Quote of the Day: “Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.” – James Clear
Photo: Trinity College by Hernán Piñera, CC license, cropped
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
Today is MOTH Monday on Good News Network: In partnership with The Moth, a nonprofit dedicated to the art of storytelling, we bring you the most uplifting speakers from live stages across the world.
When Krista Tippett was a little girl, she adored her grandfather “Gaggy”: a roving evangelist who pastored to tiny country churches throughout the south.
For years, she idolized his traditional teachings and strict style of living—until she went to college and began studying theology.
Despite the flaws in his line of theological thinking, Tippett grew up to interview more and more religious figureheads only to realize that her grandfather may have been more correct in the ways of mysticism than she originally thought.
Her epiphany came to a tee when she eventually spoke to an Irish woman who shocked Tippett by telling her that there was an older preacher offering his blessings to her from beyond the grave.
Listen to her story below…
The Moth gives people an opportunity to tell a true story in front of a live audience, and sometimes their stories are chosen to air on the radio show, now celebrating its tenth year, and broadcasting on 485+ public radio stations—and on The Moth podcast, which is downloaded over 52 million times a year.
The Moth’s third book, Occasional Magic: True Stories About Defying the Impossible is now available for purchase through your favorite booksellers.
Be Sure And Share This Awe-Inspiring Story With Your Friends On Social Media…
The state of Florida is purchasing more than 20,000 acres of wetlands in the Everglades in order to protect it from oil drilling.
Last week, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) reached an agreement that will allow for the purchase of 20,000 acres of critical wetlands in Water Conservation Area 3 (WCA 3) within the Everglades Protection Area located in Broward County for $16.5 million.
According to the Republican governor, this acquisition will represent the largest wetland acquisition in a decade.
“One of my administration’s top environmental priorities has been expediting Everglades restoration,” said Governor DeSantis. “Today we take another step in the right direction by reaching this agreement between DEP and Kanter Real Estate that will allow for the purchase of 20,000 acres of critical wetlands.
“This significant purchase will permanently save these lands from oil drilling,” he added. “I’m proud of our progress, but also recognize this is just the beginning. I will continue to fight every day for the Everglades and Florida’s environment.”
The property, which is located in the heart of the Everglades in WCA 3, is part of the Everglades Protection Area—one of the most important wetland systems in the Everglades ecosystem.
With this acquisition, there will be nearly 600,000 acres of wetlands in WCA 3 that will be permanently protected in public ownership for restoration and recreation.
“Under the leadership of Governor DeSantis, 2020 is already starting out as a banner year for Everglades restoration,” said South Florida Water Management District Governing Board Chairman Chauncey Goss. “These wetlands are critical to the health of the Everglades and now we can guarantee that there will be no oil and gas drilling on 20,000 acres in the heart of the Everglades.”
The Everglades Foundation CEO Eric Eikenberg added: “We applaud Governor DeSantis for his swift action in protecting these lands. This is yet another demonstration of his commitment to restoring America’s Everglades and ensuring that we achieve more now for Florida’s environment.
“We also stand in strong support of the Governor’s request for sustained funding at the $625 million level annually for the Everglades, springs, and clean water. Recurring funding is critical to expediting and completing key Everglades restoration projects like the Everglades reservoir that will send an average of 120 billion gallons of clean freshwater south to Everglades National Park and Florida Bay, reducing unwanted discharges to the East and West coasts.”
Reprinted from Gov. Ron DeSantis’s Press Office
Be Sure And Protect Your Friends From Negativity By Sharing The Good News With Your Friends On Social Media…
An intrepid team of brothers has become the youngest and fastest trio to row across the Atlantic—all after spending 35 days, 9 hours, and 9 minutes at sea.
The MacLean brothers beat the previous world record by six days, rowing from La Gomera in Spain to Antigua in the Caribbean.
The rowing team—known as BROAR—set three world records in total by also becoming the first three brothers to row across any ocean and also the youngest trio to row across the Atlantic.
The brothers, Jamie, Ewan and Lachlan, set off from Spain on December 12th last year and last completed their 3,000-mile ocean crossing after overcoming seasickness, battery issues, storms, dehydration, and exhaustion.
They had to row the last 20 days without any music, podcasts, or audiobooks, as their iPhone cables succumbed to damage caused by sun and seawater.
Being musicians, however, they were able to keep themselves entertained with bagpipes, a harmonica, and ukulele on board.
The brothers, originally from Edinburgh, finished first among trios and third overall in this year’s Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, beating teams of four and five people.
26-year-old Jamie and 21-year-old Lachlan, students at the University of Glasgow and Glasgow School of Art respectively, convinced their brother Ewan, a design engineer for Dyson in Bristol, to take a sabbatical from work to make this world record attempt.
27-year-old Ewan said: “They had to twist my arm but I will be forever grateful to my brothers for convincing me to do this.
“This was, without doubt, the defining experience of my life,” he continued. “It was incredibly difficult but the way we came together, the way our bodies and minds coped with every single challenge, will stay with me for a long time.
“It definitely tested our relationship, but it was remarkable how we were able to lift each other up as we struggled.
“It’s brought us closer together, although I am looking forward to getting to see and talk to some different people.”
MORE: 34-Year-Old Athlete Just Became the First Human in the World to Finish a Marathon in Under 2 Hours
Now they’ve smashed a world record, BROAR hope to reach their fundraising target of £250,000 for Feedback Madagascar and Children First. They have so far raised £112,000.
Jamie Spencer, managing director of Feedback Madagascar, said: “Ewan, Jamie and Lachlan are an amazing team—it seems like there’s nothing they can’t do.
“Their strength and determination has helped them beat this record at the same time as saving and transforming lives with every stroke. Every £5,000 raised pays for a freshwater borehole for a village in Madagascar—that’s fresh water for 3,000 people so far, and rising.”
Ewan concluded: “We don’t do things by halves, so we were always going to go for a World Record. I’m incredibly proud of beating the record, but mostly, I’m proud of the money we’ve raised for charity and the difference we’ll make to two causes very close to our hearts.”
Having set their first world records, Ewan refused to cancel out other ocean record attempts.
“Who knows what comes next,” he says. “We’ll be eyeing up other oceans.”
If This Incredible Story Floats Your Boat, Be Sure And Share It With Your Friends On Social Media…
Since being identified as the world’s largest producer and manufacturer of plastic, China has begun ramping up its restrictions on harmful single-use plastics.
According to Reuters, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment this week issued a new policy which will ban the use of plastic bags in all major cities by the end of 2020, with smaller towns and cities required to follow suit by 2022.
Plastic straws will also be phased out in major cities by the end of this year, and the restaurant industry will be required to reduce single-use plastic consumption by 30% in towns and smaller cities before 2025.
Other disposable tableware items, such as plastic cutlery and carryout containers, are soon expected to be included in the phase out as well.
Reporters go on to say that China has continued to speed up recycling rates by implementing more and more “comprehensive resource utilization” facilities across the country.
Save Your Friends From Negativity By Sharing The Good News To Social Media…
...Tumbleweed...
— Petersfield Bookshop (@The_PBS) January 14, 2020
Not a single book sold today...
£0.00...
We think think this maybe the first time ever...
We know its miserable out but if you'd like to help us out please find our Abebooks offering below, all at 25% off at the moment.... pic.twitter.com/Cn5uhYWw88
A 100-year-old book store has been given a much-needed boost in business after they made a social media post about their first ever “tumbleweed day” with no customers.
Last week, the historic Petersfield Bookstore of Petersfield, England posted several photos of their empty shop to Twitter, lamenting how “not a single book had been sold” that day.
The heartwrenching tweet spurred dozens of Twitter users to reach out with online book orders and messages of encouragement—but the real support came from a retweet courtesy of famed English novelist and fiction writer Neil Gaiman.
After Gaiman retweeted the photos of the empty book shop, Petersfield was flooded with orders.
What a night! We have been completely overwhelmed in a good way.
— Petersfield Bookshop (@The_PBS) January 15, 2020
We have 1,100 new followers.
We have loads of online book orders.
We have over 300 messages, many asking after books. We will answer all as soon as we can, please bear with us
Thank you all so much!
The shop later confessed that the “tumbleweed day” was indicative of a much more bleak sales history. In fact, they had not even been sure the shop would survive the week if the trend continued.
“It is not always easy for a business to admit that it has been so close to the edge, and we don’t do it lightly. It was a horrible situation and of course things remain fragile,” wrote the shop. “The thought of having to announce the closure of The Petersfield Bookshop was heartbreaking.
Can we just say thank you @neilhimself this is not the day we thought we were going to have but it's been the best. People are kind and that's something to never forget
— Petersfield Bookshop (@The_PBS) January 15, 2020
This is a small portion of the orders we received overnight and today as a result of the Gaiman bump pic.twitter.com/9qxDx7Ct58
“It was nothing short of miraculous this has happened to us in the same week … and we are truly grateful,” they continued. “We are trying to think of ways to pay it forward and to use our new found voice with 20k followers to help the book trade in general.”
Since the store does not open on Sundays, they now plan on taking to Twitter on their days off to recommend independent publishers, shops, and authors who might deserve the extra social media exposure.
I didn't know this. I'm so glad I helped. https://t.co/SZ0V7IlmU2
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) January 20, 2020
Help Your Friends Read The Good News By Sharing It To Social Media…
Quote of the Day: “You can only protect your liberties in this world by protecting the other man’s freedom. You can only be free if I am free.” – Clarence Darrow (100 years ago today, the ACLU was founded)
Photo: by Ryan Welsh, CC license via Flickr
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
Whether it be a walk around the park or high intensity training at the gym, exercise does a body good. But what if you are restricted in your ability to move? What if you, too, could enjoy some of the benefits of a good workout without moving a muscle?
Michigan Medicine researchers studying a class of naturally occurring protein called Sestrin have found that it can mimic many of exercise’s beneficial effects in flies and mice. The findings—which were published in Nature Communications this week—could eventually help scientists combat muscle wasting due to aging and other causes.
“Researchers have previously observed that Sestrin accumulates in muscle following exercise,” said Myungjin Kim, a research assistant professor in the Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology. Kim, working with Professor Jun Hee Lee and a team of researchers, wanted to know more about the protein’s apparent link to exercise. Their first step was to encourage a bunch of flies to work out.
Taking advantage of Drosophila flies’ normal instinct to climb up and out of a test tube, their collaborators developed a type of fly treadmill. Using it, the team trained the flies for three weeks and compared the running and flying ability of normal flies with that of flies bred to lack the ability to make Sestrin. “Flies can usually run around four to six hours at this point and the normal flies’ abilities improved over that period,” says Lee. “The flies without Sestrin did not improve with exercise.”
RELATED: Training for Your First Marathon ‘Reverses’ Aging of Major Blood Vessels on Par With Medication
What’s more, when they overexpressed Sestrin in the muscles of normal flies, essentially maxing out their Sestrin levels, they found those flies had abilities above and beyond the trained flies, even without exercise. In fact, flies with overexpressed Sestrin didn’t develop more endurance when exercised.
The beneficial effects of Sestrin include more than just improved endurance. Mice without Sestrin lacked the improved aerobic capacity, improved respiration and fat burning typically associated with exercise.
“We propose that Sestrin can coordinate these biological activities by turning on or off different metabolic pathways,” says Lee. “This kind of combined effect is important for producing exercise’s effects.”
Lee also helped another collaborator from Pompeu Fabra University in Spain to demonstrate that muscle-specific Sestrin can also help prevent atrophy in a muscle that’s immobilized, such as the type that occurs when a limb is in a cast for a long period of time. “This independent study again highlights that Sestrin alone is sufficient to produce many benefits of physical movement and exercise,” says Lee.
MORE: New Research Says That Short Bursts of Exercise Could Make You Smarter
Could Sestrin supplements be on the horizon? Not quite, says Lee. “Sestrins are not small molecules, but we are working to find small molecule modulators of Sestrin.”
Additionally, adds Kim, scientists still don’t know how exercise produces Sestrin in the body. “This is very critical for future study and could lead to a treatment for people who cannot exercise.”
Reprinted from Michigan Medicine – University of Michigan
Be Sure And Share The Intriguing News With Your Friends On Social Media…
When the moon hits your dog’s eyes,
like a big pizza pie,
that’s amoré—or at least that’s the honest truth for this guy.
In this sweet little video from Jen Anderson, her fiancé can be heard singing the sultry Dean Martin song from the comfort of his office.
Anderson sneaked up to his doorway and peaked her phone around the corner only to capture footage of him singing the iconic ballad to his beloved pit bull Lady.
Rather than interrupting the sweet exchange, Anderson quietly captures her fiancé and his furry friend Lady staring lovingly into each other’s eyes—and the video is adorable.
(WATCH the pawesome video below)
Be Sure And Share This Sweet Story With Your Friends On Social Media…
The state of Washington is moving swiftly to spark a clean transportation revolution which will target the state’s biggest source of carbon emissions—gasoline-powered engines.
This week, the Senate voted 26-23 to pass SB 5811, a bill that would enable Washington to join the national Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) program.
Eleven states currently participate in the ZEV program, which requires that a minimum percentage of the passenger vehicles supplied by automakers be electric. By putting the responsibility on automakers to make more electric vehicles available, the program tries to avoid fiscal impact on taxpayers.
The ZEV program has proven to decrease the cost of electric vehicles to purchase or lease, while increasing the selection of available. If passed, the bill would enable the state to join the ZEV Program, which requires that about 6% of all new cars stocked at dealerships be electric by 2022—the first year the measure could go into full effect. Automakers that do not meet the threshold would need to buy credits from another automaker or pay a penalty.
Last year, ZEV legislation passed the Senate, but stalled in the House, in the Environment and Energy Committee chaired by Representative Joe Fitzgibbon. This year, however, Representative Fitzgibbon affirmed his strong commitment to passing the bill—and joining California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
A diverse coalition of more than 40 organizations also support the bill, including the state’s leading environmental organizations, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the American Lung Association, Tesla, and ChargePoint.
Additionally, the House Transportation Committee is set to schedule a hearing on a bill that would require all new vehicles sold in Washington State to be electric starting in 2030 (HB 2515).
HB 2515, sponsored by Representative Nicole Macri and co-sponsored by Fitzgibbon and five other legislators, is patterned on vehicle electrification policies announced by approximately 15 countries. It requires all model-year 2030 or later passenger vehicles sold in Washington state to be electric. People could keep, sell, and purchase model-year 2029 and prior gasoline vehicles without restriction. Emergency response vehicles and vehicles over 10,000 pounds, such as farm equipment, would be exempt.
RELATED: Rather Than Polluting Icy Roadsides With Salt, Scientists Use Recycled Biowaste From Fruit
“Switching to local electricity to power our cars will improve our air quality, save the residents of Washington billions of dollars in fuel and maintenance costs, boost our economy, and create jobs,” said bill sponsor Macri.
Bill supporters say the legislation will incentivize private-sector investment in new EVs and charging stations, without imposing significant additional burdens on the state budget or the taxpayers.
Drive The Good News Over To Your Friends By Sharing It To Social Media – File photo by Joe Mabel, CC
If you have ever been a fan of Jim Carrey’s role in Ace Venture: Pet Detective, you might be interested to know that China has a real-life pet detective of its own.
Sun Jinrong, who’s actually known as China’s first pet detective, has returned more than 1,000 missing animals to their owners over the course of his 7-year career.
Described as a stone-faced animal lover, clients can pay around $1,100 for the return of their lost furry friends, utilizing services that include seeking out pets with hi-tech thermal imaging cameras and heat sensors, as well as snake cameras—or “endoscopes”.
Dog ownership was banned under Communist Party leader Mao Zedong as being a decadent privilege reserved for the bourgeoisie—but since the decades have reversed this outlook, there are now 91.5 million pet cats and dogs in the country, keeping Sun Jinrong hard at work in eastern Shanghai.
RELATED: These Factories Hire Storytellers to Read to Workers So They Can be Educated—and Entertained
“Most pet owners get very flustered,” Sun told Breaking Asia. “They don’t even own a flashlight. They can only look for cats in the dark by the weak light of their phones.”
Adapting hunting techniques into his methods, he usually carries a blowgun, and is an expert at shooting tranquilizing darts at missing cats who are especially wary of approaching humans. “We have no predecessors in this industry. We are all crossing the river by feeling the stones,” he tells Breaking Asia, using a famous Chinese saying.
WATCH: Have You Ever Seen a Shaolin Monk Pierce a Pane of Glass With a Needle?
“You have to be extremely careful when capturing pets. You can’t catch small dogs like Pomeranians with a net. Their hearts are very small. It could kill them,” says Jinrong.
Breaking Asia details one story of Jinrong seeking a missing cat named Duoduo. Jinrong had to wait up for hours in a camouflaged blind with his cameras until midnight before finding him.
“When our case is solved, it’s basically a reunion,” he muses. “It’s a happy moment.”
(WATCH Jinrong in action as he searches for Duoduo)
Be Sure And Share This Pawesome Story With Your Friends On Social Media…
Quote of the Day: “Storms make trees take deeper roots.” – Dolly Parton (she turns 74 today)
Photo: by Hannes, CC license va Flickr
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
A simple, yet powerful, UK program has been fighting elderly isolation by recruiting young adults as volunteers to read to seniors with vision problems and dementia.
Lorna Burnett has benefited from the program having her vision “restored” by 15-year-old Ailsa, a schoolgirl who was paired with Burnett through the Reading Friends project.
Prior to developing lupus in her 40s, Burnett was a librarian and avid reader who would read “two to three books every week”. After developing the disease, however, Burnett found herself unable to read or watch television for any length of time without her eyes hurting.
RELATED: Two Sisters Have Been Reading Bedtime Stories for Children on Facebook Live Every Night
Not only has Burnett’s regular reading sessions with Ailsa helped to reconnect her with her passion for literature, they have also built a strong intergenerational friendship between the two ladies.
“I chose a book and she would come along and read it to me,” Burnett told BBC. “But we have only got through two books so far because we end up chatting too much. We have read two historical novels… and get on very well.”
"The scheme has worked so well for me as a helpful tool that lets me read much more than I would." We are proud to be one of the charities featured in this year's @thetimes #ChristmasAppeal.
— The Reading Agency (@readingagency) January 6, 2020
Read stories about our @ReadingFriends_ volunteers and groups: https://t.co/2MU2fcUIC9 pic.twitter.com/9y9mUIafHy
Since the Reading Agency launched the program in 2017, they have rolled out dozens of one-on-one—and group—Reading Friends sessions across Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England.
According to the organization’s website, “loneliness and social isolation is a significant health and wellbeing issue for older people” and “8-10% of people aged 65 and older are often or always lonely, while 12% feel socially isolated.”
“Research shows that reading together can help older people to build social networks and connect with others,” it continues. “Evidence also shows that reading has a positive impact on empathy, cognitive function and wellbeing and can reduce the risk of dementia.”
MORE: Rather Than Close Their Doors, South Korean School Fills Classrooms With Illiterate Older Women
Ruth Sheppard, head of languages and literacy at Bannockburn High School, is responsible for connecting schoolchildren like Aisle with the program—and she says that it has had an amazing impact on the youngsters.
“We have wonderful young people at our school and we wanted to get them into the community,” Sheppard told BBC. “It has been fantastic to see them blossom as well as improving their literacy and social skills.
“They are meeting community members like Lorna that they are making friendships with, and library staff can help them, not only with education but outside as well.”
(WATCH the Reading Friends short film below) – Photo by Reading Friends
Be Sure And Share This Inspiring Story With Your Friends On Social Media…
Jack Jokinen was awakened suddenly on a frigid December morning in Philadelphia by his concerned wife who needed his help unraveling a mystery: there was a dog in their living room.
LISTEN to the inspiring story told on the radio by our GNN founder in the Good News Guru podcast below—or READ the full story after that…
Since all their doors and windows were shut tight, they had no idea how the malnourished pup had gotten into their home.
Upon reviewing the household’s security footage from the previous night, Jokinen saw that he had not latched the door properly after returning from walking their dog George. As the winds picked up throughout the evening, the door to the sidewalk was blown wide open.
The footage then shows the skinny pup at 3AM wandering down the city street. It noticed the open door and wandered right inside. Further into the video they saw a Good Samaritan passing by who pulled the door shut, shortly after the dog slipped into the house.
I just woke up to this puppy in my house and we have no idea how it got here. pic.twitter.com/OZMystNsZE
— Jack Jokinen (@JJFromTheBronx) December 14, 2019
Obviously emaciated, and covered in fleas, Jack and his wife debated whether to try and locate the dog’s rightful owners—but they opted for taking her to the veterinarian instead.
Expensive vet bills were looming after a paw infection and dental issues were uncovered—but when the compassionate couple learned the dog was 9 years old, they decided to adopt her and provide a comfortable ‘forever home’ for her senior years.
She’s feeling better already pic.twitter.com/2Y6y9QXN6r
— Jack Jokinen (@JJFromTheBronx) December 14, 2019
RELATED: Woman Who Visited and Fed Chained-Up Dog for a Year Finally Gets to Adopt it From Neighbor’s Yard
“We decided that of all the bad things that could happen by leaving your door open in the middle of winter in a major city, to end up with a sweet dog, who has come off the street…we have to give this a try,” Jokinen told The Dodo.
They named the dog ‘Suzy’, and took their friends’ advice to launch a donation page to help pay for her hefty medical bills. Within two days of posting her picture, they were flooded with donations to cover her care.
Suzy has since gained a healthy amount of weight and become a beloved part of the Jokinen family—who now sees the mysterious gusty wind that night as a fortuitous moment for all to share.
“In a way, this isn’t our dog—it’s the internet’s dog.”
(WATCH the video below)
In the morning Suzy stops at every landing to make sure I’m still coming pic.twitter.com/e314v4ownO
— Jack Jokinen (@JJFromTheBronx) January 2, 2020
Be Sure And Share This Pawesome Story With Your Friends On Social Media…
David Solomon, chief executive of Goldman Sachs, recently wrote an editorial in the Financial Times in which he laid out the premise behind a $750 billon plan for a decade of investing, financing, and advisory activity that will exclusively cover nine climate-critical areas such as renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and carbon reductions.
With this move, Goldman Sachs becomes the first major U.S. bank to prohibit financing for Arctic oil drilling and the first to establish explicit limits on financing for the oil and gas sector.
“Companies have traditionally treated sustainability as a peripheral issue,” writes Solomon in the FT, “focusing narrowly on the way they manage their impact on the environment. We don’t have the luxury of that limited perspective any more.”
“The evidence of climate change is clear. And, people in both developed and developing countries are questioning the ability of their economies to reward their hard work.”
Solomon and Goldman Sachs believe that transportation, the largest carbon-emitting sector of the world economy, must absolutely be a priority, while also mentioning affordable education and retraining investments, and investments in sustainable agriculture—the details of which he didn’t mention in his short piece.
RELATED: Dutch Guy Famous for Cleaning Up Pacific Garbage Patch is Now Clearing the World’s Rivers Too
Goldman Sachs stated that as part of its commitment to the 9-sector plan, it will neither finance, nor advise on any project that “directly supports new upstream Arctic oil exploration or development”.
Also included was a similar commitment to refuse all financing and support for coal-fired power plants unless they also included modern carbon capture technology to the degree that the emissions are offset.
A joint statement from the Sierra Club and Rainforest Action Network said that the bank’s “fossil finance policy is now the strongest among the big six U.S. banks”.
Important in their investing blueprint is a focus on climate goals that have definable and measurable metrics. This will allow Goldman Sachs partners to accurately track environmental progress of such pathways as well as the financial growth potential and measurable returns, which Solomon insists must be a primary focus.
MORE: Top 10 Most Exciting Environmental Stories in 2019 Raise Hope for Eco-Friendly 2020
“…capital must be deployed to those opportunities that have the greatest potential for success, and we must generate strong returns on invested capital to serve those saving for retirement,” writes Solomon in the FT. This is because retirement is a vitally important source of investment capital, and is one of the most reliable metrics for economic strength.
Here, classic economics meld with climate-activism in an interesting way that can help everyone involved achieve their goals. People who care most about climate change, Swedish activist and Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, Greta Thunberg for example, often remark that the previous generation has sacrificed the environment and the climate of their children’s generation in order to maximize profit and material possession; or some variation on this same theme. Such a focus can now be used to rev the engine of solution-based start-ups and industries.
CHECK OUT: Three-Story ‘Water Battery’ Has Already Slashed University’s Electrical Costs By 40% in One Month
Consumer buying is a much weaker marker of economic strength and resilience than savings, investment, and production, as Solomon points out, which goes hand in hand with those acting to reduce carbon emissions. Like a steady saver, they would rather sacrifice time, capital, and pleasure now so as to be able to continue to enjoy them for years to come.
This blending of mutual long-term planning can not only promote a stronger economy, but a more sustainable world with a more stable climate.
Power Up With Positivity By Sharing The Good News With Your Friends On Social Media…
After a woman with mental health issues hijacked and subsequently crashed Rayden Jones’s car, the delivery driver was suddenly going to be left without a mode of transportation to do his job.
Then, suddenly, a good Samaritan stepped in to save the day.
Jones, who works at Happy’s Pizza in Port Huron, Michigan, says he had taken only two minutes to run some pies into a local school last week when he exited the building and found that someone had stolen his car.
Meanwhile, a man named Kevin Lindke had been driving home from work when he saw a swerving car take the wrong ramp onto a freeway. Lindke dialed 911 as he followed the car and described the situation to police dispatchers.
The woman who stole the automobile eventually smashed into another vehicle before abandoning the totally-wrecked car on the side of the road. She took off running with Lindke in hot pursuit.
After catching up to her, Lindke convinced her to stay and wait for police.
Later, when he learned from law enforcement officials that the car had belonged to a hard-working pizza delivery driver, he was moved to donate his minivan to Rayden, rather than selling it, as he had originally planned.
“I’m not going to lie, I about burst into tears because who does that?” Jones told WDIV. “It’s a godsend—that this man, out of nowhere, who I’ve never met, would do this. It’s mind blowing.”
(WATCH the news coverage below) – Image credit: screenshot, WDIV video
Drive This Inspiring Story To Your Friends By Sharing It To Social Media…
Quote of the Day: “That shot was a defining moment, and when a defining moment comes along, you define the moment… Or the moment defines you.” – Tin Cup (Kevin Costner turns 65)
Photo: by Split the Kipper, CC license – levels adjusted, cropped
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
When a gas station employee fell ill on the job earlier this month, the responding firefighters did a lot more than just take care of his medical needs.
It was just after midnight at the J&H Family Store near Alto, Michigan when the cashier started to feel unwell. After calling his boss to bring in some extra help, he dialed 911.
Four firefighters from the Alto-Bowne Township Fire Department Deputy arrived at the shop shortly afterwards and took care of the cashier until an ambulance arrived to take him to the hospital.
By the time the employee was carried out on a stretcher, however, his co-worker had not yet showed up.
Since customers were still walking into the store, the firefighters decided to put themselves to work and ring up the customers until backup arrived.
“[The customers] weren’t pushy and upset. We weren’t doing anything. They literally just wanted to get some snacks and get on the road,” one of the firefighters told WOOD reporters. “So I felt bad and thought we could help them out.”
Elliot, the cashier who called 911, told the news outlet that he had no idea the firefighters had helped to run the store until his co-workers showed him surveillance footage the following day—and he was incredibly grateful for their kindness during his time of need.
(WATCH the news coverage below) – Photo by WOOD
Be Sure And Share This Sweet Story Of Kindness With Your Friends On Social Media…
A common bacteria that boosts digestive health can slow—and even reverse—the build-up of a protein associated with Parkinson’s disease, new research suggests.
Building on previous research linking brain function to gut bacteria, this study in a Parkinson’s model of roundworms, identified a probiotic—or so-called “good bacteria”—which prevents the formation of toxic clumps that starve the brain of dopamine, a key chemical that coordinates movement.
These new findings, which were published in Cell Reports this week, could pave the way for future studies that gauge how supplements such as probiotics impact the condition.
In the brains of people with Parkinson’s, alpha-synuclein protein misfolds and builds up, forming toxic clumps. These clumps are associated with the death of nerve cells responsible for producing dopamine. The loss of these cells causes the motor symptoms associated with Parkinson’s, including freezing, tremors and slowness of movement.
RELATED: Is Your Gut Out of Whack? 10 Things You Can Learn With a Home Test Kit
The researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh and Dundee used roundworms altered to produce the human version of alpha-synuclein that forms clumps. They fed these worms with different types of over-the-counter probiotics to see if bacteria in them could affect the formation of toxic clumps.
The scientists found that a probiotic called Bacillus subtilis had a remarkable protective effect against the build-up of this protein and also cleared some of the already formed protein clumps. This improved the movement symptoms in the roundworms. The researchers also found that the bacteria was able to prevent the formation of toxic alpha-synuclein clumps by producing chemicals that change how enzymes in cells process specific fats called sphingolipids.
The study was funded by Parkinson’s UK, the EMBO and the European Commission. It is the latest in a number of recent studies which have found a link between brain function and the thousands of different kinds of bacteria living in the digestive system, known as the gut microbiome. Other studies into mice have found that the gut microbiome has an impact on the motor symptoms.
MORE: New Research Shows That Gut Microbes May ‘Significantly’ Slow the Progression of ALS
“The results provide an opportunity to investigate how changing the bacteria that make up our gut microbiome affects Parkinson’s,” said lead researcher Dr. Maria Doitsidou from the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. “The next steps are to confirm these results in mice, followed by fast-tracked clinical trials since the probiotic we tested is already commercially available.”
Dr Beckie Port, Research Manager at Parkinson’s UK, said: “Parkinson’s is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world. Currently there is no treatment that can slow, reverse or protect someone from its progression but by funding projects like this, we’re bringing forward the day when there will be.
CHECK OUT: Managing Your Gut Bacteria Shown to Alleviate Anxiety, Says New Research
“Changes in the microorganisms in the gut are believed to play a role in the initiation of Parkinson’s in some cases and are linked to certain symptoms, that’s why there is ongoing research into gut health and probiotics.
“The results from this study are exciting as they show a link between bacteria in the gut and the protein at the heart of Parkinson’s, alpha synuclein. Studies that identify bacteria that are beneficial in Parkinson’s have the potential to not only improve symptoms but could even protect people from developing the condition in the first place.”
Reprinted from the University of Edinburgh
Be Sure And Share The Exciting Study With Your Friends On Social Media…
Microsoft may have just taken on the most ambitious environmental goals of any corporation to date.
This week, the tech company announced they are now working to be carbon-negative by 2030. Furthermore, they plan to remove all the carbon they have ever emitted into the environment—either directly or by electrical consumption since their founding in 1975—before 2050.
The technology required to achieve such a feat is either wildly expensive or not widely available; and that’s why the company is also launching a $1 billion fund to develop climate technologies for the rest of the world.
LOOK: LEGO is Now Offering to Pay For You to Ship Your Unused Bricks to Children in Need
“We are launching an initiative to use Microsoft technology to help our suppliers and customers around the world reduce their own carbon footprints and a new $1 billion climate innovation fund to accelerate the global development of carbon reduction, capture, and removal technologies,” Microsoft President Brad Smith wrote in a company blog post.
“Beginning next year, we will also make carbon reduction an explicit aspect of our procurement processes for our supply chain. Our progress on all of these fronts will be published in a new annual Environmental Sustainability Report that will detail our carbon impact and reduction journey. And lastly, all this work will be supported by our voice and advocacy supporting public policy that will accelerate carbon reduction and removal opportunities.”
Microsoft has been carbon-neutral since 2012—meaning they have invested in enough renewable energy projects and carbon offsets to balance out the emissions that they create themselves. They also began charging internal fees on their business units for their greenhouse gas emissions.
Smith says the company will now begin their trailblazing sustainability plan by sourcing all of their own electricity from renewables by 2025. After that, they plan to become carbon-negative by removing more carbon from the atmosphere than their own company creates.
RELATED: Another Victory Against Plastic—These Water Brands Will Soon Be Packaged in Aluminum Cans
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, President Brad Smith, Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood, and Chief Environmental Officer Lucas Joppa announced the company’s new goals and their detailed plans for becoming carbon negative at an event at its Redmond campus.
“While the world will need to reach net zero, those of us who can afford to move faster and go further should do so. That’s why today we are announcing an ambitious goal and a new plan to reduce and ultimately remove Microsoft’s carbon footprint,” said Smith. “By 2030 Microsoft will be carbon negative, and by 2050 Microsoft will remove from the environment all the carbon the company has emitted either directly or by electrical consumption since it was founded in 1975.”
Power Up With Positivity By Sharing The Good News With Your Friends On Social Media…
