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Help Our Feathered Friends: Volunteer For the Great Backyard Bird Count Worldwide

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House Finch – Credit: James Tornetta via Cornell Lab of Ornithology / Macaulay Library
House Finch – Credit: James Tornetta via Cornell Lab of Ornithology / Macaulay Library

Do you love bluebirds, finches, and chickadees? Why not count birds in your community with your kids and friends during the Great Backyard Bird Count in 2026.

Our mental health is nurtured by nature—and it will take under an hour to give back to what birds give us.

The annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) runs through Valentine’s Day, from February 13 through February 16, 2026.

Spending time immersed in nature by watching birds can reduce stress, so join in the fun this February and spend at least 15 minutes watching birds and sharing what you see with the world at birdcount.org.

If you’re interested, you can tune in to a special webinar about how to participate. Register here for one of the free YouTube events happening on Thursday, February 5th (at 3 p.m. Eastern) or Wednesday, February 11th (at 7 p.m. Eastern).

“What I like most about birdwatching is that each species has its own behavior,” said GBBC participant Guadalupe Angel Vallejo Tapia. “It’s fascinating to be able to identify its patterns and learn about its behavior.”

“Birdwatching allows me to appreciate the biodiversity of our region,” said one participant. “It invites us to reflect on the importance of protecting our natural spaces.”

Birdwatchers participate in Great Backyard Bird Count – Credit: Himani Singh Khati via Cornell Lab

The purpose of the Bird Count, now in its 29th year, is to tally as many of the world’s bird species as possible over four days in February.

More than 800,000 people participated during last year’s count—in nearly every country. Birders found 8,078 species of the world’s known species, 158 more than in 2024.

LOVE THIS BIRD: Bird Snuggles into Photographer’s Chest And Stayed With Her for Warmth on a Snowy Day

Combined with other bird counts, the results of this one help create a clearer picture of how birds are faring—whether individual species are declining, increasing, or holding steady in the face of habitat loss, climate change, and other threats.

“The bird observations we submit can be used to inform conservation efforts that secure a brighter future for birds and people alike,” said Ben Haywood, Audubon’s director of community science.

“The more the merrier as we celebrate the joy of birds all over the world and join the global effort to protect them and the places they need.”

To take part in the 2026 GBBC, each participant or group counts birds for at least 15 minutes using the Merlin Bird ID app or eBird app to enter the birds they can identify at each site.

GOOD NEWS FOR BIRDS:
• Record-Breaking Night of Bird Migration Caught on Radar During a ‘Perfect Storm’ for Feathered Flight
• Snowy Owls Are Kept Safe from Jets at Boston Airport, Thanks to Dedicated Researcher
• Amazing Kid Wows the Internet with His Incredibly Accurate Bird Calls (Watch)

Sites can be your backyard, but it can also be a nearby park, wilderness area, apartment balcony, neighborhood street, or anywhere.

Anyone can participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. First-timers should make it a point to read the instructions here, where they will also find helpful birding tips and birding app downloads. The GBBC website also features a map of local events to help you find your flock—or start your own—at birdcount.org/community-map.

FIND YOUR FLOCK To Go Count Birds By Sharing This On Social Media…

Crock Sitting on Her Porch for 40 Years Fetches $32k After She Hoped for $100 on her Birthday

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Lois Jurgens, 91, saying goodbye to her 30-gallon Red Wing crock (Photo Permission from Bramer Auction and Realty)
Lois Jurgens says goodbye to her salt-glazed 30-gallon Red Wing crock, surrounded by creamy white zinc-glazed pots up for auction (Photo Permission from Bramer Auction and Realty)

Like many elderly folks in the midwest whose families used stoneware crocks for sauerkraut, Lois Jurgens held onto one for 40 years.

It sat on her porch weathering decades of harsh Nebraska winters until early this month when she was planning for a yard sale.

She had a notion the heavy crock might be worth $100 if it could be put up for auction, instead of selling at a yard sale, so she called Ken Bramer. Coincidentally, his auction house had already secured dozens of antique Red Wing crocks for an event that would draw 300 excited bidders to Buffalo County on January 10th.

When the 90-year-old called Ken saying she had an old crock, he was hesitant, because all his promotional photos of items up for auction had already been printed and posted online. But, he thought, ‘What the heck, I’ll drive out and take a look.’

When he saw the huge 30 gallon Red Wing crock and looked closely at the details, he knew this would be the darling of the auction.

Lois told Ken she hoped maybe it could get $100 if it goes under his hammer—and, instead of giving her $100 on the spot, the honest businessman said he was confident they would get at least that sum.

“I think you’re going to be surprised.”

30-gallon Red Wing crock with stamps on the bottom and in blue at the top – Photo by Bramer Auction and Realty

The day of the auction was her 91st birthday, according to Colleen Williams, a Nebraska news host who first broke the story on Facebook. Lois was volunteering at church that morning, so she missed her own piece being sold, but she headed over as soon as she could.

When Ken saw Lois had arrived, he paused the auction to give her perhaps the best birthday present she’d ever received.

“We did a little better than $100,” he said in front of the delighted crowd. “We got you $32,000!”

Ken had known the 30-gallon crock with molded handles and butterfly design was “very rare”, especially because it was stamped with the company name twice—once on the top & once on the bottom.

 

Lois’s crock was also salt glazed, rather than zinc glazed. It’s estimated that only 20 percent of Red Wing’s salt glaze pieces were signed on the side. These tan colored wares were manufactured in Red Wing, Minnesota, before the turn of the century, beginning in 1877 until about 1900, according to RedWingCollectors.org.

“These primitive pieces were often decorated with artistic cobalt blue representations of items like leaves, butterflies, flowers, birds, etc. and sealed with a brown “Albany slip” glaze on the interior to keep the contents from seeping into the porous clay.”

Any irregularities can be highly prized by Red Wing Stoneware collectors—and because thousands of the crocks in various sizes were produced daily, there were bound to be some mistakes. Lois’s piece, being stamped twice with the Red Wing company name, was even more valuable.

“Selling that rare 30 gallon Red Wing crock was one of those once-in-a-lifetime things,” Ken wrote on the Bramer Auction and Realty Facebook page (above).

MORE ANTIQUE SURPRISES:
• Man Living in a Shack is Saved By His ‘Worthless’ Blanket That Spurs $1.5 Million Bidding War – Watch the Auction
• Superman No.1 Comic Book Found in Mom’s Attic Bags $9.1 Million in Most Valuable Comic Auction Ever
• Only Prototype of the First Chinese Typewriter Was Discovered in a New York Basement

“We are incredible grateful for the opportunity to work with that sweet, young lady!” he quipped.

One commenter wrote, “My favorite part of this story is that you didn’t just buy it from her for $100 and sell it yourself. It’s proof there are good people in this world.”

THIS IS NO CROCK: Share Lois’s True and Heartwarming Story on Social Media…

Elderly Man Driving Busted Up Truck Was a Joke Meme Until Stranger’s Heart-warming Idea to Crowdfund a New One

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Nathan Frederick
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Courtesy of Colin Crowel via Gofundme
Courtesy of Colin Crowel via Gofundme

His truck was the vehicle equivalent of Frankenstein, a green mish-mash of dents and dings and disjointed panels.

The 2000 Chevy Silverado became something of a famous eyesore in South Bend, Indiana, earning sideways glances and second looks wherever Mo Riles went.

“I thought it was A.I. and didn’t know if it was real,” one diner patron told Steve Hartman of CBS News.

“It’s unbelievable how the thing even moves,” said another.

“I did a double take because I couldn’t believe the sight of it,” a woman added.

Before long, the disbelief spread to social media, where jokes poured in from wisecrackers across the internet

“Where is the duct tape when you need it?”

“Looks like the Hulk smashed it…”

“One speed bump away from splitting in half!”

Sure, Mo heard the jokes and saw the sideways glances—but the truck ran just fine. The state of Indiana doesn’t require inspections. And Mo, who worked at a Dollar Tree store, wasn’t in a financial position to upgrade, especially since facing recent health struggles.

So the truck rolled on… at least until Colin Crowel saw the photo. Colin, who owns Carguys Auto Detailing, wanted to do more than joke about the unsightly relic. He figured that whoever was driving it likely needed a pick-me-up, instead of another internet pun.

“I just thought there’s gotta be something more to why this truck looks like this,” Colin said. “I just put two and two together.”

He started a crowdfunding campaign, hoping to raise money for Riles and betting that community support would produce more than social media memes.

“The vehicle is dangerously broken, literally falling apart, and has been seen in parking lots looking immobile—yet somehow, Mo manages to drive it day after day,” he wrote on the GoFundMe page. “Parts fall off, the truck appears to be split in half, but Mo never lets that stop him from getting to work or handling his daily responsibilities.

“With the support of local businesses and neighbors, I believe we can make a real difference in Mo’s life and show what our community is capable of when we come together.”

The results arrived quickly. Donations poured in from people all over northwest Indiana and beyond. More than 500 people pitched in to raise over $26,000 for Mo.

WINTER WEATHER STORY YOU “AUTO” READ: More Efficient Way to Defrost Cars Using Electricity to “Zap” Ice Without Heat

Earlier this month, his Franken-truck took its last ride, heading toward a Chevy dealership in town where he received a shiny 2019 Chevy Silverado truck that looked brand new. (Watch the Steve Hartman video below…)

Mo Riles (LEFT) at Gates Chevrolet South Bend – Selfie by Sam Rajski (Gates Chevrolet salesman) on Facebook

HIS WORK ETHIC WAS REWARDED: GoFundMe for Teen Who Rushed to Work Instead of Partying After Graduation Skyrockets to $180K

Whenever Mo thinks about it, his emotions become overwhelming.

Now, beyond the jokes and embarrassment there’s a shiny new symbol of compassion and kindness that sits in his driveway.

“That’s the part that knocked me over, man,” Mo recalled, with tears in his eyes. “Here (are) human beings seeing another human being struggle. And I’m like, wow, what did I do to deserve this?

“But this whole thing is not about me. It’s about this community bonding together.”

HELP DRIVE MO’S UPLIFTING STORY ALL ACROSS THE INTERNET By Sharing This to Your Social Media Feed…

“During seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.” – William Blake

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Quote of the Day: “During seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.” – William Blake

Image by: Maria

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, January 25

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One Hundred and One Dalmatians poster - fair use

65 years ago today, Disney Studios released One Hundred and One Dalmatians, an adaptation of a novel by the same named published 5 years earlier. Telling the story of a London-based pair of Dalmatians who give birth to a litter of 15 puppies, and of a obsessive socialite named Cruella de Vil bent on turning their furs into a coat, the film was a box-office and backpages success, with many calling it the best that Disney had achieved since Snow White. READ just how successful it was… (1961)

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High School Students Repair Cars and Give Them to Single Moms: ‘You’re Really Making a Change in the World’

By
Nathan Frederick
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High school students repair and give away cars – Louisa County Public Schools
High school students repair and give away cars – Louisa County Public Schools / Facebook

The heartwarming ceremony begins when the garage door opens and a class of teenage students present a newly-refurbished car with a big red bow to a single mother.

For eight years, the presentation, delivered with a round of applause, has been repeated 4-5 times each year at Louisa County High School in Mineral, Virginia. The school’s automotive technology students repair the donated used cars and then give them away to single moms who could use a lift.

“The whole class is very rewarding,” Holden Pekary, a 16-year-old student told the Washington Post.

Pekary remembers seeing a little baby in her mom’s arms when one of the cars was given away and immediately recognized the dividends of all their classroom work.

“It gives you more of a purpose.”

Around 20 students are working on cars each semester in the school, about an hour northwest of Richmond. The teacher, Shane Robertson, instructs kids on how to perform brake and tire repairs, change fluids, test batteries, and maintain heating and cooling systems.

“They get the real-life grit behind why they are really doing a task,” Robertson said in an interview with ABC. “This is somebody’s real car and you’re really making a change in the world.”

Credit: Andrew Woolfolk for Louisa County Public Schools

The program began in partnership with the nonprofit Giving Words, a local charity that works to support single parents by providing complimentary vehicles and car repairs.

Founder Eddie Brown and his wife were both single parents who had struggled with transportation issues before launching the nonprofit.

“So far, we’ve given over 60 cars away, and repaired more than 260,” Brown told WTVR.

MORE KINDNESS: A High School Supported its Star Student When She Needed it Most, And 20 Years Later She Pays it Back

The collective kindness seems to spill out in every direction, like the hum of an engine echoing inside the walls of a garage. In addition to Louisa County High School, Giving Words also collaborates with individual owners and area repair shops to help obtain additional donated vehicles.

One of the program’s success stories involved a 2007 gold Toyota Prius that the students gave to Jessica Rader, a single mom with three kids who overcame addiction. Before her life was blessed with the car giveaway, she relied on rides from friends and family for all the obligations, appointments, and activities that accompany motherhood.

Now, she’s progressed from a part-time job to full-time work, thanks to a reliable car that gets her to work on time—and keeps everything else in her mom-life on track.

MORE TEEN CAR GIVEAWAYS:
• High Schoolers Surprise Janitor From Ghana with Dream Car: a Red Jeep in Time for His Birthday
• Girls Volleyball Team Buys Beloved Custodian a Car to Repay Him for All He’s Done–Watch the Texas-Sized Surprise

In the end, when the garage door went up at Louisa High and Pekary and his classmates joined in applause, it was much more than a refurbished Prius being presented to Jessica. It was a helping hand arriving from the other side. And a reminder that kindness can be delivered at any age.

“It’s not just about the car, it’s about community,” Jessica told the Washington Post. “Kids who never met me cared about me enough to put hard work into a vehicle to make sure myself and my kids were safe. I got to meet all of them. It was breathtaking.”

WATCH the ABC News video below… (BUT BEWARE; the ABC news links and scroll bars are embedded with negative news, alongside the video.)

HELP STEER THE STUDENTS’ KINDNESS TO AN EVEN BIGGER AUDIENCE By Sharing This on Your Social Media Feed…

Once Wiped Out by Blight, Thousands of American Chestnut Trees are Thriving on Biologist’s Land in Maine

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Dr. Bernd Heinrich – The Wild American Chestnut
Dr. Bernd Heinrich – The Wild American Chestnut

Wild American chestnut trees, deemed “functionally extinct” decades ago, may already be quietly mounting an unexpected comeback in the northern forests of the US.

Thousands of naturally thriving, wild trees in Maine contradict decades of assumptions about the species’ extinction—and how genetic engineering is the only solution.

When an accidental importation of an Asian fungus in 1904 began killing this majestic tree—once abundant along the U.S. East Coast and Canada—ghostly gaps left in the landscape haunted biologists.

But a new documentary (watch below) brought to light a remarkable and little-known success story: thousands of wild, healthy American chestnut trees are flourishing on the Maine forest land of renowned biologist and author Dr. Bernd Heinrich.

He bought 25 saplings for $10 from a nursery 44 years ago. They grew tall and their numbers multiplied as bluejays and squirrels plucked their seeds and buried them in fields as far away as a mile, and today there is no hint of blight in any of them.

“These chestnuts are really taking off,” said the 85-year-old professor, who climbed to the top of one of the trees to fetch a sample of the fruit for the videographers. “And it could very well be that these are blight resistant.”

The vigorous natural growth—which shows up in thousands of thriving grandchildren of the original trees—directly counters long-held beliefs that the iconic species survives today only as scattered, doomed sprouts.

Historical American chestnut trees – Courtesy The American Chestnut Foundation

Dr. Heinrich, professor emeritus of the Biology Department at the University of Vermont and author of more than 20 books on biology and 100 scientific papers (including the celebrated memoir A Year in the Maine Woods), has spent more than four decades observing the chestnuts on his hundreds of acres.

ANOTHER CHESTNUT DISCOVERY:
Giant Chestnut Tree Found in Maine Could Help Save a Near-Extinct Species

Working with University of Vermont students, Heinrich’s team has documented well over a thousand thriving chestnut trees—some now representing three generations of natural regeneration. Each has been mapped via GPS during a long-term field study.

The new short film, The Wild American Chestnut, produced by Global Justice Ecology Project, also captures Heinrich discussing projections that the American chestnut is shifting its range northward due to climate change, opening new opportunities for survival beyond its historical geographic limits.

American Chestnut Nuts with Burrs and Leaves – Credit: Timothy Van Vliet from his Orchard in New Jersey in 2004 -GNU Free license

These acres of thriving chestnuts magnify the major setbacks for the biotech-based tree restoration strategies of the past three decades.

In December 2023, The American Chestnut Foundation withdrew its support for a genetically engineered chestnut that was decades in development, after multiple documented research errors revealed the tree to be genetically defective. Discouraging field performance rendered them, in the Foundation’s opinion, unsuitable as the basis for species restoration.

MORE FLOWERING SURPRISES: World’s Largest Prehistoric Flower Preserved in Amber is Stunning Reminder of Nature’s Wonder–LOOK

“This film presents some good news about the wild American chestnut and is a stark contrast to claims by some researchers that genetically engineered trees are the only path to restoration,” said Anne Petermann, Executive Director of the Project.

“It was stunning to see so many robust trees—three full generations growing naturally—while the efforts to engineer blight-resistant chestnuts have produced nothing but failures.”

SPREAD SEEDS OF GOOD NEWS By Sharing a Chestnut With Tree Lovers on Social Media…

Dad’s Emotional Reaction Can’t Be Contained After Seeing Colors For the First Time at Age 61

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Jim Gogan sees color for first time – SWNS
Jim Gogan sees color for first time – SWNS

A 61-year-old father broke into tears when finally seeing color in his world for the first time after receiving a special Christmas gift.

Jim Gogan always had trouble seeing reds and greens. In fact, when he joined the Air Force, he wasn’t able to become a pilot because he couldn’t read the radar screens.

For years, his family talked about gifting him a pair of special colorblind glasses, but in December, his son, Kyle, was finally able to make it a reality—thanks to a bonus from his employer.

A video shared by the family (below) shows Jim in tears after seeing colors clearly for the first time.

“He’s never been able to tell color,” said 39-year-old Kyle, from South Carolina.

“He’ll say things like, ‘grab my blue shirt,’ and it’s green.”

Before giving him the glasses, Kyle had printed out colorblind tests for the whole family to take—and Jim got almost every question wrong.

Then, Kyle handed him the glasses and the results were immediate.

As Jim placed them over his eyes, and looked at the colored drawing of a Christmas tree, tears began to well up in his eyes. (Watch the video at the bottom…)

SWNS / Gogan family

“It was very emotional watching my dad react,” Kyle told SWNS news agency.

After composing himself, Jim retook the test and, this time, got every answer correct.

The color red delighted him the most.

“He kept commenting on how beautiful the bricks on houses were.”

The next day, the family took Jim on a drive to enjoy the outdoors in all its colorful glory.

MORE HEARTWARMING SURPRISES:
• Bird Snuggles into Photographer’s Chest And Stayed With Her for Warmth on a Snowy Day (LOOK)
• Watch Girls Volleyball Team Surprise Beloved Custodian with Car to Repay Him for All He’s Done
• Escaped Tortoise Found One Month Later 3 Miles Away–After Going on the Run at 0.004 mph

He was amazed at how green the trees were and how blue the sky appeared.

Now he’s wearing them often and seeing ‘the green’ better than ever—playing golf in them every chance he gets.


SHARE THE JOY on Social Media to Make Someone’s Day…

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 January 24, 2026
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
You are a spy from the future. Thank you for your service! I love to see your boldness as you smuggle innovative ideas into a present that may or may not be ready for them. Your feelings of alienation are sometimes uncomfortable, but they are crucial to the treasure you offer us. You see patterns others miss because you refuse to be hypnotized by consensus reality. Keep up the excellent work, please. May you honor your need to tinker with impossibilities and imagine alternatives to what everyone else imagines is inevitable. You are proof that we don’t have to accept inherited structures as inevitable.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
Your unconscious mind is extra communicative, dear Pisces. Hooray! Take advantage! Pay attention to weird images in dreams and songs that linger in your head. Be alert for seemingly random thoughts as they surface. Bypassing logic, your deep psyche is trying to show you ripe secrets and provocative hints. Your duty is to be receptive. So keep a journal or recording device by your bed. Notice which memories rise up out of nowhere. Be grateful for striking coincidences. These are invitations to tune in to meaningful feelings and truths you’ve been missing.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Master astrologer Steven Forrest understands you Aries people well. He says that the riskiest strategy you can pursue is to constantly seek safety. It’s crucial for you to always be on the lookout for adventure. One of your chief assignments is to cultivate courage—especially the kind of brave boldness that arises as you explore unknown territory. To rouse the magic that really matters, you must face your fears regularly. The coming months will be an ideal time for you to dive in and celebrate this approach to life.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
You are an ambassador from the material world to the realm of spirit—and vice versa. One of your prime assignments is the opposite of what the transcendence-obsessed gurus preach. You’re here to prove that the flesh is holy, pleasure is a form of prayer, and the senses are portals to the divine. When you revel in earthy delights, when you luxuriate in rich textures and tastes and scents, you’re not being “attached” or “unspiritual.” You’re enacting a radical sacred stance. Being exuberantly immersed in the material world isn’t a mistake to overcome but a blessing to savor. May you redouble your subversive work of treating your body as a cathedral and sensual enjoyments as sacraments.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Everything that’s meant for you is trying to find its way to you. Here’s the problem: It can’t deliver the goods if you’re in constant motion. The boons trying to reach you are circling, waiting for a stable landing spot. If you keep up the restless roaming, life might have to slow you down, even stop you, so you’ll be still enough to embody receptivity. Don’t wait for that. Pause now. Set aside whatever’s feeding your restlessness and tune into the quiet signal of your own center. The moment you do, bounties will start arriving.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Artist Louise Bourgeois said, “I am what I do with my hands.” I will adapt this declaration for your use, Cancerian: You are what you do with your feelings. You are the structures, sanctuaries, and nourishment you create from the raw material of your sensitivity. It’s one of your superpowers! I understand that some people mistake emotional depth for passive vulnerability. They assume that feeling everything means doing nothing. But you prove that bias wrong. You are potentially a master builder. You can convert the flood waters of emotion into resources that hold, protect, and feed. I hope you will do this lavishly in the coming weeks.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Admiring writers often say that the Balinese people have no traditional word for “art.” Making things beautiful is woven into everyday life, as if everything should be done as beautifully as possible. I aspire to carry out this approach myself: infusing ordinary actions with the same care I’d bring to writing a story or song. Washing dishes, answering emails, and walking to the store: All are eligible for beauty treatment. I highly recommend this practice to you in the coming weeks, Leo. It’s true that you’re renowned for your dramatic gestures, but I believe you also have an underutilized talent for teasing out glory from mundane situations. Please do that a lot in the coming weeks. For starters, make your grocery list a poem.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Some American Indigenous cultures have “potlatch” ceremonies. These are elaborate gift-giving rituals where hosts gain prestige by generously and freely bestowing their riches on others. Circulating wealth, instead of hoarding it, is honored and celebrated. Is that economically irrational? Only if you believe that the point of resources is individual accumulation rather than community vitality. Potlatch operates on a different logic: The purpose of having stuff is to make having stuff possible for others. I invite you to make that your specialty in the coming months. Assume that your own thriving depends on the flourishing of those around you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Sufi poet Rumi wrote about a “treasure in ruins.” He meant that what we’re searching for may be hidden in places where we would rather not look. Your life isn’t in ruins, Libra, but I suspect you may have been exploring exciting locations while shunning mundane ones that actually hold your answers. What do you think? Is that possible? Just for fun, investigate the neglected, ignored, and boring places. Try out the hypothesis that a golden discovery awaits you in some unfinished business or a situation you feel an aversion to.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Your capacity for intensity is your superpower. I love it, I celebrate it, and I hope to keep nurturing it in you for as long as we’re both here. But not everything deserves the full force of your passionate engagement. Some things are meant to be touched lightly, held loosely, and released easily. The question isn’t whether to feel deeply—that’s who you authentically are—but whether to act on every deep feeling as if it were sacred revelation. Some emotions are weather patterns passing through, not permanent truths requiring upheaval. These are especially key understandings for you to act on during the coming days.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
As I have promised you a million times, I will NEVER exaggerate. And though you may wonder if the statements I’m about to make are excessive and overblown, I assure you they are not. The fact is, dear Sagittarius, that everything you have always wanted to enhance and upgrade about togetherness is now possible to accomplish, and will continue to be for months to come. If you dare to dismantle your outmoded beliefs about love and deep friendship—every comforting myth, every conditioned response, every inherited instinct—you will discover new dimensions of intimacy that could inspire you forever.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
In Renaissance painting, chiaroscuro refers to the use of strong contrasts between light and dark. It’s a technique that enhances the sense of depth.​ I believe your life may be in an intense *chiaroscuro* phase. As your joys grow bright, your doubts appear darker. As your understanding deepens, your perplexity mounts. Is this a problem? I prefer to understand it as an opportunity. For best results, study it closely. Maybe your anxiety is showing you what you care about. Perhaps your sadness is a sign of your growing emotional power. So find a way to benefit from the contrasts, dear Capricorn. Let shadows teach you how to fully appreciate the illumination.

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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“The longest journey is the journey inwards.” – Dag Hammarskjöld

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Credit: Luke Porter

Quote of the Day: “The longest journey is the journey inwards.” – Dag Hammarskjöld

Image by: Luke Porter

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?

Credit: Luke Porter

Good News in History, January 24

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Good News Network
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Lehman Cave in Great Basin NP - credit Dave Bunnell - CC BY-SA 4.0.

104 years ago today, Lehman Caves National Monument was enshrined by presidential decree, protecting the longest-known cave in Nevada which had been used as a refuge by Native Americans. 68 years later, Lehman Caves suddenly found itself lying at the center of 77,000 acres of the newly made Great Basin National Park and was included among many natural treasures, including some of the oldest single trees ever discovered by science. READ more about the park’s features… (1922)

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Colorado Begins Planning Return of Wolverine Across its Parks, Absent for More Than 100 Years

By
Andy Corbley
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Credit: Vincent van Zalinge/Unsplash
Credit: Vincent van Zalinge/Unsplash

Colorado wildlife authorities have introduced a plan to reintroduce the wolverine, one of the largest members of the weasel family, back into the state where it’s been absent for a century.

Hunted to extinction, small populations of this solitary scavenger survived in Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Canada, from where they’ve gradually moved south to Utah and northern Wyoming.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) announced the intention to form and carry out a Colorado Wolverine Restoration Plan pending public comment and stakeholder input following the passing of legislation in 2024 that mandated it.

“Colorado has great unoccupied wolverine habitat, and we have the opportunity to conserve a species that has been missing from our state,” former Republican Colorado Senator Perry Will, who introduced the original legislation, said in a news release.

Any such plan needs to come with concrete, honest details, including where the wolverines will go and where will they come from, how many can be hosted on a given area of land, what is the benefit to the natural ecosystem, and what are a rancher’s options of recourse should one predate their livestock.

The CPW argues that with the understanding that wolverines lived in Colorado for thousands of years, everything living in the ecosystem now is well-adapted to their existence.

Unlike grey wolves, which it controversially attempted to reintroduce starting in 2020, CPW doesn’t expect any livestock predation, since these mustelids, albeit strong, are just 20 to 35 pounds in body weight, hunt alone, and mainly scavenge their meals.

“A planned reintroduction… would bring in about 45 wolverines with a broad genetic background. This will have a far greater chance of establishing a robust long-term population than a single male and female wandering into Colorado, finding each other, and producing enough young to establish a population,” said CPW Wolverine Coordinator Dr. Robert Inman. “Colorado and the wolverine population will be better off with a planned reintroduction.”

At the moment, the plan would establish three different populations at high elevations. The first one north of I-70 on public land that includes Rocky Mountain National Park, the second one in a central portion of the state known as Elk and West Elk Mountains between I-70 and Highway 50, and the third in the San Juan Range in southwest Colorado.

CPW believes Colorado can hold about 100 wolverines once the population has been established, mostly because an adult male wolverine’s territory can stretch as far as 500 miles.

“Wolverines naturally exist at very low densities wherever they are found. 50 to 100 wolverines may not sound like a lot, but that is likely in the same ballpark as the historical capacity here in Colorado,” Inman said, adding there never were more than a few thousand wolverines across the whole country. “It would also represent about a quarter of the population in the Lower 48 states.”

WOLVERINE’S RETURNING: Super Rare Wolverines Haven’t Been Seen For a Century in Mt. Rainier—Now They’re Back in a Family Way

SF Gate reports that Colorado had previously considered reintroducing the wolverine, but chose instead to focus—back in 1998—on the lynx.

While the CPW is taking steps to ensure ranchers and farmers are fairly compensated if a wolverine takes one of their animals, one local industry is 100% onboard: ski resorts.

REBUILDING WILDLIFE POPULATIONS: American Marten May Be Set for Return to Pennsylvania Forests After 100 Year Absence

“[We] engaged in the rigorous stakeholding process conducted by CPW for this wolverine reintroduction,” said Melanie Mills, president & CEO of Colorado Ski Country USA in a statement.

“We support the reintroduction of Wolverine… and applaud CPW for its commitment to conservation of this remarkable species and doing so in a way that addresses our industry’s concerns.”

SHARE This Big Plan For Returning A Charismatic Animal To Its Territory…

Delta Shares $1.3 Billion with its Workers–Averaging 4 Weeks’ of Salary Coming Directly from Profits

By
Andy Corbley
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- credit Delta Airlines
– credit Delta Airlines

One of America’s largest airlines is also its most generous.

Delta Airlines will pay out around $1.3 billion in profit sharing payments, representing not only one of the largest payouts in the company’s history, but a larger sum than the whole industry together.

Celebrated on Valentine’s Day, Profit Sharing Day sees Delta employees receive a divided share equal to 10% of all company revenue up to the first $2.5 billion, rising to 20% for each dollar above $2.5 billion.

This year’s payout will be between 3 to 5 weeks’ salary depending on the employee.

“The passion and dedication of Delta people carried us through 2025 and will continue to propel us forward,” said Chief People Officer Allison Ausband. “Their unwavering focus on safety and care is what builds trust and a deep loyalty for customers, and continued success for Delta.”

Despite a year described in an earnings report as “challenging,” when the prolonged government shutdown cost the firm some $200 million in lost revenue, the profit sharing payout will be 8.9% of a possible 10%.

Delta consistently ranks as one of the best places to work according to Forbes and Fortune 500, and it’s easy to see why.

CORPORATE KINDNESS AND BOARDROOM BENEVOLENCE: 

Profit sharing is not nearly as common today as it was in the 20th century. Today, it’s largely been replaced with 401(K) matching programs that help employees save for retirement. Amazon was one of the last holdouts of the old method of granting stock to employees, a policy it discontinued in 2018 in response to demands for higher hourly wages.

Delta is one of the few that’s hanging on, and with the latest payout will have shared some $5 billion in profits with its employees.

GIVE A Cheer For Delta And Their Profit Sharing On Social Media…

Gallop into the Chinese Year of the Fire Horse When Chaos Must Be Balanced with Bold Action

By
Andy Corbley
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- credit, Surojit52 CC 4.0. BY-SA
– credit, Surojit52 CC 4.0. BY-SA

This year will invite many of us to gallop forward with blazing speed and boldness as the year of the horse arrives under the heavenly branch of fire.

It will be a time when reserved action and meekness will be replaced with aggressivity and passion, which invites some to show caution, and others to take a leap.

Every year, GNN generates a horoscope based on averages of several major Chinese horoscope providers and Feng Shui masters to help those who don’t follow this ancient practice make sense of it.

On February 17th, the Lunar New Year will welcome the 12-month Chinese zodiac of the horse under the heavenly branch of fire.

How do you know if you are a horse? The last 100 years of horses were born in 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002 and 2014. The last fire horses were born in 1966, and include boxer Mike Tyson, martial artist Jackie Chan, director J. J. Abrahams, Brazilian football legend Romario, Kiko the Crown Princess of Japan, chef Gordon Ramsay, singer Sinead O’Connor, and Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales.

Being that the year begins on the 17th, if your birthday falls earlier, you’re a snake, not a horse.

Chinese astrology says that every 12th year is somewhat unlucky, as the star any individual person was born under arrives closest to the god Tai Sui. That closeness offends him, and so those born under the sign of the year to come are generally recommended to stay put, risk little, and tread lightly.

In this, horses will be particularly vulnerable to misfortune, and particularly as it relates to their character flaws. Horses, it might surprise no one to hear, don’t like being reigned in. They are confidant but also agreeable, yet can be impatient.

Astrologers are generally predicting a year full of ups and downs for horses, because fire, considered the foundation of matter in Chinese astrology, represents one of the least stable and most energetic of forces.

There will be times when the energy of the horse and that of fire call the individual to bold action, and others when prudence must be deployed to counterbalance the erratic nature of fire and the horse. Additionally, the horse star sits in the heavenly branch of fire by nature, meaning its natural tendencies will be even more amplified, the good and the bad.

Those born under the sign of the rat are also in for something resembling chaos, as their star sits directly opposite the god Tai Sui, another somewhat unlucky place.

Furthermore, the rat and the horse make for poor romantic matches, so each should keep a low profile in the presence of others this year.

Snakes the other natural fire branch sign, and one whose year has just passed, will have a very good year, as they benefit from the warmth and light of their fiery sign and stampeding neighbor the horse.

Tigers will be set for a good year if they can align themselves with the horse, one of their best romantic matches.

Several others, including the goat, dragon, and monkey, will also be in for years full of good fortune.

You may encounter contradictions when reading zodiacs, so perhaps the best advice is simply to be kind to others, learn a new skill, and lay off the vices for a time.

SHARE This 2026 Horoscope With Horses You Know… 

Woman’s Severed Ear Was Saved by Grafting it Onto Her Foot Before Reattaching it 5 Months Later

By
Andy Corbley
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Sam Badmaeva via Unsplash
Sam Badmaeva via Unsplash

In a medical story that has to be seen to be believed, a Chinese woman whose ear was torn off in an industrial accident had it grafted onto her foot as a way of keeping it viable for later transfer back to her head.

And that’s exactly what happened, 5 months after doctors at a Shandong hospital determined that blood vessels and nerves at the sight of the injury were too damaged for immediate reattachment.

In a process called “heterotopic survival,” which involves grafting severed body parts onto different regions in order to ensure blood flow and tissue repair, the ear of 30-year-old Ms. Sun was attached to the top of her foot.

As it turns out, the tops of our feet and the sites of our ears share similar properties of skin thinness, stable blood circulation, and blood vessel size. After a brief fear of necrosis, the ear gradually regained its color.

Incredibly, Sun carried on for 5 months wearing a shoe several sizes too big to protect her ear until October came around and the woman’s surgical team determined it was time to undertake the complex procedure of reconnecting damaged blood vessels and nerves.

But all went well, and Sun is now recovering.

Experts told The Mirror that when immediate reattachment of severed tissue is not feasible, ensuring blood flow through heterotopic survival is critical for delicate structures like ears.

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“Cherish your human connections: your relationships with friends and family.” – Joseph Brodsky

By
Good News Network
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Anastasia Skylar - Unsplash

Quote of the Day: “Cherish your human connections: your relationships with friends and family.” – Joseph Brodsky

Image by: Anastasia Skylar – 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?

Anastasia Skylar – Unsplash

Good News in History, January 23

By
Good News Network
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youtube

116 years ago today, the great jazz guitarist and composer Django Reinhardt was born. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century, the Belgian-born Romani-French musician is known for playing with only two fingers. Reinhardt spent his youth in Romani encampments near Paris, where he played violin, banjo, and guitar. When he was 18 he was terribly burned in an accident that hospitalized him for 18 months and badly damaged the ring and pinky fingers of his left hand. Doctors believed he would never play guitar well again, but he regained his musical mastery by developing a radical method to play using his two remaining fingers. WATCH rare footage below of his lightening fast fingers… (1910)

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Incredible Results from 20 Years of Cancer Research Boost National Survival Rates to 7 in 10

By
Andy Corbley
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- credit Unsplash
– credit Unsplash

In what is being called a major milestone in American cancer research and treatment, 5-year survival rates averaged across all cancers have never been higher, with 7-in-10 cancer patients living past 5 years post-diagnosis.

This average was pumped up by large survival rate increases in leukemia (20%), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (18%), and ovarian cancer (9%) over the last 20 years.

The 5-year survival average also stands at 92% for breast cancer in women, 95% for melanoma of the skin, and 98% for prostate cancer.

These numbers were chronicled in the 75th annual Cancer Statistics report by American Cancer Society (ACS). It shows how 5-year survival rates have increased on average 20% since 50 years ago.

The Cleveland Clinic states that most cancer recurrences happen within the first 5 years after diagnosis, so surviving this period is a strong indicator that the cancer is under control, and that while not “cured,” has a very low chance of coming back.

The 20% increase in patients living to the 5-year mark reflects advancements in early diagnosis through routine screening procedures, and advances in treatment like the introduction of immune checkpoint therapy, CAR T-cell therapy, and drugs like tyrosine kinase inhibitors which have greatly increased the survival rate of leukemia patients.

Even pancreatic cancer, long considered as sure as a court death sentence, has peaked over the last 20 years into a double-digit survival rate for the first time ever (13%). Another grim category, liver cancer, has risen from a 7% relative survival rate in the 1990s to 22% in 2023.

ALSO CHECK OUT: Quick Cancer Breath Test Hailed as Most Significant Step Toward a Lifesaving Breakthrough in 50 Years

Survival rates for myeloma have doubled to 62%, and almost as much for lung cancer (15% – 28%).

Further still, later-state diagnoses are not as hopeless as they once were. According to the ACS, patients whose cancers had spread to “distant” organs averaged a 17% rate of 5-year survival in the mid-1990s, but now average 35% in the 2020s.

CANCER SURVIVAL: New Delivery System for Chemo Treatment Eliminates Bladder Cancer in 82% of Patients

“The cancer death rate has declined by 34% since its peak in 1991, averting about 4.8 million cancer deaths as of 2023,” the statistics report suggested.

Quite the report card.

SHARE These Incredible Advancements With Your Friends On Social Media… 

4 Exciting Space Missions Launch This Year Including NASA’s Return to Moon, Japan’s Jump to Mars

By
Andy Corbley
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The Blue Moon Mark 1 - credit, Blue Origin, retrieved from the home page

From a return of humans to Lunar orbit, to Japan’s first crack at Mars, the trend of humans spending more and more time and money on and in space is set to continue in 2026.

Here are a few of the events to look forward to.

An artist interpretation of the Orion capsule – credit NASA

Artemis II and a return to the Moon

Since the conclusion of the Apollo program, NASA has long pondered when it will get another chance to send humans to the Moon. “No later than February, 2026,” Space.com reports, the Artemis II mission will send a team abroad the Orion capsule to Lunar orbit.

For a period of 10 days, the team will conduct tests of Orion’s capabilities and systems, including life-support, communications, and more, and validate the capsule as mission ready for Artemis III, the next crewed Lunar landing that will occur early in the 2030s.

GNN previously reported on the announcement that the Artemis crew had finished training preparations.

Mission Commander Reid Wiseman will be joined by NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Victor Glover, both of whom have spent over 100 days (over 300 in Koch’s case) on board the ISS. From the Canadian Space Agency there’s Jeremy Hansen, a first-timer, who admitted the chance to fly on Artemis II will be “an absolute privilege.”

The rocket and capsule have just been rolled out onto the launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, signifying that the countdown is well and truly on for this historic, 50-year wait to return to the Moon.

The Blue Moon Mark 1 – credit, Blue Origin, retrieved from the home page

Blue Moon lander’s launch

Also slated for a Q1 2026 launch is the very exciting debut of Blue Origin’s first attempt at a landing with the private firm’s Pathfinder 1 mission. Jeff Bezos’ spaceflight company will attempt a flight test and landing of its prototype Lunar lander called Blue Moon, developed as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services Program (CLPS).

CLPS offers grants and contracts for private space companies to develop and operate a suite of landers that could carry crucial supplies to future Artemis astronauts working on the Lunar surface. Blue Origin has mostly restricted itself to launching the wealthy into low-Earth orbit and satellite deliveries, so the Pathfinder mission represents a major shift in ambition from the company.

As a flight test for the prototype of the Blue Moon Mark 1 lander, the mission will demonstrate critical systems, including its BE-7 engine, cryogenic fluid power and propulsion systems, avionics, continuous downlink communications, and precision landing with an accuracy within 100 meters (330 ft).

Blue Origin plans to offer future Blue Moon Mark 1 missions to commercial, governmental, and institutional customers seeking Lunar payload delivery.

The Chang’e-6 probe on the Moon’s far side last year – credit, Chang’e-6 social media account

China’s asteroid sampling, 7th Moon mission

Whatever your opinions on China are, there’s no maneuvering around the fact that their space program has come on leaps and bounds, and now clearly shares the skies with us—just like we did with the dreaded Soviets, by the way, and like we still do with the Russian Federation.

This year China has 3 key missions that will light up East Asian summer skies, the first of which will be Chang’e-7. Named after the folkloric goddess of the Moon, Chang’e-7 will deploy an orbiter, lander, rover, and a small hopping probe to explore permanently shadowed craters, conduct surface surveys, and support international scientific instruments from Egypt, Bahrain, Switzerland, Russia, Thailand, Italy, and the US.

When the US will be celebrating the day of its 250th founding anniversary, the Tianwen-2 or “Heaven Question” sample-return mission will rendezvous with the asteroid Kamo’oalewa, a charismatic lump of debris around 330 feet in diameter. It orbits the Sun at an average of the same distance as the Earth orbits the Sun, and some have speculated it’s a piece of our very own Moon.

The samples collected by Tianwen-2 will return to Earth in 2027.

China will also be testing the believed-to-be unmanned launch of its Mengzhou spacecraft, which will become the standard in the coming years for transporting astronauts to and from the Chinese space station, Tiangong, and beyond.

Mengzhou will replace the Shenzhou spacecraft, which this year will fly its 23rd and 24th flight.

Mengzhou will feature a modular architecture with a re‑entry capsule and a service module, higher payload capacity and more internal volume, an ability to support deep‑space missions, including lunar orbit and potential lunar landing profiles, an improved safety systems, including a modern launch escape system and upgraded avionics, according to Editorialge.

A launch date hasn’t been confirmed, but is believed to be set for mid 2026.

The MMX space probe under assembly – credit, JAXA, licensed for press use

Japan aims for Mars

The MMX mission will be Japan’s debut in Martian exploration. However, while virtually all of NASA’s travels and travails at the Red Planet involve the planet itself, the Japanese space agency JAXA will aim to visit the Martian satellites, Phobos and Deimos.

The spacecraft will explore both moons and collect a sample from Phobos to bring back to Earth. The MMX probe will have to be an agile little thing, as it needs to descend to one Moon, take and store a sample, then ascend and fly to the other Moon for another landing/take-off before bringing the precious cargo back home.

Japan has had stellar success with sample-return missions, with its Hayabusa and Hayabusa2 missions successfully returning samples from the asteroids Itokawa and Ryugu.

Any sample from Phobos and Deimos might help science determine whether they are ejected chunks of Martian rock—potentially during an impact event, or whether they are asteroids themselves captured by Mars’ gravity. Of all the missions thusly listed, MMX may have the highest chance of being postponed to 2027, after a failed rocket test in December cast doubt over the 2026 flight schedules.

SHARE This Exciting 2026 Schedule With Your Space-Loving Friends… 

Soft Exoskeleton Shirt Weighs Less Than 2 Pounds But Can Help the Wearer Lift 35

By
Andy Corbley
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The soft exoskeleton- credit, screengrab via the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM)
The soft exoskeleton- credit, screengrab via the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM)

South Korean engineers have developed a soft, shirt-like exoskeleton to give individuals with degenerative muscle conditions more mobility and independence.

Costing thousands less than hard, motor-driven exoskeletons, and weighing less than 2 pounds, it’s a game-changing innovation in the field of robotics.

Built by the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, it consists of a shirt that can be taken on and off just like one made of cotton, paired with a modest nylon harness to hold the electrical components.

One can think of it like a set of wearable muscles.

The fabric is woven using threads less than half the diameter of a human hair, but made of shape memory alloy. The contraction of the alloy to the shape it “remembers” mirrors the lifting an arm via the shoulder joint, and tests show it can take between 40% to 57% of the strain off the wearer’s musculature.

Myung Ha-yul is a 15-year-old student with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a diagnosis he received in elementary school. Myung requires a caregiver to help with everyday activities, and doctors had previously warned him and his parents that even the combing of hair and brushing of teeth may become impossible as he ages.

Myung was part of a series of trials run by Seoul National University Hospital, and had great things to say about the exoskeleton shirt.

“It felt amazing because it was light and easy to wear, just like clothing,” he told South Korea’s JoongAng Daily. “I could lift my arms with much less effort.”

On its own power, the shirt’s fabric can lift up to 34 pounds, and with the help of a human arm, can restore the capacity for a lot of basic movement and activities.

SOUTH KOREAN INNOVATION: 

“The biggest achievement is that patients can put it on and take it off like clothing, while receiving active muscle support that leads to real functional improvement,” said Lee Woo-hyung, a professor of rehabilitation medicine at the hospital.

The development was funded by the Child Cancer and Rare Disease Project, launched in May 2021 with a 300 billion won ($204 million) donation from the family of the late Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee, JoongAng Daily reported through a translation.

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