead sculptor at Sand In Your Eye, Jamie Wardley, building King’s College Chapel. He was tasked with building The Bridge of Sighs over the river Cam, and called the “incredibly intricate job” the hardest he had ever done. It took the pair three days to complete it.

“I had to build it in a shopping centre, and we had to carry all the sand and equipment into the building in buckets. It was tons of sand, and two massive vans filled with equipment.”

They worked for three thirteen hour days, and Mark called it “insane and very physical”.

“Architecture is quite difficult to do as there’s a lot of regularity to what you’re sculpting—so it’s a lot less forgiving if you make minor mistakes.”

WOW! AMAZING: Danish Artist Hides Enormous Trolls in Forests Around the World Using Recycled Wood

Mark loves to be on the beach, though, and explained that although every piece of art he makes is different, the foundation for building is the same every time: “You apply exactly the same principles whatever piece you are making.

“For example, you always work (from the) top down. If you don’t work like that, you’ll be destroying intricate detail you’ve created.”

“I remember trying to make a really tall candle, and it collapsed on me twice. It definitely happens.”

Although Mark loves creating his sculptures, he looks forward to interacting with people from all walks of life.

“People ask a lot of questions, and I like showing other kids and parents how to do it—and inspire others to have a go themselves. They can do more than they think!”

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Texas Mailman Adopts Beloved Dog from His Old Route After its Vietnam Veteran Owner Passes Away

By
Nathan Frederick
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Courtesy of City of Denton Animal Shelter FB Page

That old stereotype of mailman-running-from-dog has been turned upside-down by a Texas letter carrier and a pooch named Floyd.

Ian Burke first met the dog while delivering mail in Denton three years ago. Floyd, a German Shepherd and Border Collie mix, came charging up behind him and introduced himself as only an energetic puppy can.

During his regular postal route, Burke got to know Floyd and his owner, a Vietnam veteran who was confined to a wheelchair after serving his country. Floyd was equal parts service animal and friendly companion.

Over time, Floyd’s house became one of Burke’s favorite stops, with the mailman delivering pets and pats and gentle scratches for his four-legged friend that treasured the affection.

“He loves to hug me,” Burke told CBS News. “He treats everybody like a friend, like you’ve known him forever.”

Burke also learned that Floyd actually had a full name, Pretty Boy Floyd, after the infamous bank robber—although this ‘pretty boy’ only steals extra belly rubs.

A year and a half ago, Burke’s delivery route changed and he lost contact with Floyd and his owner. Then, earlier this month, bad news arrived.

Floyd’s owner had passed away and a dog matching Floyd’s description was now housed at the City of Denton animal shelter.

Burke was first in line at the shelter’s front door when the ‘hold’ on Floyd expired—and moments later, the beloved black dog now had a forever home with his former mailman.

“Based on the media that’s out there in the world and some old, old, old wives’ tales, mailmen and dogs don’t always get along,” Jenny McGee of the Denton Animal Shelter told CBS. “It was great to not only see that Floyd found a wonderful home, but also that that the old myth about mailmen and dogs isn’t always true.”

Burke said he’s honored to be Floyd’s new owner and he doesn’t take the responsibility lightly.

HERE’S A REMARKABLE CANINE:
• Jack Russell Pup Becomes Surrogate Mom to Six Abandoned Kittens, Feeding Them with Her Own Milk
• Italian Dogs Trained as Lifeguards Save 20 Lives Every Year – With New Teams Headed to Germany and US

The mailman is good to all the other animals on his route too, often bringing treats for the dogs he encounters and feeding the community’s cats when he can. He hopes that all the media attention that Floyd has received might encourage others to adopt a shelter pet.

After all, if a mailman and a gangster dog that charged him at first sight can find their happily-ever-after, there’s probably hope for everyone else too.

SHARE THIS MAILMAN’S BEST FRIEND With Dog-Lovers on Social Media…

Your Weekly Horoscope – ‘Free Will Astrology’ by Rob Brezsny

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Our partner Rob Brezsny, who has a new book out, Astrology Is Real: Revelations from My Life as an Oracle, provides his weekly wisdom to enlighten our thinking and motivate our mood. Rob’s Free Will Astrology, is a syndicated weekly column appearing in over a hundred publications. He is also the author of Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How All of Creation Is Conspiring To Shower You with Blessings. (A free preview of the book is available here.)

Here is your weekly horoscope…

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY – Week of June 28, 2025
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Welcome to a special edition of “What’s My Strongest Yearning?” I’m your host, Rob Brezsny, and I’m delighted you have decided to identify the single desire that motivates you more than any other. Yes, you have many wishes and hopes and dreams, but one is more crucial than all the rest! Right? To begin the exercise, take three deep breaths and allow every knot of tension to dissolve and exit your beautiful body. Then drop down into the primal depths of your miraculous soul and wander around until you detect the shimmering presence of the beloved reason you came here to this planet. Immerse yourself in this glory for as long as you need to. Exult in its mysterious power to give meaning to everything you do. Ask it to nurture you, console you, and inspire you.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
In certain medieval maps, unexplored territories were marked with the Latin phrase hic sunt dracones—“here be dragons.” It was a warning and a dare, a declaration that no one knew what lay beyond. In the coming weeks, Leo, you may find yourself traveling into one of those unlabeled regions. Rather than flinching or dodging, I invite you to press forward with respectful curiosity. Some of the so-called dragons will be figments. Others are protectors of treasure and might be receptive to sharing with a bright light like you. Either way, productive adventures are awaiting you in that unmapped territory. Go carefully—but go.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
In traditional Japanese carpentry, joints are made so skillfully that they need no nails, screws, or adhesives. Carpenters use intricate joinery techniques to connect pieces of wood so tightly that the structures are strong and durable. They often require a mallet for assembly and disassembly. In metaphorical terms, you are capable of that kind of craftsmanship these days, Virgo. I hope you will take advantage of this by building lasting beauty and truth that will serve you well into the future. Don’t rush the joinery. If it’s not working, don’t force it. Re-cut, re-measure, breathe deeply, and try again.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Here’s one of my unruly rules about human competence: In every professional field, from physicians to lawyers to psychics to teachers, about 15 percent of all the practitioners are downright mediocre, even deficient. Seventy-five percent are at least satisfactory and sometimes good. And 10 percent of the total are surpassingly excellent, providing an extraordinary service. With this in mind, I’m happy to say that you now have a knack for gravitating toward that exceptional 10 percent in every domain you are drawn to. I predict that your intuition will consistently guide you toward premium sources.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
The Japanese concept of shinrin-yoku means “forest bathing.” It invites people to immerse themselves in the natural world, drawing on its restorative power. In accordance with astrological portents, I urge you Scorpios to maximize your forest bathing. To amplify the enrichment further, gravitate toward other environments that nourish your soul’s need for solace and uplift. The naked fact is that you need places and influences that offer you comfort, safety, and tender inspiration. Don’t apologize for making your life a bit less heroic as you tend to your inner world with gentle reverence.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
The camera obscura was a precursor to modern cameras. It projected the outside world upside down onto interior walls. Artists loved it because it helped them see reality from new angles. I hereby proclaim that you, Sagittarius, will be like both the artist and the *camera obscura* lens in the coming weeks. Your perceptions may feel inverted, strange, even disorienting, but that’s a gift! So let unfamiliarity be your muse. Flip your assumptions. Sketch from shadow instead of light. Have faith that the truth isn’t vanishing or hiding; it’s simply appearing in unfamiliar guises. Don’t rush to turn right-side-up things. Relish and learn from the tilt.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
I’m sure you enjoy gazing into some mirrors more than others. It’s amazing how different you might look in your bathroom mirror and the mirror in the restroom at work. Some store windows may reflect an elegant, attractive version of you, while others distort your image. A similar principle is at work in the people with whom you associate. Some seem to accentuate your finest attributes, while others bring out less flattering aspects. I bring this to your attention, dear Capricorn, because I believe it will be extra important in the coming weeks for you to surround yourself with your favorite mirrors.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Leonardo da Vinci filled thousands of pages with sketches, notes, and experiments. He never finished many of them. He called this compilation his “codex of wonder.” It wasn’t a record of failures. It was an appreciation of his complex process and a way to honor his creative wellspring. Taking a cue from da Vinci’s love of marvelous enigmas, I invite you to be in love with the unfinished in the coming weeks. Make inquisitiveness your default position. Reconsider abandoned ideas. Be a steward of fertile fragments. Some of your best work may arise from revisiting composted dreams or incomplete sketches. Here’s your motto: Magic brews in the margins.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
In the remote Atacama Desert of Chile, certain flowers lie dormant for years, awaiting just the right conditions to burst into blossom in a sudden, riotous explosion of color and vitality. Scientists call it a superbloom. Metaphorically speaking, Pisces, you are on the verge of such a threshold. I’m sure you can already feel the inner ripening as it gathers momentum. Any day now, your full flowering will erupt—softly but dramatically. You won’t need to push. You will simply open. To prepare yourself emotionally, start rehearsing lively shouts of “HALLELUJAH! HOORAY! WHOOPEE!”

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
The Hawaiian word pō refers to a primal darkness from which all life flows. It’s not a fearsome void, but a fertile mystery, rich with future possibilities and the ancestors’ hopes. In the coming weeks, I invite you to treat your inner life as pō. Be as calm and patient and watchful as an Aries can be as you monitor the inklings that rise up out of the deep shadows. Have faith that the cloudy uncertainty will ultimately evolve into clarity, revealing the precise directions you need.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
In the 17th century, the Taurus polymath Athanasius Kircher constructed a fantastical machine called the Aeolian harp. It wasn’t designed to be played by human fingers, but by the wind. It conjured music with currents invisible to the eye. I nominate this sublime contraption as your power object for the coming weeks, Taurus. The most beautiful and healing melodies may come from positioning yourself so that inspiration can blow through. How might you attune yourself to the arrival of unexpected help and gifts? Set aside any tendency you might have to try too hard. Instead, allow life to sing through you.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
The painter Vincent van Gogh wrote, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” That’s good advice for you right now. Your ambitions may feel daunting if you imagine them as monumental and monolithic. But if you simply focus on what needs to be done next—the daily efforts, the incremental improvements—you will be as relaxed as you need to be to accomplish wonders. Remember that masterpieces are rarely completed in a jiffy. The cumulative power of steady work is potentially your superpower. Here’s another crucial tip: Use your imagination to have fun as you attend to the details.

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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“Illusion is the first of all pleasures.” – Voltaire

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By Adam Hoffman

Quote of the Day: “Illusion is the first of all pleasures.” – Voltaire

Photo by: Adam Hoffman

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?

By Adam Hoffman

Good News in History, June 28

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2010 photo by Angela George; and with Anne Bancroft in 1991, by Georges Biard – CC license

Happy 99th Birthday to Mel Brooks, the comic and writer who became the legendary director of comedies like Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and The Producers. One of the most successful film directors of the 1970s, Brooks was married to actress Anne Bancroft for 41 years until her death in 2005. He co-wrote TV’s Get Smart, and recorded the LP The 2000 Year Old Man, which propelled him into an exclusive club of entertainers honored with the EGOT grand slam—for winning an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. WATCH his bio and interview from several years ago… (1926)

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‘Miracles Happen’: Woman Uses CPR Training she Learned 40 Years Ago to Save Teen Baseball Player’s Life

By
Nathan Frederick
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Courtesy of Samantha Tucker

Johnette Wilmot learned CPR when she was 17-years-old and never needed it in the 40 years since then.

But, recently, when a 15-year-old went into cardiac arrest during a baseball practice, Wilmot remembered everything as if she had been trained yesterday.

Evan Tucker had just finished his freshman baseball season at Pinson Valley High School in Alabama and was trying out for a travel team when he collapsed on the field.

His mother, Samantha, thought he had been hit by a ball. Someone else thought he was having a seizure. The reality was much worse—it was cardiac arrest.

That’s when Ms. Wilmot, who was there for her own son’s tryout, sprinted toward Tucker’s side.

“I learned CPR in high school and I’ve never had to use it in 40 years. I just kept humming Stayin’ Alive,” she told WBRC News, referring to the famous Bee Gees song, which has the perfect beat for delivering chest compressions.

Wilmot performed CPR for about eight minutes before an ambulance arrived and Evan was taken to Children’s Hospital, where doctor’s had to shock his heart to restart its rhythm.

Courtesy of Samantha Tucker

Evan’s condition eventually stabilized after a few days. If his physical therapy continues to progress, he should make a full recovery. And a family friend set up a GoFundMe campaign to help raise money for the large hospital bills.

WATCH the local news story below from WBRC…

 

If you ask Evan’s mom, divine intervention deserves all the credit—and some long-remembered CPR too.

ANOTHER CPR STRANGER-TURNED-HERO: A Stranger Delivered CPR for 20 Minutes to Save a Montreal Man Then Vanished

“Miracles happen,” Samantha said. “If it hadn’t been for Johnette… my son would not be here today.”

SEND THIS CPR REFRESHER To Friends on Social Media…

Hero Tells Mom on Burning 3rd Floor: ‘Drop the baby, I am going to catch her’

By
Andy Corbley
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CREDIT: @bigg_chasing
CREDIT: @bigg_chasing

Absolutely gripping footage recorded during a recent apartment block fire shows a mother throwing her baby out from the third-floor window to a crowd of rescuers below.

The arms of the rescuers envelope the falling child, and Cleveland news 19 reports that both mom and babe made it out unharmed.

The ordeal began on June 23rd when the 7000 block of Garden Valley Avenue’s Rainbow Terrace apartments exploded. Five were seriously injured.

“The city is actively supporting the situation and is in coordination with local partners to ensure that those impacted receive the necessary support and resources during this challenging time,” a statement from city hall read.

But before the victims thought about bedding and canned goods, their concern was mere survival. Reginald Barnes was one of the child’s rescuers, and he heard the explosion firsthand.

“I heard something going like, ‘tick, tick’ then, ‘BOOM!’ It blew up and I flipped,” Barnes told Cleveland news 19. Once he realized he was unharmed, he moved towards the scene to see if anyone needed help.

That’s when he encountered the woman and her child on the third floor of a rapidly burning building.

SIMILAR HEROES MAKING SIMILAR RESCUES:

“I was like, ‘Drop the baby, let her go. I am going to catch her,’” Barnes recounted. “I was thinking about my own kids. This is my baby she has in her hands.”

A collection point for those who have suddenly lost houses and possessions has been set up in front of Burten, Bell, Carr on Kinsman Road and is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. They say they are in need of hygiene products, bedding, and summer clothing to help the victims of the explosion.

WATCH the harrowing footage below… 

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Ash Trees in Britain Are Evolving a Resistance to Fungal Disease That was Devastating Woodlands

By
Andy Corbley
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Ash dieback in Marden Pack woodland - credit, SWNS
Ash dieback in Marden Park woodland – credit, SWNS

To use what will become a timeless adage, one of the most amazing things about life is how it, uh, finds a way—as seen lately in England where ash trees are spontaneously developing resistance to a deadly disease.

Natural selection in woodlands is acting to combat the disease ash dieback—caused by the fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus that has devastated ash trees across Europe, say scientists.

Arriving on Britain in 2012, it has killed millions of trees, but a new study conducted by researchers at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, and Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) found that a new generation of ash trees, growing naturally in woodland, exhibits greater resistance to the disease compared to older trees.

Natural selection is acting upon thousands of locations within the ash tree DNA, driving the evolution of resistance as the seedlings grow up through the leaf litter where H. fraxineous reproduces.

The team says its findings, published in the journal Science, offer renewed hope for the future of ash trees on the British Isles, as previous predictions estimated that up to 85% of ash trees would succumb to the disease.

Ash dieback in Marden Park woodland – credit, SWNS

The new study compared the DNA of ash trees established before and after the fungal invasion and found “compelling evidence” for a long-standing prediction of Darwinian theory.

“A tragedy for the trees has been a revelation for scientists: allowing us to show that thousands of genes are contributing to the ash trees’ fightback against the fungus,” said Richard Nichols, Professor of Evolutionary Genetics at QMUL.

“Our detection of so many small genetic effects was possible because of the exceptional combination of circumstances: the sudden arrival of such a severe disease and the hundreds of offspring produced by a mature tree.”

Specifically, the research team observed subtle shifts in the frequencies of DNA variants associated with tree health across thousands of locations in the genome. They say the shifts indicate that the younger generation possesses greater resistance than their predecessors.

It’s an example of a phenomenon pertaining to natural selection but that has been difficult to prove: namely that trait selection can be driven by many small changes, rather than one or two obvious ones, and that this manifests as small changes in thousands of genes.

A mighty ash tree on Peacock Lonning, Cumbia – credit, Rose and Trev Clough licensed for reuse, CC 2.0.

“We are so glad that these findings suggest that ash will not go the way of the elm in Britain,” said Professor Richard Buggs, of the Royal Botanic Gardens and QMUL. “Elm trees have struggled to evolve to Dutch elm disease, but ash are showing a very different dynamic because they produce an abundance of seedlings upon which natural selection can act when they are still young.”

“Through the death of millions of ash trees, a more resistant population of ash is appearing.”

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS: Ancient Trees Have Incredible Lifespans That Also Help Keep The Surrounding Forests Alive

The authors suggest that the findings inform a different strategy for ash dieback management. Afflicted trees should be left alone in order to reproduce and release their thousands of seeds. If they are cleared to soon after infection, the chance that genetic resistance will be passed onto the future generation will be eliminated.

SPARE SOME LOVE FOR OLD TREES: Witness the Glory of the 2024 European Tree of the Year – Growing in Poland for 200 Years

The study, which was largely funded by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), was carried out in Marden Park woodland in Surrey, which is owned and managed by the Woodland Trust, and which has been devastated by ash dieback. A spokesperson from the Trust said the research “gives us hope for the future of our ash populations.”

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Parasail Operator Turns Into Rescuer After Storm Hits the Jersey Shore

By
Andy Corbley
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- credit J P Lachman, via Facebook
– credit J P Lachman, via Facebook

From the Jersey Shore comes the story of a parasail operator rescuing a kayaker and her dogs as fast as the wind which capsized them was blowing across the water.

It was Thursday evening in Sea Isle City and Brennan Bollard wasn’t working. A storm was forecasted and at around 7:00 p.m. it hit the bay with winds of 40 mph.

Out in the bay, a pair of kayakers had been paddling along whom Bollard had previously known were out there. As the winds rushed in, the kayak overturned, and the couple was dumped into the water along with their two dogs.

Footage taken from a man’s window across from the dock where Bollard’s boat was moored shows the experienced pilot run, leap into his boat, and speed out to intercept them on their course across the bay. Arriving there, Bollard picked up the dogs and eventually the woman as well.

Coverage from ABC 7 Eyewitness News included an interview with a bystander who watched the rescue take place.

“We were on the deck like, ‘Oh my gosh, we gotta do something,'” said resident Alex Clarke.

MORE RESCUE STORIES: 

“Next thing you know, we saw Brennan sprinting down the dock, and within 30 seconds he was full throttle grabbing them,” said Casey Clarke. “As soon as we saw Brennan, we were like, ‘they’ll be fine. They’re in good hands.'”

The man and the kayak made it back to the dock alone, and Bollard said that if they hadn’t been wearing life jackets, they might not have survived the rough seas.

WATCH the story below from ABC 7…

SHARE This Saintly Rescuer Of Sea Isle City With Your Friends…  

“Summer is the annual permission slip to do nothing and have it count for something. To lie in the grass and count the stars.” – Regina Brett

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day:  “Summer is the annual permission slip to do nothing and have it count for something. To lie in the grass and count the stars.” – Regina Brett

Photo by: goobledigook (CC license)

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?

Good News in History, June 27

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Good News Network
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145 years ago today, Helen Keller was born with full sight and hearing in Alabama. But before the age of two, she was stricken with disease that left her deaf and blind. Yet, at age 24, she became the first deaf and blind American to earn a bachelor’s degree (cum laude), and she became a world-famous speaker and author of twelve books—the first while she was still in college. WATCH a short video and learn more… (1880)

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Golden Wheat Anniversary: Farmer Uses Crop Field to Create One-Mile Message for Wife of 20 Years

By
Nathan Frederick
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Jesse and Sarah 20 Years (Family photo)
Jesse and Sarah 20 Years (Family photo)

A farmer in Kansas had an idea for an anniversary gift, but it was going to take eight months, one mile of land, and 65 million wheat seeds.

Jesse Blasi and his wife Sarah were set to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary this year. And he was inspired by another Kansas farmer who had planted a field of sunflowers for his wife—a story and video that GNN shared in 2023.

What if Blasi created a message in a wheat field?

He began plotting his surprise back in October. He used some modern farming methods, a John Deere Air Seeder, and two varieties of wheat to outline the message “Jesse + Sarah, 20 Years”.

He nurtured the two colors of wheat and waited for it to grow. It was a labor of love, but just like the old ‘Hall and Oates’ song, he knew it would make Sarah Smile.

“I knew it would make her smile,” Jesse told KAKE in Kansas. “That was kind-of the whole goal, to get the little grin out of her that I like.”

Jesse and Sarah met at a bar while attending Kansas State, and fate led them to the same stoplight on the way home. Their love has been going strong ever since, with a farm that’s been running for two decades and a family that includes two daughters, Reagan and Avery.

Jesse was determined to deliver his ‘golden wheat anniversary’ surprise, but had to work hard to keep it a secret when other farmers saw the message early.

Crop Kindness: A Canadian Farmer Had Millions of Surplus Potatoes and Worked Overtime to Give Them All Away

Then, in early June, the couple went up over the fields in an airplane—and when she looked out the window, she saw it.

Jesse + Sarah. 20 Years.

The words were laid out in a red chaff wheat, with a lighter variety serving as the background. In all, the message is about one mile long and a half-mile wide. (Watch the video below…)

FARMER FINDS FORTUNE IN HIS FIELD: Indian Farmer Changes His Fortunes–Finding Two Diamonds in His Field Worth $46,000

The anniversary love note should be visible over Kansas for the rest of the summer growing season—and it could linger all the way into October.

Eventually, the seasons will change and the message will fade, yet they surely will remember it forever.

But Jesse insisted: “It’s all the little things that make you happy.”

MAYBE YOU CAN’T MAKE A MESSAGE IN A WHEAT FIELD, But You Can Share This Story on Social Media For Your Loved Ones…

1,000-year-old Sword Decorated with Spiritual Symbols Found in Dutch River Goes on Display

By
Andy Corbley
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- credit, Ruben de Heer / Rijksmuseum van Oudheden
– credit, Ruben de Heer / Rijksmuseum van Oudheden

Looking as intact as the day it was forged, a 1,000-year-old sword has gone on display in the Netherlands.

Capturing a transition in medieval military technology with its expert degree of preservation as well as a dramatic culture of weapon embellishment with its series of religious symbols inlaid in copper, the sword is no doubt a national treasure.

It was found in a river on the grounds of the Linschoten Estate in the central region of the country during a routine dredging. Dating to between 1050 and 1150 CE, the sword has been donated to the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (National Museum of Antiquities) in Leiden.

The weapon remains remarkably well-preserved after a thousand years. Only the organic components—such as the wooden grip and any leather wrappings—have succumbed to time.

It measures just over 3 feet in length and sports a cross guard and semi-circular pommel—as archetypal an image of a medieval sword as one could hope to see; the spitting image of what a sword would look like if you asked a 9-year-old boy to draw one.

Traces of the wooden hilt are still visible, however, on the preserved sword. The iron is barely corroded due to the oxygen-poor environment of the wet soil it was buried in, but it was probably forged with very high-quality iron regardless, judging by the completeness of the weapon’s silhouette. The iron was later confirmed to be Dutch in origin as well.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: 1,000-year-old Viking Sword Fished out of an Oxfordshire River with a Magnet

“Medieval swords were deeply personal possessions: they were either buried with their owner or—alternatively—ritually deposited into water,” said the museum in a statement. “In the latter case, they are often exceptionally well preserved.”

This era also saw a shift in military tactics and weaponry: vertical slashing from horseback gave way to horizontal thrusting between pieces of gradually growing pieces of armor.

ANOTHER SWORD IN ANOTHER RIVER: When 8-Year-old ‘Queen’ Finds Authentic Ancient Sword in a Lake, Her Fans Rally to Forge Her a Replica

This sword, which could be wielded with one hand, embodies that transitional phase—suited to both techniques.

A cross was inlaid on one side of the blade near the cross guard, and another one composed of diamonds—an icon known as the eternal knot—on the other, as well as a series of vertical lines like counting lines on both sides.

SHARE This Impressive Piece Of Dutch Metallurgy With Your Friends…

Dozens of Whales Saved by Locals After Mass Stranding on Icelandic Beach

By
Andy Corbley
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Locals and emergency crews rescue 60 pilot whales off Icelandic beach – SWNS
Locals and emergency crews rescue 60 pilot whales off Icelandic beach – SWNS

From a country that’s typically in the news for hurting whales comes the story of a mass-stranding event with a happy ending.

Around 60 pilot whales, known locally as grindhvalur, were found stranded on Ólafsfjörður beach last Sunday.

Locals and emergency crews rushed to the remote area in a desperate effort to save the mammals, and by approximately 7:00 p.m. local time, rescue teams had successfully moved the whales from the shoreline back into open water.

According to local media, the whales were likely chasing mackerel, fish that have migrated north due to warming seas, when the pod became disoriented and trapped in the shallow waters.

“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” said Marc Sánchez, a Catalan who was visiting Ólafsfjörður at the time and working at a local hotel. “It was the first time in my life witnessing whales from so close and even being able to touch them.”

He ran to the beach after getting a call from his friend and filmed the dramatic scene.

“I felt a mix of emotions,” he told Britain’s Southwest News Service, “amazement, sadness and frustration—I wanted to help them, but it was impossible.”

Apparently, the rescue effort contained dozens of villagers who rushed to aid the emergency crews.

Locals and emergency crews rescue 60 pilot whales off Icelandic beach – SWNS

“The water was freezing, so I couldn’t stay in for long but I tried my best to assist however I could,” said Sánchez.

One of the last countries to cease whaling, Iceland and whales rarely make headlines together for good reasons. While tourists used to be told, and whalers used to explain, that whale was a traditional part of the Icelandic diet, this isn’t the case, and as protests grew in number and intensity, the whaling ceased by 2023.

SHARE This Wonderful Rescue Effort With Your Friends On Social Media… 

Police Ask Boston Seniors to ‘Walk the Beat’ with Them to Get Exercise and Make Friends

By
Andy Corbley
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- credit Warren Tavern, via Facebook
– credit Warren Tavern, via Facebook

It takes guts, experience, and community connections to be a ‘beat cop’—not the sort of environment where you’d expect to see a senior club.

“Walk the Beat” was the brilliant, and likely life-saving idea cooked up by the Boston Police Department during COVID-19 to keep seniors active, engaged, and safe.

Police officers escort groups from the Charlestown police station on a walk around the city. Other times they organize yoga classes or exercise programs.

“Coming out of COVID, we wanted to come up with an idea to get our seniors out in a safe environment,” Boston Police Sgt. Geno Provenzano told CBS Boston. 

The program now includes dozens of women and some men all over the age of 55. They meet Wednesday at 10:00 a.m., and whether it’s Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox or Provenzano on the beat with them, the consensus is clear: they make for a lively bunch.

The police officers make conversation, guarantee expedient road crossings, and drive any stragglers back home in their squad cars if they can’t carry on.

MORE POLICE-LED COMMUNITY SERVICE: Police Officers Surprise 911 Caller with a Chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’ – (WATCH)

“It’s been fabulous. It’s been the best thing I’ve ever did for myself, because I was one that would stick in the house and not move,” said 89-year-old Barbara. “It gets me out because all my friends have passed, gets me with a new group.”

The program is free to join and runs in multiple neighborhoods. Anyone interested need only call the most local district community service officer.

WATCH the seniors walk the beat below… 

SHARE This Great Service From The Boston PD With Your Friends From The City…

“The man who has no imagination has no wings.” – Muhammad Ali

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Good News Network
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Getty Images for Unsplash+

Quote of the Day:  “The man who has no imagination has no wings.” – Muhammad Ali

Photo by: Getty Images for Unsplash+ (cropped)

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?

Getty Images for Unsplash+
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