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With Only 147 of World’s Fattest Parrots Left, This Year’s Baby Boom Has Left Researchers Positively Squawking

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Baby kākāpō being hand-fed – Darren Scott / Department of Conservation (NZ)

The world’s fattest and only flightless species of parrot has just enjoyed an astonishing baby boom – and conservationists are thrilled.

Though they used to be one of the most common birds of New Zealand, there are only 147 adult kākāpō alive today.

The species was previously thought to be extinct until a small population was found on an island south of the country’s mainland in the 1970s. Over the course of the following decades, their population incrementally increased from 18 birds in 1977 to 50 in the mid-1990s, according to The Guardian.

Kākāpō only breed every two to four years, when rimu trees produce fruit in what’s known as a mast year. The last mast year, in 2016, saw a record 34 birds added to the population.

RELATED: World’s Second Largest Coral Reef Has Just Been Removed From Endangered List

This month, however, scientists were delighted by the arrival of 76 new chicks – which is more than double the previous record number of hatchlings.

“It’s absolutely huge, it’s massive,” Dr. Andrew Digby, a science advisor to the Department of Conservation’s kākāpō recovery program, told The Guardian.

“In the last two seasons there have been huge quantities of fruit not seen for 50 years, so that’s why all of the female kākāpō know it is time to breed, and actually started much earlier than usual, meaning some have now been able to nest twice.”

LOOK: Endangered Parrots Won’t Stop Messing With Traffic Cones So the Cheeky Birds Have Been Given Their Own Roadside Gyms

A temporary hand-rearing facility was set up in Invercargill to help care for this season’s most vulnerable chicks, providing a rare opportunity for people to see a kākāpō before they were returned to their predator- and pest-free island homes.

In previous years, public viewings were held over longer periods, but with the chicks and their mothers doing so well on the islands, the facility was not required for the same length of time this year.

“Kākāpō are [a cultural treasure] for all New Zealanders and we are so excited to share their success with the public this year,” says kākāpō advocacy ranger Bronnie Jeynes.

“With all the rimu fruit available the chicks are really thriving on the islands this year. For the first time in recent memory we’ve been able to put three chicks in one nest! It’s a hugely exciting time.”

(WATCH this kākāpō’s adorable happy dance in the video below)

Fly The Good News Over To Your Friends By Sharing It To Social Media – Feature photo by Don Merton / Department of Conservation (NZ)

Stressed-Out Americans Only Get 43 Minutes of ‘Me Time’ Per Day, But Solution May Lie in Their Backyards

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Struggling to find a little “me time”? You’re far from alone because the average American only gets five hours of “me time” in a week — that’s just 43 minutes a day.

In addition to a lack of “me time”, a new poll examining where and how people like to unwind found the average person only gets into their ideal headspace 3.5 days a week, so it’s no surprise that one in four wouldn’t describe themselves as “relaxed.”

The results from a survey of 2,000 people found that current events, jobs, partners, kids, and too much noise are the top five things that prevent people from getting enough R&R.

Frequent stressors can quickly turn a day sour. Three in four people admitted that if they don’t have time to get in a good headspace with some “me time,” it negatively affects their mood.

MORE: Stressed? New Study Says You Simply Need a 20-Minute ‘Nature Pill’

75% of people wish they spent more time outdoors and 20% admit they don’t use their own outdoor space enough.

There are so many benefits to relaxing outside, rather than inside. Medical research has shown that spending time in nature can reduce symptoms of mental and physical ailments and boost the body’s production of immune cells and cancer-fighting proteins. Other studies show that spending just 20 minutes in nature can greatly reduce a person’s stress levels – and people who live close to birds and trees are less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, and stress.

The research conducted by OnePoll on behalf of POLYWOOD also found that a quarter of those surveyed revealed that they aren’t even home during daylight hours to spend time on the deck or patio.

LOOK: How a Yoga Teacher is Saving First Responders Across America From Depression – With Downward Dog

Moreover, many are deterred from hanging outside by the shabby state of their outdoor spaces. Almost three in 10 described their lawn or deck furniture as “worn down” while one in 5 would be embarrassed to have guests over with their yard as it currently sits.

When asked how people wanted to improve their yards, respondents said more plants and flowers (53%), new furniture (40%), new deck/patio (29%) and power washing the exterior (28 percent).

“I think (it’s) human nature to be outdoors,” said interior designer Angelo Adamo from POLYWOOD. “For us to be inside all the time, it’s just awkward, it’s unorthodox. We need to spend more time outdoors.”

MORE: Instead of ‘We Are What We Eat,’ the Science of Kindness Says ‘We Are What We See’ in Daily Life

“Decorating and designing the outdoor like you’re designing your indoor space is a trend that’s gaining momentum and I think will be here to stay,” added Farah Merhi, Founder of Inspire Me! Home Decor. “The backyard is becoming an extension of the indoors.”

TO DO LIST FOR OUTDOOR SPACE
Plant flowers – 53%
Replace furniture – 40%
Mow lawn – 32%
Weed garden/replace deck – 29%
Power wash – 28%
Hire landscapers – 19%

REASONS PEOPLE AREN’T OUTSIDE MORE
Weather – 51%
Work – 36%
Household chores – 32%
Not home in daylight – 23%
Kids – 21%
Don’t like outdoors – 10%

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Role Model Dad Spurred to Lose 92 Pounds in 5 Months After One Hiking Trip With His Kids

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McKinley Corbley
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Being a parent is already a life-changing experience, but this 40-year-old dad underwent an astonishing transformation after going on a hike with his kids.

Before Jeremiah Peterson looked like a supermodel, he weighed 290 pounds. He was only motivated to lose weight after he went on a hike with his family in 2017 and became self-conscious over how quickly he tired out from the activity.

“Instead of remembering all the good memories we had made on this trip, all I can remember is this one thing that kept playing in my head over and over again: I found myself running out of breath and having to take breaks way before my 9-, 7-, and 6-year-old kids,” Peterson wrote on Instagram.

CHECK OUT: Man is Transformed After His Weight Takes Up 2 Plane Seats During Wildfire Evacuation

The dad from Missoula, Montana then resolved to get in shape.

He started by cutting alcohol out of his life and adhering to a ketogenic diet. Every day for five months straight, he would hike for two hours and spend one hour at the gym.

After 150 days of strict diet and exercise, Peterson lost 92 pounds and shrunk from a size 42 pant size to a size 33. Not only that, he can now run nonstop up the hiking trail that once exhausted him.

MORE: Give Yourself a ‘Dry January’ – You’ll Sleep Better, Save Money, and Lose Weight

Peterson now uses his story and fitness expertise to coach and inspire almost 100,000 social media followers – but he says that his kids are the real reason for his triumphs.

“Finding your reason why is essential if you want to achieve success in life,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “If you don’t have a strong reason behind your actions you are less likely to get the results.”

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‘Proton Therapy’ is Noninvasive Treatment for High-Risk Cancers – In Use Today With ‘Excellent’ Success Rate

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This exciting new study shows that “proton therapy” is a stunningly effective noninvasive treatment against high-risk childhood cancers – and it comes with minimal side effects.

Unlike traditional photon radiation using x-rays, proton radiation therapy (PRT) is a non-invasive, precise cancer treatment that uses a beam of protons moving at very high speeds to destroy the DNA of cancer cells, killing them and preventing them from multiplying.

Highly targeted, PRT has significant promise for treating tumors in very young children and may reduce radiation exposure to healthy, developing tissue that may result in lifelong impacts.

Researchers from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania analyzed the largest cohort to date of pediatric patients with high-risk neuroblastoma who were treated with proton radiation therapy.

WATCH: He Was Called Foolish for His Research; Now Documentary Tells How He Won Nobel Prize for ‘Cancer Cure’

Not only did they find that proton therapy was effective at reducing tumors, they also found that it demonstrated minimal toxicity to surrounding organs.

The study is published online in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics.

“These data are extremely encouraging and could be a game-changer for a number of reasons,” said lead author Christine Hill-Kayser, Chief of the Pediatric Radiation Oncology Service at Penn Medicine.

“Not only did we observe excellent outcomes and minimal side effects that validate the use of PRT in high-risk neuroblastoma patients, we answered a lingering question about proton therapy – the concern that because it is so targeted, tumors may come back. Tumors mostly did not come back, suggesting PRT is effective, less toxic and a superior choice for our young patients who must endure intense treatment modalities in an effort to cure this high-risk cancer.”

MORE: Boy is Cured of Aggressive Cancer Thanks to Stem Cell Treatment Using Donated Umbilical Cord

Neuroblastoma is the most common cancer in infants, accounting for more than 10% of all childhood cancer deaths. Primary neuroblastoma tumors are commonly adrenal tumors, which are very close to the kidney, liver, pancreas and bowel in children, making them hard to treat without harming vital organs in tiny bodies. Treatment usually involves a combination of therapies including chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.

Typically, the 5-year survival rate of high-risk neuroblastoma patients is as low as 40%. Researchers from CHOP studied 45 patients with high-risk neuroblastoma who received PRT at both of their institutions between 2010 and 2015.

Five years after treatment, the longest recorded period of study in the largest cohort of patients to date, researchers observed excellent outcomes, with 82% of patients still alive, and 97% free of a primary site tumor reoccurrence.

CHECK OUT: UCLA Surgeons Develop Simple Spray Gel to Super-Charge Immunity and Prevent Cancer From Returning

Toxicities, or side effects, are measured on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the most severe. No patient observed in the study experienced grade 3 or 4 long-term acute liver or kidney toxicity, with the majority of patients experiencing grade 1 side effects from PRT.

“We’ve showed PRT is not only effective in the treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma, but it also spared damage to the developing liver, kidneys and bowel that may occur in pediatric patients exposed to traditional radiation,” said Hill-Kayser. “While we look forward to longer-range data on these patients 10 years down the road, the excellent outcomes we see here, coupled with the fact the precision proton approach did not increase recurrence rates, support the expanded use of proton therapy in neuroblastoma and other high-risk childhood cancers.”

Furthermore, a study of 125 pediatric patients that was conducted at Northwestern University in November found that proton therapy was associated with improved cognitive function and an increase of roughly 10 IQ points in contrast to traditional radiation. Additional studies have also claimed that proton therapy is less costly than alternative radiation methods.

RELATED: Drug That Can Stop a Dozen ‘Untreatable’ Cancers Gets Approval—And Company Vows to Help Every Patient Afford It

“A child’s brain is more sensitive to radiation. The radiation can disrupt connections being formed in the white matter and prevent the brain from developing normally,” said lead author Jeffrey Paul Gross, Northwestern University radiation oncology resident. “If we are able to spare healthy portions of the brain from radiation there is a potential for improved long-term cognitive outcomes.”

PRT used against prostate cancer in adults has also resulted in a 5-year survival rate of 93.25%.

With more and more proton therapy clinics opening up across the US, CHOP researchers say that they will be conducting further studies on the efficacy of the treatment against other cancers.

(WATCH the video below)

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Oil Rig Workers Come to the Rescue of Exhausted Dog Found Swimming 135 Miles From Shore

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McKinley Corbley
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This lucky pup has been given a second leash on life after she was found swimming in the middle of the ocean 135 miles from shore.

Workers aboard an oil rig were stunned to see the exhausted Aspin paddling through the waters in the Gulf of Thailand last week.

Upon calling out to the dog, she swam over to the ship and took shelter on the metal bars of the ship. Workers then managed to secure a rope around the waist of the dog and pull her onto the deck.

Khon Vitisak, the worker who rescued the dog, told The Daily Mail: “We found her trying to swim towards our rig, which is about 135 miles from the shore. Thankfully, the sea was quite still because the wind was calm.

LOOK: Five Days After Disappearing, Dog is Finally Found and Rescued From Underground Rabbit Hole

“We just saw her small head but if the ripples were bigger, I think we probably wouldn’t have noticed her at all,” he added.

While the oil rig workers radioed for help, they built a makeshift cage for the dog and gave her food and water so she could recover her strength.

She was eventually brought to a veterinarian in Songkhla, southern Thailand – and despite being found in the ocean, she was in surprisingly good health and animal rescue workers named her Boonrod.

No one has been able to figure out how Boonrod ended up at sea – but if no one comes forward to claim her, Vitisak says that he will be happy to adopt her as his own.

(WATCH the video below) – Photo by Viral Press

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“In a genuine relationship, there is an outward flow of open, alert attention toward the other person in which there is no wanting whatsoever.” ― Eckhart Tolle

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Quote of the Day: “In a genuine relationship, there is an outward flow of open, alert attention toward the other person in which there is no wanting whatsoever.” ― Eckhart Tolle

Photo: by ohsohappytogether 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?

Watch This Stunning Video of a Border Collie Sprinting to the Rescue of a Dog in Harm’s Way

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McKinley Corbley
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This Border Collie is about to get its own superhero movie after it came to the rescue of its canine friend earlier this week.

In an astonishing video that was captured by a nearby surveillance camera, a Canadian woman can be seen playing fetch with her three dogs in the snowy front yard of her home in Gaspé City, Québec.

After they finished playing with the ball, the woman gets into her car and starts to pull out of her driveway – and she was later horrified to see that she almost hit her Chihuahua in the process.

WATCH: When Two Dogs Became Trapped in Ice, the Perfect Russian Rescuer Happened to Be Walking By

Except just as the tiny pup started to walk into the path of the car, the woman’s Border Collie can be seen sprinting to the rescue.

Quick as a flash, the collie dashed across the yard and plucked the Chihuahua from out of harm’s way.

Upon catching a bit of the commotion in her mirror, the woman gets out of her car and is relieved to find that both of her dogs are safe and sound – and it was all thanks to the quick actions of her guardian canine.

(WATCH the video below) – Photo by Jukin Media

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Over 50 Years of Research Say That Smiling Really Can Make People Happier

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This new study says that smiling really can make people feel happier – even if they’re feeling stressed.

The paper, which was co-authored by Heather Lench at Texas A&M University and researchers at the University of Tennessee, looked at nearly 50 years of data testing whether posing facial expressions can lead people to feel the emotions related to those expressions.

“These findings address a critical question about the links between our internal experience and our bodies – whether changing our facial expression can alter the emotions we feel and our emotional response to the world,” Lench said.

RELATED: Why Smiling Is Good for You – and Five Photos That Guarantee Grins on World Happiness Day

“Conventional wisdom tells us that we can feel a little happier if we simply smile. Or that we can get ourselves in a more serious mood if we scowl. But psychologists have actually disagreed about this idea for over 100 years” said Nicholas Coles, the lead author of the paper.

These disagreements became more pronounced in 2016 when 17 teams of researchers failed to replicate a well-known experiment demonstrating that the physical act of smiling can make people feel happier.

This new paper for Psychological Bulletin, however, describes how the team used a statistical technique called meta-analysis to combine data from 138 studies testing over 11,000 participants from all around the world. According to the meta-analysis, posing facial expressions has a small impact on our feelings.

MORE: Scientist Surprised to Find How Important it is to Have Visual Diet Rich in Kindness Over Cuteness

For example, smiling makes people feel happier, scowling makes them feel angrier, and frowning makes them feel more sad.

“We don’t think that people can ‘smile their way to happiness’. But these findings are exciting because they provide a clue about how the mind and the body interact to shape our conscious experience of emotion” said Coles. “We still have a lot to learn about these facial feedback effects, but this meta-analysis put us a little closer to understanding how emotions work.”

(Reprinted from Texas A&M University)

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Surfing is Now One of the First Sports Requiring Equal Pay for Women – Lawmakers Are Following Suit

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McKinley Corbley
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Surfing became the “first and only US-based global sports league” to require equal pay for its female and male athletes – and state legislators are being inspired to follow in its wake.

Back in September, the World Surf League announced that it would be awarding the same amount of cash prize money to its male and female competitors.

“This is a huge step forward in our long-planned strategy to elevate women’s surfing and we are thrilled to make this commitment as we reveal our new 2019 schedule,” WSL CEO Sophie Goldschmidt said in the 2018 statement.

“This is the latest in a series of actions the League has undertaken to showcase our female athletes, from competing on the same quality waves as the men, to better locations, and increased investment and support.”

RELATED: Watch the Badass Footage of Africa’s First All-Female Anti-Poaching Team in Action

17-year-old Caroline Marks became the first woman to win the same $100,000 prize as her male counterparts earlier this week when she won the first competition of the 2019 World Surf League’s Championship Tour.

Prior to the equal pay requirements being approved in September, female surfers were competing for about half of the prize money that was awarded to the male surfers. This week’s tournament final was the first time that both male and female first place winners were awarded $100,000.

Inspired by the initiative, California lawmakers introduced a bill last month which would require all sports competitions being hosted on state property to award equal purses to their male and female athletes.

MORE: For the First Time Ever, a Woman is Awarded the Most Prestigious Mathematics Award in the World

According to Mercury News, surfing, beach volleyball, triathlons, and marathons already award equal amounts of cash prize money to their male and female competitors – but if the latest bill is approved, it could also spur other US states to take positive action on behalf of their female athletes.

“This change is simply the right thing to do for the WSL and we would like to thank the many advocates who have worked for decades to help advance women’s surfing,” said Goldschmidt. “We want to be at the forefront of pushing for equality in all walks of life, starting on the waves, and we feel very lucky to have women on our tour who are highly talented, iconic role models, and more than deserve this recognition as they stand alongside our extraordinary male athletes.”

Be Sure And Share This Far Out Story With Your Friends On Social Media – Photo by Kelly Cestari / World Surf League

After 4 Years Being Married to Herself, Read This Woman’s Inspiring Reflections on Committing to Self-Love

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SWNS
SWNS

It has been four years since Sophie Tanner got married to herself.

For the ceremony, the 40-year-old woman wore a vintage gown with a bouquet of sunflowers as she stood before her friends and family and promised to love, honor and obey herself.

Now as she celebrates her fourth wedding anniversary, Tanner is celebrating the commitment she made to herself by writing a book about living and loving herself.

Tanner, who is a self-love advocate from Brighton, said: “Obviously it was tongue-in-cheek, but when I said my vows promising to love myself, it really was quite powerful and everybody said they had goosebumps.

RELATED: This Inspiring Couple Made It Their New Year’s Resolution to Go On 52 Dates – and They Are About to Succeed

“My friends and family were all on board and it wasn’t a massive surprise.”

Tanner says that she was inspired to tie the knot with herself after a string of failed relationships made her realize that she did not need another person to feel happy.

“When I turned 30 … I had been through quite a bad break up,” Tanner recalled. “I had been cheated on for the third time and it really knocked me more than other break ups.

SWNS

“I am usually a very happy and confident person but I could not help blaming myself thinking I was not enough.

“I spent a few months which were the worst I ever had spiraling down with my mental health. Then I woke up in bed one morning and had a massive sense of relief where I could feel my optimism returning.

MORE: Customers Keep Buying Up All of Donut Shop’s Pastries So He Can Go Home Early to Be With Ailing Wife

“I realized I am not the loser in this … I actually love my life and I love myself and I felt very grateful.

“Romantic love is so talked about, but nobody really talks about that love of yourself,” she added. “When you are single, there is this unspoken sympathy and idea of ‘don’t worry, someone is just around the corner.’

“But I was happy by myself and I had this idea of this self-marriage.”

SWNS

When Tanner wrote to Brighton and Hove council, however, they refused to make her marriage legally binding because it was not a union of two people, to the exclusion of anybody else.

On top of that, her agent turned down her idea for a new book in which a woman got married to herself because she did not think there was a market for the concept.

“She said it does not fit the rom-com element and I laughed and said that is kind of the point,” says Tanner.

Despite several set backs, Sophie arranged her own illegal ceremony in May 2015 to celebrate her sologamy.

CHECK OUT: When Widow Carries On Husband’s Kind Tradition of Filling a Cooler, People Pay It Forward

Four years on, she is set to launch her new self-love novel titled “Reader, I Married Me” on May 18th, which marks her fourth wedding anniversary to herself when she will also be renewing her vows.

“Four years ago, I was taking my vows to embrace my dreams and one of my biggest dreams to write a book has now come true. So this will be a chance for my friends and family to join me and celebrate.

“It was amazing to write the book. After the ceremony, it all went a bit bonkers and everyone was quite intrigued the more people started to talk about it,” Tanner added. “It has been such a long and convoluted journey and getting it all down on paper and having my chance to explain what I have done is great.”

LOOK: Adorable Little Boy Can’t Contain Emotions When Mom Walks Down the Aisle

While Sophie has dated other people since marrying herself in 2015, she says that she is still happy being single and will only enter into a relationship with somebody who completes her life.

“I am a romantic and I am open to finding love but I am also really happy as I am,” says Tanner. “I love romance films as much as anyone but self-love should be as important so we are not putting all our eggs into one basket of finding the one.

“Because I have made these vows to myself, I would only really go with someone who really completed my life. If a guy gets scared of it, then they don’t get me so it is quite a good filter. If they get it, they get me and that’s wicked.”

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Most Precious Parts of Notre Dame Cathedral Were Saved; French Billionaires Are Paying to Restore the Rest

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McKinley Corbley
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Notre Dame - CC, David-Merrett.

After firefighters spent almost nine hours battling the flames inside of the beloved Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris, officials say that the majority of the building’s most hallowed structures and artifacts have been preserved.

According to a statement from the Parisian fire brigade, “the structure of the cathedral is saved and the main works of art have been safeguarded, thanks to the combined action of the different services of the State committed to our side.”

The blaze was extinguished yesterday evening thanks to the work of 400 firefighters and police officers, only three of whom were injured by the incident. Investigators have stated that the fire was likely caused by accident, rather than criminal motivation or arson.

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

The fire burned down the spire and roof of the cathedral, but historians breathed a sigh of relief upon discovering that all three of the building’s iconic Rose Windows, which date back to the 13th century, had survived the inferno.

The cathedral’s towers, golden altar and crucifix made it through the fire as well. Though there are still some relics that remain unaccounted for, the Pompiers Paris fire brigade say that the bulk of the artifacts inside of the building have been saved.

“I want to say thank you to Pompiers Paris, they saved the towers. I could not imagine Paris without the Notre Dame towers,” city Mayor Anne Hidalgo wrote on Twitter. “As early as last night, we immediately made Saint Jean Hall available at the Hôtel de Ville so that the works could be protected, such as the crown of thorns and the Saint-Louis tunic.”

 

Furthermore, several French billionaires and organizations have already pledged over $700 million to restore the cathedral to its former glory.

Francois-Henri Pinault, the chairman of Gucci’s parent company Kering, stated that he and his father would be donating $113 million for the cathedral’s restoration.

MORE: A Man Got the Nobel Prize for Her Discovery. Now, 44 Years Later, She’s Awarded Breakthrough Physics Prize and $3Mil

The family behind the luxury goods company LVMH has also pledged $226 million towards rebuilding the structure.

“The … LVMH Group, in solidarity with this national tragedy, are committed to assist with the reconstruction of this extraordinary cathedral, symbol of France, its heritage and its unity,” said the family in a statement.

The Bettencourt Meyers family of L’Oreal cosmetics has also issued a statement announcing their own $226 million donation as well.

In addition to several other multi-million dollar donations, Forbes says that Paris officials will also be drawing on the city’s $90 million fund used for restoring the city’s churches.

Mayor Hidalgo tweeted: “I will propose that we organize in the coming weeks a major international conference of donors, which I am ready to welcome to the City Hall, with patrons from around the world, to raise the funds necessary for the restoration.

“The Paris Fund I created in 2015 will also be mobilized and the City will contribute to this renovation,” she added.

Vive La France! Be Sure And Share The Good News With Your Friends On Social Media – Feature photo by David Merrett, CC

“As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him…We need not wait to see what others do.” –Mahatma Gandhi

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Quote of the Day: “As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him… We need not wait to see what others do.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Photo: by stefanos papachristou, 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?

Despite Being Bullied by the Boys, Woman Nailed Her Drum Solo in a Velvet Gown (MOTH Monday)

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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.

Susanne Schmidt came from a long line of fierce Italian feminists; her own grandmother had to be repeatedly bailed out of jail for protesting on behalf of the suffragettes.

So when Schmidt eventually decided to become a drummer in the high school band, she was determined to ignore the bullying from her male peers and become the best percussionist in the school.

Her perseverance finally came to a tee when she defiantly faced down her naysayers and wore a long green velvet dress on stage for her drum solo.

Listen to her story of rock and roll resolve 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.

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Inexpensive ‘First-of-its-Kind’ Device Can Generate Electricity From Snowfall

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Researchers have developed a first-of-its-kind device that can generate electricity from falling snow.

The inexpensive device, which was developed by UCLA scientists, is small, thin, and flexible like a sheet of plastic.

“The device can work in remote areas because it provides its own power and does not need batteries,” said senior author Richard Kaner. “It’s a very clever device – a weather station that can tell you how much snow is falling, the direction the snow is falling, and the direction and speed of the wind.”

The researchers call it a snow-based triboelectric nanogenerator, or snow TENG. A triboelectric nanogenerator, which generates charge through static electricity, produces energy from the exchange of electrons.

Findings about the device are published in the journal Nano Energy.

MORE: One of the Largest Native American Tribes Has Just Voted to End Their 100-Year Dependency on Coal

“Static electricity occurs from the interaction of one material that captures electrons and another that gives up electrons,” said Kaner, who is also a distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and of materials science and engineering at UCLA. “You separate the charges and create electricity out of essentially nothing.”

Snow is positively charged and gives up electrons. Silicone – a synthetic rubber-like material that is composed of silicon atoms and oxygen atoms, combined with carbon, hydrogen and other elements – is negatively charged. When falling snow contacts the surface of silicone, that produces a charge that the device captures, creating electricity.

“Snow is already charged; so we thought, why not bring another material with the opposite charge and extract the charge to create electricity?” said co-author Maher El-Kady, a UCLA postdoctoral researcher of chemistry and biochemistry.

MORE: Student Treks to Yellowstone and Finds Bacteria That Eats Pollution and ‘Breathes’ Electricity

“While snow likes to give up electrons, the performance of the device depends on the efficiency of the other material at extracting these electrons,” he added. “After testing a large number of materials including aluminum foils and Teflon, we found that silicone produces more charge than any other material.”

About 30% of the Earth’s surface is covered by snow each winter, during which time solar panels often fail to operate, El-Kady noted. The accumulation of snow reduces the amount of sunlight that reaches the solar array, limiting the panels’ power output and rendering them less effective. The new device could be integrated into solar panels to provide a continuous power supply when it snows, he said.

Photo by Abdelsalam Ahmed / UCLA

The device can be used for monitoring winter sports, such as skiing, to more precisely assess and improve an athlete’s performance when running, walking or jumping, Kaner said. It also has the potential for identifying the main movement patterns used in cross-country skiing, which cannot be detected with a smart watch.

It could usher in a new generation of self-powered wearable devices for tracking athletes and their performances.

LOOK: Generator That Creates Electricity From Gravity Could Revolutionize Renewable Energy

It can also send signals, indicating whether a person is moving. It can tell when a person is walking, running, jumping or marching.

The research team used 3D-printing to design the device, which has a layer of silicone and an electrode to capture the charge. The team believes the device could be produced at low cost given “the ease of fabrication and the availability of silicone,” Kaner said. Silicone is widely used in industry, in products such as lubricants, electrical wire insulation and biomedical implants, and it now has the potential for energy harvesting.

Reprinted from the UCLA Newsroom

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After Decades of Curiosity, Adopted Woman Plans Road Trip to Meet Her Newly-Discovered 22 Siblings

By
McKinley Corbley
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Amy and Lisa Battle
Lisa and Amy Battle

It’s never too late to find out more about your family – and this 48-year-old adopted woman from Georgia is certainly glad that she decided to investigate her biological family after decades of mystery.

Amy Battle was adopted in a happy and loving home when she was just 5 months old. Though she had been happy growing up with her adoptive parents, she always wondered about her biological family.

Her heritage remained a mystery until Battle’s oldest daughter finally convinced her to take a 23andMe Ancestry kit – and she was stunned by the results.

The service connected Battle with a man named Stevie who was identified as her brother. Upon chatting with her long-lost sibling, she was told that she had 22 siblings in total – 11 on her mother’s side and 11 on her father’s side.

RELATED: Woman Scours the Web For Years to Find Sister She Never Met – Until Her New Neighbor Moves In

“I knew I was adopted, but not much else,” Battle told Good News Network. “After taking the test, I received the surprise of my life.”

“Connecting with and talking to Stevie – my youngest brother – for the first time was wonderful,” she added. “Then, when I found out I have 11 siblings on my mother’s side I was shocked. I went from crying, to shocked, to very excited.”

The siblings on her mother’s side range in age from 46 to 65, although she has not yet confirmed the ages of the siblings on her father’s side.

In total, Battle has made contact with 20 of her brother and sisters, and she says that they are still trying to track down the last sibling. She now plans on taking a cross-country road trip with her children this summer in order to finally meet their long-lost family.

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LeBron James Opened School for District’s Most Hopeless Students – Their Latest Test Scores Are Astonishing

By
McKinley Corbley
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All of the students at this experimental Ohio school had been declared “irredeemable” because of their behavioral issues or social circumstances – but their latest test scores showed that they just needed a little bit of love.

The I Promise School, which opened in Akron in July 2018, currently serves 240 students, all of whom are in the 3rd or 4th grade. Though the disadvantaged students had previously experienced some of the lowest grades and test scores in the district, they are now breaking records.

In just six months of classes, 90% of their pupils have outpaced their fellow district students with their math and reading goals – and according to The New York Times, the “students’ test scores increased at a higher rate than 99 out of 100 schools nationally.”

WATCH: School District Turns Unused Cafeteria Food into Take-Home Meals for Kids in Need

“For the average student, your percentile doesn’t move that much unless something extraordinary is happening,” Akron public school coordinator Keith Liechty told The Times.

The public school was launched by basketball legend LeBron James as a means of showing that the state’s educational system could be changed to accommodate even the most troubled students.

“These were the children where you went and talked with their old teachers, and they said, ‘This will never work,’” I Promise executive school director Dr. Michele Campbell told the news outlet. “We said give them to us.”

MORE: Rather Than Hiding Treasures in a Trophy Room, NBA Legend is ‘Selling It All’ for Underprivileged Kids

Though I Promise receives the bulk of its funding from the state, it also receives an extra $600,000 in funding from the LeBron James Foundation. With the help of this additional funding, the school is also equipped with a free food pantry that is open to the students and their families; a GED-testing program to help educate parents alongside their kids; and a counseling center which provides trauma, health, and legal resources for the families.

With the recent announcement of the school’s stunning test results, critics are excited to see how I Promise will serve its students in the future.

(WATCH the video below)

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Mailman Fulfills the Final Wish of a German Shepherd On His Route That Passed Away

By
McKinley Corbley
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This elderly dog may be gone, but her owners are honoring her in the most heartwarming way.

Gretchen the German shepherd always used to look forward to seeing her mailman Fernando Barboza arrive at her door – so when she passed away earlier this month, her owners presented the postal worked with a note and a bag of dog treats.

The note read: “Gretchen passed away yesterday. She asked me to ask you if you would share her treats that she never got to finish with the other dogs on your route. She always enjoyed seeing you come to the door and was always happy to get a snack from you. Thank you, the Cimino Family.”

Barboza was so touched by the note, he sent a picture of it to his 22-year-old daughter, which she immediately published to Twitter.

 

Since Barboza’s daughter published the photo at the start of April, it has been shared hundreds of thousands of times.

A self-admitted animal lover, Barboza told The Dodo that he has always carried around a bag of dog treats in his mail truck so he can use them to make friends with the pups on his route.

RELATED: Stray Pup in Nepal Follows Mountain Climbers to The Top in Amazing Feat – Maybe The World Record for a Dog

He then goes on to say that these treats were part of the reason that he became the first person outside of the Cimino family who Gretchen liked.

So as a means of honoring his furry friend, Barboza has been sure to dole out the treats in her honor.

 

Though Gretchen’s owners say that they had been heartbroken over their dog’s passing, the sudden outpouring of love and support from social media users has helped to ease their sorrows.

“I know that she would have wanted her favorite things that she couldn’t finish to go to her friends,” Cimino told The Dodo. “She may not have liked many people, but she absolutely loved other dogs.”

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“Umbrella is comfort, rain is life! You must often leave comfort to touch the life!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Umbrella is comfort, rain is life! You must often leave comfort to touch the life!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan

Photo: by Juan Carlos Cameselle, 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?

 

Watch 800 Elementary School Students Stage Big Surprise for Their Janitor on His 80th Birthday

By
McKinley Corbley
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80-year-old Haze Mabry went to work last month anticipating a busy day of cleaning up trash and bagging garbage. Instead, he was greeted by 800 of his biggest fans.

Mabry has worked as a janitor at Pike County Elementary School in Zebulon, Georgia for the last 13 years, a school from which all three of his kids have graduated—but he feels that every single one of the students are “like children of his own”, according to an interview with The Washington Post.

His special attention to the students is why he is considered “the most loved person” in the whole building – which is why the studenta put together a special surprise for him in recognition of his 80th birthday last month.

When Mabry entered the building last month, he was greeted by youngsters filling the hallways chanting his name

LOOK: ‘Turn your mess up into a dress up’ – Teacher Goes Viral for Proudly Turning Student Doodles into a Dress

They began handing him cards; singing happy birthday; and holding up banners for his special day. Mabry received so many birthday cards, he had to have a few students follow behind him so they could collect all of the letters and greeting cards into buckets.

He was overwhelmed, but hugged every youngster who reached out to him—and apparently has taken extra time to read each greeting card and offer his sincerest thanks to the students.

RELATED: When Family Can’t Afford Motorized Wheelchair for 2-Year-Old, High School Students Modify Toy Car Instead

Since the school recently posted several photos to go along with the video footage of the janitorial surprise, they’ve been shared hundreds of times across social media.

“It may be his birthday, but we are the ones who receive a gift—the gift of having him in our school, lives, and hearts,” the school wrote on Facebook. “This is the good stuff! Mr. Haze, you sir are loved, admired, and adored here at PCES.”

(WATCH the heartwarming video below)

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He Was Called Foolish for His Research; Now Documentary Tells How He Won Nobel Prize for ‘Cancer Cure’

By
McKinley Corbley
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Jim Allison has been the quiet hero behind some of the most ground-breaking medical research of the last quarter century—but before he won the Nobel prize for his work, he was laboring tirelessly to proves his theories against a skeptical scientific community.

Back in the 90s, Allison was called “foolish” for claiming that the immune system could fight off cancer. Despite being shot down time and time again by medical researchers and pharmaceutical companies, Allison developed the basis for immuno-oncology drugs – also known as “lpi.”

Allison first became inspired to research cancer treatments as a result of his mother passing away after a long and debilitating battle with lymphoma when he was just 11 years old. After his mother’s passing, Allison would go on to lose a brother and two uncles to cancer; and he himself would end up beating cancer three different times.

MORE: New ‘Trojan Horse’ Cancer Drug Successfully Treats Patients With 6 Different Kinds of Lethal Tumors

Yet, Allison spent years pushing his research until it finally came to fruition and became the framework for several cancer treatments that made tumors disappear.

Since their development, lpi cancer treatments have successfully treated over one million people diagnosed worldwide, including the former president Jimmy Carter.

“I didn’t launch this work to try to cure cancer, but once I saw the implications for patients worldwide, I was fiercely determined to build drugs for cancer patients!” said Allison, who is a professor and chair of immunology and executive director of immunotherapy platform at the MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas.

LOOK: Surgeons Successfully Implant World’s First 3D-Printed Rib – and They Plan On Doing Even More in the Future

As a means of thanking him for his determined efforts, Allison was co-awarded the 2018 Nobel prize for physiology or medicine. More recently, film director Bill Haney released a documentary about Allison last month called Breakthrough – and it has been hailed as a masterpiece since its release.

“I was interested in doing a documentary that united Americans,” said director Bill Haney. “One of the blessings of Jim’s work is there are no Americans—rich, poor, North, South, red, blue—who are pro-cancer. By watching the amazing work of Jim and his team of inspiring collaborators, we can see how to work together for the common good. The scientific revolution that Jim has sparked in immuno-oncology is changing the lives of millions of patients and their families, worldwide.”

(WATCH the Breakthrough documentary trailer below)

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