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Scientists Use New ‘Holy Grail’ Gene Therapy to Heal Damage Caused By Heart Attacks and it Could Save Millions

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Good News Network
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In a world first, researchers from King’s College London believe they may have found a new therapy that can induce heart cells to regenerate after a heart attack.

Myocardial infarction, more commonly known as a heart attack, caused by the sudden blocking of one of the cardiac coronary arteries, is the main cause of heart failure: a condition that now affects over 23 million population in the world, according to the World Health Organization.

At present, when a patient survives a heart attack, they are left with permanent structural damage to their heart through the formation of a scar, which can lead to heart failure in the future. Fish and salamander, on the other hand, can regenerate the heart throughout life.

In a new study that was published last week in Nature, however, the team of investigators delivered a small piece of genetic material, called microRNA-199, to the heart of pigs, after a myocardial infarction – and the treatment resulted in the almost complete recovery of cardiac function one month later.

RELATED: Broccoli Isn’t Just Good For You – Scientists Find It Holds Molecule That Could Be the ‘Achilles’s Heel’ of Cancer

Lead author Professor Mauro Giacca, from King’s College London said: “It is a very exciting moment for the field. After so many unsuccessful attempts at regenerating the heart using stem cells, which all have failed so far, for the first time we see real cardiac repair in a large animal.”

This is the first demonstration that cardiac regeneration can be achieved by administering an effective genetic drug that stimulates cardiac regeneration in a large animal, with heart anatomy and physiology like that of humans.

Professor Giacca and his team joined the School of Cardiovascular Medicine and Sciences BHF Centre of Excellence of King’s College London earlier this year to continue translation of these studies in patients.

MORE: Another Study Shows How Flickering Lights Can Slow (And Maybe Even Reverse) Alzheimer’s Symptoms

Professor Ajay Shah, who is the Head of the School of Cardiovascular Medicine and Sciences at King’s, said: “A treatment that helps the heart repair itself after a heart attack is the holy grail for cardiologists.

“Professor Giacca’s study convincingly demonstrates for the first time that this might actually be feasible and not just a pipe-dream,” Shad added. “It’s a very exciting advance in the field. While we are not yet at a stage where a treatment could be offered to patients, I’m confident that our excellent team in the King’s BHF Centre of Excellence is very well placed to drive forward the research to make such a treatment a reality.”

Reprinted from King’s College London

Good News Is Good For The Heart: Share It With Your Friends On Social Media – Photo by King’s College London

Thousands of People Have Been Encouraged By Mom’s Yard Signs – and Their Feedback Has Been Amazing

By
McKinley Corbley
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Thousands of encouraging roadside signs have been popping up around the world – and it’s all thanks to one woman who felt helpless in the face of mental illness.

Amy Wolff was first inspired to start erecting the inspirational signs after she had a heartbreaking discussion with an acquaintance in May 2017

“We were hanging out with friends when one of them mentioned the suicide rates in our community and I about fell out of my chair,” says Wolff. “I felt completely hopeless and ill-equipped to be part of a solution. After all, I wasn’t a therapist. I didn’t know of anyone suffering with thoughts of self-harm. What on earth could I do?”

Despite her initial feelings of helplessness, Wolff got the idea to start putting up motivational signs in people’s yards. For the following two weeks, she and her kids started knocking on people’s doors across their town of Newburg, Oregon and asking if they could put up signs featuring messages like “Don’t Give Up” and “Your Mistakes Don’t Define You”.

RELATED: If You Worry About Having ADHD, Don’t Despair – Scientists Now Believe Leonardo da Vinci Had It Too

Wolff then started receiving messages from other people in the community wanting to buy the signs – and within a few days, Wolff had sold over 150 of the yard signs.

The very same night, Wolff’s husband designed her a website to sell the signs at-cost.

“The movement really picked up traction when family friends road tripped that summer from Portland to Rochester, leaving a trail of our [messages] in every public bathroom, restaurant, and rest station across this great country,” says Wolff.

MORE: ‘Guardian’ Officer Has Saved Over 200 People From Jumping Off the Golden Gate Bridge

“Within a year, we had news outlets in Dallas, Boston, Massachusetts, Cincinnati, and Portland cover our movement,” she added. “I guess generous love with no strings attached was newsworthy. I guess yard signs were genius.”

By the fall of 2018, Wolff realized that her initiative was not going to slow down any time soon – so she then launched the Don’t Give Up nonprofit for her signs.

Since she planted her first sign two years ago, she has shipped the nonprofit’s messages of encouragement to all 50 US states and 26 countries in 6 languages.

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

With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, the testimonies that Wolff has received from sign owners are particularly significant.

One sign owner told the nonprofit: “I just had a woman knock on my door. She began to cry and thank me for the signs in my yard. She lives up the road and said her son had attempted suicide and these signs were in the yard the day they came home from the hospital. She drives by every day and for her, her son, and her daughter – the reminder is profound.”

CHECK OUT: Global Suicide Rate Has Declined By 29%, With Millions of Tragedies Avoided Since 2000

Another testimonial reads: “So someone just knocked on my door almost in tears. He told me about his daughter and her struggles with drugs and asked if he could buy my sign. Of course I said no he could have it. I prayed for both of them and he left. I will be ordering more signs…”

A more recent endorsement says: “Today a middle school boy knocked on my window while I was in the drop-off lane at school. He pointed to my ‘You Matter’ decal and said ‘Seeing your decal made me feel special and good about myself. Thanks.’”

Wolff now hopes that the movement will continue gaining traction so that young people – and adults – will be reminded that there is indeed a light at the end of the tunnel and they are deserving of happiness.

Be Sure And Share The Inspiring Story With Your Friends For Mental Health Awareness Month – Photo by Don’t Give Up

New Research Says That Being a ‘Dog Person’ and Enjoying Puppy Perks is in Our Genetic Makeup

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Good News Network
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There may be more to being a “dog person” than just having a preference – this new research suggests that it’s in our genetic makeup.

A team of Swedish and British scientists have studied the heritability of dog ownership using information from 35,035 twin pairs from the Swedish Twin Registry.

The results indicate that an individual’s genetic make-up has a great influence on whether they choose to acquire a dog. Genes appear to account for more than half of the difference in dog ownership.

Dogs were the first domesticated animal and have had a close relationship with humans for at least 15,000 years. One study that was conducted in 2018 says that dogs are surprisingly empathetic and they will do anything to help when you’re distressed, while this other piece of research says that dogs are so delighted by the sight of human smiles, they will ignore danger just to bask in their owner’s joy.

RELATED: Goats Want to See You Smile, Says Adorable New Study

Today, dogs are common pets in our society and are considered to increase the well-being and health of their owners. Just to name a few of the benefits, this recent survey of American pet owners shows that people have made more than a few friendships and meaningful connections through their pup. This 2015 study also suggests that living with a dog may boost your immune system.

In order to investigate the dog-human relationship, a team from Uppsala University compared the genetic makeup of twins (using the Swedish Twin Registry – the largest of its kind in the world) with dog ownership. The goal was to determine whether dog ownership has a heritable component.

The results are published for the first time in Scientific Reports.

MORE: Homeless Man’s Life Completely Changes After He Pays Back Animal Shelter That Kindly Cared for His Dog

“We were surprised to see that a person’s genetic makeup appears to be a significant influence in whether they own a dog,” said Professor Tove Fall, lead author of the study. “As such, these findings have major implications in several different fields related to understanding dog-human interaction throughout history and in modern times.

“Although dogs and other pets are common household members across the globe, little is known how they impact our daily life and health. Perhaps some people have a higher innate propensity to care for a pet than others.”

Carri Westgarth, who is a lecturer in human-animal interaction at the University of Liverpool and co-author of the study, adds: “These findings are important as they suggest that supposed health benefits of owning a dog reported in some studies may be partly explained by different genetics of the people studied.”

LOOK: Matches Made in Heaven (and Jail): Look at the Troubled Dogs Saved From Euthanasia by Doting Inmates

Studying twins is a well-known method for disentangling the influences of environment and genes on our biology and behavior. Because identical twins share their entire genome, and non-identical twins on average share only half of the genetic variation, comparisons of the within-pair concordance of dog ownership between groups can reveal whether genetics play a role in owning a dog.

The researchers found concordance rates of dog ownership to be much larger in identical twins than in non-identical ones – supporting the view that genetics indeed plays a major role in the choice of owning a dog.

“These kind of twin studies cannot tell us exactly which genes are involved, but at least demonstrate for the first time that genetics and environment play about equal roles in determining dog ownership,” says Patrik Magnusson, senior author of the study and Head of the Swedish Twin Registry.

CHECK OUT: Dog Saves Its Owner’s Life When It Sniffs Out Cancer, Not Once, But Three Times

“The next obvious step is to try to identify which genetic variants affect this choice and how they relate to personality traits and other factors such as allergy.”

Zooarchaeologist and co-author of the study Keith Dobney added that: “The study has major implications for understanding the deep and enigmatic history of dog domestication.”

“Decades of archaeological research have helped us construct a better picture of where and when dogs entered into the human world, but modern and ancient genetic data are now allowing us to directly explore why and how.”

Reprinted from Uppsala University

Be Sure And Share This Pawesome Article With Your Friends On Social Media – Photo by Mikael Wallerstedt / Uppsala University

Teen Girls Have Raised Over $1.5 Million for Clean Water Simply By Embracing Their Love of Origami

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McKinley Corbley
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Two teenage girls are responsible for providing clean water to thousands of people simply by pursuing their love of origami.

Isabelle and Katherine Adams are the masterminds behind Paper for Water: a nonprofit dedicated to funding clean water projects around the world by making and selling their paper creations.

The 15- and 12-year-old girls were first inspired to begin their labor of love in 2012 after they learned about how many young women in developing countries are unable to get an education because they are forced to collect clean water every day.

Though origami ornaments may seem like a small way to fight such a worldwide problem, the teen sisters have managed to raise over $1.5 million in water project funding since they launched their nonprofit seven years ago.

WATCH: Origami Girls Get Water, Tears Flowing for Navajo Family Who Never Had Faucet

Collectively, the money has helped to fund 170 water projects in 17 countries.

As a means of preparing enough origami ornaments to raise money for the initiative, the siblings regularly host origami workshops and paper-folding events around Dallas, Texas.

Additionally, Isabelle and Katherine were recently featured in a NexxGen video that was shown in 300,000 high school junior and senior classrooms earlier this week – which is the equivalent of “6 million to 9 million children being inspired to go out and create positive change,” says the nonprofit.

LOOK: How One Girl Fed Thousands Thanks to an Unusually Large Cabbage

The youngsters are also now working to hit 20,000 YouTube subscribers to they can use the platform’s monetization to raise even more money for water projects.

If you would like to make a donation to the charity or purchase one of the Adams’s origami creations, you can visit the Paper for Water website.

(WATCH the video below) – Photo by Paper for Water

Clean Up Negativity By Sharing The Inspiring Story With Your Friends On Social Media…

Elderly Man Gazing Fondly at His Date in McDonald’s Inspires Thousands of Romantics Online

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McKinley Corbley
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A simple moment of intimacy between an elderly man and his fast food date has melted the hearts of thousands of people across social media.

The heartwarming photo was captured by Al Oliver Reyes Alonzo as he was dining at a McDonald’s in the Philippines last week.

While he was eating his meal, Alonzo spotted an older man who was looking at his female companion with the sweetest expression of love and affection.

As the man leaned his head on his folded arms so he could gaze fondly at his date across the table, Alonzo snapped a photo of the exchange and posted it to Facebook.

LOOK: Husband Plants Field of Flowers for Blind Wife to Smell, So Spectacular it Gets Visitors

The translated caption of the photo simply reads: “Even when we are old, I’d still look at you like this.”

Since publishing the photo to social media, it has been shared thousands of times. Some internet users have used it to pledge their own declarations of love towards their romantic partners; others have expressed their longing to one day experience the same look of love from another person.

Regardless, the picture is the sweetest example of how there can still be plenty of golden moments in your golden years.

Be Sure And Share This Sweet Moment Of Love With Your Friends On Social Media…

“Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others.” – Danny Thomas

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others.” – Danny Thomas

Photo: by TheDoGoodDames, 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?

Listen to How He Overcame His Fear of Germs After His Brother’s Daring Gesture in NYC (MOTH Monday)

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Good News Network
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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.

Kevin McAuliffe was terrified of germs – so imagine how anxious he became when his parents told him they were sending him to New York City to spend the weekend with his older brother.

Despite his trepidation over visiting the “place where germs are born”, McAuliffe didn’t want to disappoint his parents; so he packed his bags and boarded the train.

After he arrived at his brother’s apartment, however, he was given an unexpected lesson in bravery when his brother made him face the muck and mire of the city.

Listen to his inspiring 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.

Share The Courage With Your Friends On Social Media – Photo by Jason Falchook / The Moth

Forget About Lettuce – Here’s Why You Should Make Your Next Salad Out of Parsley

By
Andy Corbley
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Reprinted with permission from World At Large, a news website reporting on nature, science, health, and travel.

Americans have a funny way of relegating certain foods to specific functions that don’t always serve the overall purpose of health or flavor.

A perfect example of this is lettuce. In 2015, lettuce production in the U.S. totaled 8,087 million pounds, while the average consumption was around 25 pounds per person per year.

When compared to other greens, such as spinach, arugula, and kale, mainstream lettuce is mostly inferior in terms of taste and nutrient profile – but what about parsley?

You would have to eat between 7 to 12 cups of lettuce a day to get the same amount of nutrients you would find in one cup of parsley; and you’d still be missing out on all of its pharmacological benefits. A salad consisting of parsley would be rich in vitamin A, C, K, a B vitamin called folate, iron, tons of antioxidants, and a host of other beneficial phytonutrients.

RELATED: What You Never Learned About Fiber and Why It May Be Exactly What You Need for Stubborn Ailments

A 2013 research paper published in the Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine concluded that its meta-analysis should “improve the tendencies to (view) parsley as a useful and important medicinal plant with wide range of proven medicinal activity”.

This conclusion came after the researchers searched medical databases for studies that focused on parsley’s ethno-medicinal use, phytochemical compounds, and biological and pharmacological activities in order to determine if it possessed enough potency to act as a medicinal plant.

Containing more beneficial nutrients than a vegan-cooking expo, parsley can act as a simple antioxidant, anti-diabetic, cytoprotector, gastroprotector, diuretic, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal compound. It can even act as a tool to help menstrual dysfunction.

MORE: Broccoli Isn’t Just Good For You; Scientists Find It Holds Molecule That Could Be the ‘Achilles’s Heel’ of Cancer

Even more persuasive, broad-leaf parsley is cheap. Large organic bunches were available in the DC-area this week for $1.49. It is available year-round, and unlike the stems of kale and collards, these are easily chewed and taste good raw in sandwiches or salads, and cooked in eggs or soups, etc.

It’s a mystery why parsley (or oregano or mint or basil) has been pushed to the back of the American cupboard, pulverized and dried, left tasteless to be sprinkled on fish.

Parsley deserves better.

Share The Boost Of Healthy Good News With Your Friends On Social Media – File photo by Wolfgang Lonien, CC

Watch the Moment a Sloth Thanks Its Rescuers for Saving It From Oncoming Traffic

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Good News Network
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Maybe you’ve heard about why the chicken crossed the road, but what about the sloth?

This intrepid tree-climber was slowly—very slowly—making its way across a busy Brazilian road during rush hour in Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro when a good Samaritan stepped in to help.

A self-professed animal lover, 50-year-old José Aldenizio knew that he had to save the critter from oncoming traffic – so he approached the sloth, picked it up under the arms, carried it to the other side of the street.

Rather than leaving the animal in the grass, Aldenizio held the sloth up to a nearby tree trunk.

After the sloth had safely taken hold of the tree limb, Aldenizio waved goodbye to his new friend – and to his surprise, the sloth returned the friendly gesture.

(WATCH the cute video below)

Share This Sweet Story With Your Friends On Social Media…

Man Taught Himself to Play the Trumpet Solely So He Could Play Taps for Fallen Soldiers

By
McKinley Corbley
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It’s never too late to pay your respects to the fallen – and for Gary ­Marquardt, that meant learning to play the trumpet at 66 years old.

Marquardt was just a youngster when he enlisted in the military and waited to be drafted for the Vietnam War. Due to a bleeding ulcer, however, he was deemed unfit to serve.

Years later, he finally found a means of atoning for his guilt over not being able to fight alongside his fellow soldiers.

In 2014, Marquardt had been attending the funeral of a military friend when he was stunned to hear a mechanical recording of a bugle playing taps. He couldn’t help but be bothered by the lack of live music to honor a fallen soldier – so he walked into a music store and started learning to play the trumpet.

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

Much to the dismay of his wife and neighbors, Marquardt practiced day and night.

“It was awful,” Marquardt’s wife told KARE11 with a laugh. “Seemed like every 15 minutes, it was all the time. We were all hoping he would get better. And then he did.”

Sure enough, Marquardt managed to become a bona fide trumpeter. He then started using his newfound skill to visit local cemeteries and play taps at the gravestones of recently deceased veterans and soldiers.

LOOK: Striking Photo Shows Baseball Fan Standing in the Rain to Hold Umbrella Over JROTC Member

For the last five years, Marquardt has played taps from the balcony of his home in Excelsior, Minnesota; he still visits cemeteries almost every day in order to play taps for dozens of military graves; and he regularly volunteers for Bugles Across America, a nonprofit that recruits trumpeters to play taps at military funerals.

Though Marquardt told the Star Tribune that he turned 70 years old in April, he has no intention of stopping his labor of love.

(WATCH the emotional 2017 video below) – Photo by Boyd Huppert / KARE11

Be Sure And Share The Inspiring Story With Your Friends On Social Media…

As Disabled Man Frantically Wheels Himself Home Before Tornado, Teen Hops Out of His Car to Help

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McKinley Corbley
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A teenage boy is being hailed for coming to the rescue of a disabled man who was struggling to get home before a dangerous storm hit their city.

In addition to being legally blind due to diabetes, Gregory Beck is a double amputee who needs a wheelchair to get around St. Louis, Missouri.

The man had just been leaving the grocery store last week when tornado sirens started blaring.

As he began wheeling himself home, passing drivers would yell at him to hurry up and get to safety – but then just as Beck was stopping at a gas station to rest his arms, one car pulled over to help.

LOOK: Five Teenage Boys Are Being Praised for Stopping Their Car to Help Fallen Senior and Clean His Wounds

16-year-old Seth Phillips had been in the van with his mother Amber Gilleylen when he saw Beck in his wheelchair. Worried for the man’s safety, Seth asked his mother if he could help to push Beck home.

The trepidatious teen then pushed Beck’s wheelchair the remaining quarter of a mile to his house – a grueling journey which would ordinarily take Beck 25 minutes to complete.

Proud of her son’s compassionate gesture, Gilleylen followed Seth in her car and captured a video of him pushing the wheelchair.

RELATED: Watch the Heartwarming Results of Teen Skaters Befriending 5-Year-old Boy With Autism on His Birthday

After it was published to social media, it was viewed thousands of times.

“My hope is that other teenagers will see that it’s the cool thing to do, you know, it’s good to help other people,” Gilleylen told KMOV. “It doesn’t make you uncool to stop and help someone who needs it.”

Since their story went viral, Gilleylen and Seth have started a GoFundMe page in order to raise money for a new electric wheelchair for Beck – and it is already halfway to its goal of $4,000.

(WATCH the news coverage below) – Photo by Amber Gilleylen

Be Sure And Share This Sweet Story Of Kindness With Your Friends On Social Media…

Adidas Ensuring That All Their Shoes Can Be 100% Recycled into New Ones Without Any Waste

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Good News Network
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Adidas has already been making great strides to rid the world of plastic waste – and now they are taking it one step further by introducing a 100% recyclable performance running shoe that is “made to be remade.”

Sports footwear typically include complex material mixes and component gluing which result in a shoe that can only be downcycled.

After almost a decade of research and development, however, Adidas has refined the process to create the Futurecraft.Loop: a shoe that uses only one type of material and no glue.

Each component is made from 100% reusable TPU – it’s spun to yarn, knitted, molded and clean-fused. Once the shoes come to the end of their first life and are returned to Adidas – they are washed, ground to pellets and melted into material for components for a new pair of shoes, with zero waste and nothing thrown away.

RELATED: Construction Begins On First Ever Commercial Plastics-to-Fuel Factory in the US

The project is aimed at tackling the problem of plastic waste, enabling a “closed loop” or circular manufacturing model, where the raw materials can be repurposed again and again. But not just repurposed into a water bottle or a tote – but into another pair of high-performance running shoes.

In 2015, Adidas introduced the first footwear concept with its upper materials made entirely of yarns and filaments from reclaimed and recycled marine plastic waste and illegal deep-sea gillnets. In 2019, Adidas will produce 11 million pairs of shoes containing recycled ocean plastic through intercepting plastic waste on beaches, remote islands, and in coastal communities.

Adidas is now committed to using only recycled polyester in every one of their products and applications where a solution exists by 2024.

LOOK: This Clever Little School Has Been Requiring Students to Pay for Tuition With Plastic Waste Instead of Money

“Taking plastic waste out of the system is the first step, but we can’t stop there,” said Eric Liedtke, an Executive Board Member at adidas. “What happens to your shoes after you’ve worn them out? You throw them away – except there is no away. There are only landfills and incinerators and ultimately an atmosphere choked with excess carbon, or oceans filled with plastic waste. The next step is to end the concept of ‘waste’ entirely. Our dream is that you can keep wearing the same shoes over and over again.

“Futurecraft.Loop is our first running shoe that is made to be remade. It is a statement of our intent to take responsibility for the entire life of our product; proof that we can build high-performance running shoes that you don’t have to throw away.”

The first generation of Futurecraft.Loop is rolling out as part of a global beta program with 200 influencers from across the world’s major cities. Adidas is asking them to run, return the shoes, and share feedback on their experience ahead of the second-generation drop.

MORE: Two Scottish Entrepreneurs Are Working to Replace Palm Oil With the Oil From Used Coffee Grounds

The insights will then be used to shape the roadmap for the wider release targeted for the spring or summer of 2021.

Tanyaradzwa Sahanga, who is the manager of Adidas’s innovation department, commented: “There were times when it didn’t seem like we could get over some of the technical hurdles – now we’ve made the first leap, the playing field has changed.

“We cannot create a circular future on our own, we are going to need each other. We’re excited to see this first step come to life as part of the beta launch.”

Run This Good News Over To Your Friends By Sharing It To Social Media – Photo by Adidas

When World Hears About Cello Prodigy Living in Poverty, it Sends a Crescendo of Blessings – GNN Podcast

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Good News Network
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Eddie struggled with his 5 siblings and single mom in a homeless shelter. Never did he dream of being on stage as the lead cellist in an orchestra. Hear our Good News Guru tell the inspiring story on the radio in Los Angeles—during the May 24, 2019 Ellen K. Morning Show on KOST-103.5.

SEE video and the full story on GNN…

Subscribe to our Good News podcast on iTunes, or for Android devices on Podbean.

Also, Check Out Our Little Paperback Book of Good News—Buy on Amazon or White Cloud Press! 

When the World Hears About Cello Prodigy Living in Poverty, it Sends a Crescendo of Blessings

By
McKinley Corbley
-

LISTEN to this inspiring story told on the radio by the GNN founder (in our Good News Guru segment below) or READ the full story…

Eddie Adams struggled to get by with his 5 siblings and single mother in a homeless shelter. Never did he dream of being on stage.

His journey toward harmony started when he decided to take a band class in high school. He initially wanted to play the drums, but the teacher thought he had no rhythm and suggested he try the cello.

Eddie was apprehensive about the choice. He remembers playing terribly and never being able to hear whether it was in tune. But, he kept trying.

He watched dozens of YouTube instructional videos and the more he practiced, the better he got.

LOOK: China’s ‘Ice Boy’ Has New Home–and New Hope–After Viral Photo Sparked Flood of Donations

With constant encouragement from his teacher, he became so good that he was offered a full-tuition scholarship to George Mason University in Virginia—and became their lead cellist.

June Huang, the university director of string instruments, told CBS News that she was so impressed during Adams’s audition, she dropped her pencil and forgot to take notes because she was so mesmerized.

“Is it amazing he got this far got into college without a formal lesson? That is amazing,” says Huang. “I remember that moment because it’s unique when you hear music come from the core of somebody, the silent peaceful middle of someone and I felt honored to witness that.”

Unfortunately, life in school with no money was difficult. Since he could not afford the bulk of his supplies, he had to borrow textbooks from his fellow classmates, and he didn’t own a cello.

Last month, however, The Washington Post featured a story on Adams—and it turned into a crescendo of blessing.

One stranger is buying him a custom-made cello; another is paying for a fitted tuxedo for performances. A GoFundme campaign that was created for Eddie quickly raised $160,000—and when the 20-year-old saw the influx of donations, he told The Post that he cried all day.

RELATED: The Love and Support of 250 Seniors Made Her Sober—and an Award-Winning Caregiver

He’s already paid off $15,000 in student loans and gone to the dentist for the first time since he was a kid.

He is also paying the kindness forward by taking his cello to a homeless shelter in Alexandria, Virginia, to play for and inspire other young dreamers like himself.

(WATCH the interview below) – Photo by CBS News

Play Up The Positivity By Sharing The Inspiring Story With Friends…

Frantic Trucker Miraculously Reunited With Cat Co-pilot After Posting Photo to Obscure Online Forum

By
McKinley Corbley
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LISTEN to this inspiring story told on the radio by the GNN founder (in our Good News Guru segment below) or READ on to get the full story…

A frantic truck driver named Nick has been reunited with his beloved cat companion after a fellow traveler saw his plea for help on Reddit.

Nick had been on his way past Elgin, Illinois when he noticed that one of his truck mirrors was in need of repair. Since repair shop mechanics said that they were unable to fix the mirror until the following morning, he prepared to spend his evening watching movies with his cat Waylon.

In addition to the fearless feline being an ideal travel buddy, Waylon has also helped Nick cope with the emotional difficulties of being a veteran.

“I’m not gonna go into detail, but long story short, I don’t do well in crowds, or when I’m totally alone. Waylon kept me grounded. He kept me sane,” writes Nick. “And most of all, he kept me safe.”

LOOK: Frozen Cat That Was Found Unresponsive, Buried in Snow Makes Miraculous Recovery

So when Nick suddenly noticed that Waylon was missing from his truck, he began to panic.

“I stood and hollered for him, but he didn’t respond,” says Nick. “Waylon ALWAYS responds. He’s a very vocal cat. I started tearing up the sleeper, hoping he was just really sleepy or something, but I found no luck there. That’s when I realized that he had gotten out.”

Distraught over his missing friend, Nick stayed up the entire night calling Waylon’s name and rattling his can of cat treats as bait – but to no avail.

Finally after almost 12 hours of searching, Nick knew that he had to be on his way – but before he hit the road, he posted a picture of Waylon to the “Trucker Cats” Reddit page.

CHECK OUT: One Cat’s Obsession With Hunting Birds Leads to Invention That Has Saved Hundreds of Thousands

“I know that the odds are slim, but if you picked him up or see him please let me know. I didn’t know what else to do,” read Nick’s online plea. “I have to get back on the road now, so it’s out of my hands. I won’t give up hope. I know that he’ll remember me as long as he lives. I love you buddy. I hope I see you soon.”

Nick’s inbox was immediately flooded with dozens of messages of hope and encouragement, but he could not help but feel heartbroken over Waylon’s disappearance.

As fate would have it, however, the 23-year-old trucker had just picked up a new shipment of cargo in Wisconsin before heading off to Utah when his cell phone rang – and the phone call was from a traveling couple who claimed that they had found Waylon in a bramble bush on the side of the highway.

LOOK: Photos of 75-Year-Old Volunteer Napping With Cats Hauls in Funds to Run Sanctuary for a Year

“I was skeptical, but the more they described him, the more I started believing them,” says Nick. “Finally when I saw the picture, that was all I needed. It was him. My boy. My Waylon.”

The couple say that they only managed to spot the young feline because their flashlight had reflected off of its eyes in the nighttime darkness.

Despite being on the Iowa border, Nick immediately changed course so he could meet up with the couple and be reunited with his beloved companion.

MORE: Woman Realizes the Old Dog She Just Adopted Was Same One She Had as a Child

“I NEEDED him back. That cat represents my whole life,” says Nick. “I don’t have any kids, or a wife, or even a girlfriend. That cat is my only companion.”

Needless to say, the reunion was an emotional one. Though it took Waylon 24 hours to recover from his expedition into the wild, he and his human are apparently back to their happy traveling selves.

“Now, I’m off to keep exploring this wide country, and Waylon will be there with me every step of the way,” says Nick – and if you would like to keep up with their travels, you can follow their Instagram or Imgur pages.

My trucking cat Waylon

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“Aim at Heaven and you will get the Earth ‘thrown in’; aim at Earth and you will get neither.” – C.S. Lewis

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Aim at Heaven and you will get the Earth ‘thrown in’; aim at Earth and you will get neither.” – C.S. Lewis

Photo: by Sau Rieng Nguyen, 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?

 

 

Robot Caregivers Could Soon Move Your Plants Around the House So They Get Proper Amount of Sunlight

By
McKinley Corbley
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If you have ever been disappointed by your lack of a green thumb, this cute little contraption may one day be the savior of your withering indoor plants.

The Hexa Plant is a six-legged robot that has been specially designed to care for the potted plant that it carries on top of its head.

Using light and heat sensors, the robot has the ability to carry its plant in and out of the daylight according to the plant’s sun exposure.

If the houseplant needs more sun, the Hexa will meander into the sunlight; and if the houseplant is getting too hot, the Hexa will crawl back into the shade.

MORE: IKEA Releases Free Design For Garden Sphere That Feeds a Neighborhood

The Hexa Plant will even do a little dance when it senses that the plant needs to be watered.

The robot was developed by Vincross engineer and founder Sun Tianqi after he saw a dead sunflower sitting in the shadows at a nature exhibit back in 2014.

“Plants are passive. Eternally, inexplicably passive,” Tianqi wrote in a blog post. “No matter if they are being cut, bitten, burned or pulled from the earth, or when they lack sunshine, water, or are too hot or cold, they will hold still and take whatever is happening to them. They have the fewest degrees of freedom among all the creatures in nature.

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“However, for billions of years, plants have never experienced movement of any kind, not even the simplest movement. Their whole lives, they stick to where they were born. Do they desire to break their own settings or have a tendency towards this?” he continued. “I do not know the answer, but I would love to try to share some of this human tendency and technology with plants. With a robotic rover base, plants can experience mobility and interaction.

“I do hope that this project can bring some inspiration to the relationship between technology and natural default settings.”

Unfortunately, the Hexa Plant model robots are not for sale, though Vincross does sell a standard Hexa robot prototype.

That being said, the robots could open up an entirely new market for mechanical caregivers to watch over our household greenery.

(WATCH the robot in action below) – Photo by Sun Tianqi

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Construction Begins On First Ever Commercial Plastics-to-Fuel Factory in the US

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Good News Network
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Construction workers have broken ground on what is being hailed as the nation’s first commercial-scale plastics-to-fuel plant.

Located in Ashley, Indiana, the new plant will utilize a state-of-the-art plastics-to-fuel process that sustainably recycles waste that has reached the end of its useful life – including items that cannot readily be recycled, like plastic film, flexible packing, styrofoam and children’s toys – directly into useful products, like fuels and wax.

Brightmark Energy, the San Francisco-based waste and energy development company responsible for the plant, say that the outputs of this technology could also be used to produce the feedstocks necessary for manufacturing plastic again, thus creating the world’s first truly circular economy technology for plastics.

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As Brightmark CEO Bob Powell welcomed attendees to the ceremony, he cited the need for paradigm-shifting recycling technologies like the process that will be applied in the new plant.

“This sustainable technology directly addresses an acute problem facing our nation: more than 91% of the 33 million tons of plastic produced in the U.S. each year is not recycled,” he said. “These products end up sitting in landfills for thousands of years or littering our communities and waterways. This technology offers a tremendous opportunity to combat a major environmental ill and create positive economic value in the process.”

The Ashley facility will be the first of its kind to take mixed waste single-use plastics and convert them into usable products at commercial scale. The facility will convert approximately 100,000 tons of plastics into over 18 million gallons a year of ultra-low sulfur diesel and naphtha blend stocks and nearly 6 million gallons a year of commercial grade wax each year.

The 112,000 square-foot-facility is also expected to create a total of 136 full-time manufacturing jobs once it is operational in 2020.

LOOK: Adidas Test to Sell Shoes Made of Ocean Plastic Was So Successful, They’re Going Even Further

Last month, Brightmark closed a $260 million financing package for the construction of the plant, which includes $185 million in Indiana green bonds.

Jay Schabel, President of Brightmark Energy’s plastics division, said: “Brightmark plans to develop dozens of additional plastics-to-fuel facilities across the United States, and these new locations will all be anchored by the facility we’re breaking ground on today here in Northeast Indiana.

“We’re pleased to have this opportunity to offer a solution to the complex problems our nation faces around plastic pollution,” he added.

Power Up With Positivity By Sharing The Good News To Social Media – File photo by Michal Manas, CC

How a 97-Year-old Artist Used Doodles to Save His Beloved Hometown From Being Torn Down

By
McKinley Corbley
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Photo by Steven R. Barringer, CC
Photo by Steven R. Barringer, CC

When the Taiwanese government was threatening to demolish his beloved hometown, a retired war veteran managed to save the place with a paintbrush.

97-year-old Huang Yung-fu is responsible for transforming the Nantun district of Taichung City into “The Rainbow Village” that now attracts throngs of visitors.

Prior to the village becoming one of the region’s most popular tourist destinations, the area had become increasingly run-down.

The area used to house over 1,200 families – but as more and more people moved away  in search of better living conditions, Huang became the only person left in town.

WATCH: Walk Through This Giant Stunning Exhibit Where Van Gogh’s Artwork Comes to Life in Light

The government issued several statements threatening to tear down the remaining buildings, and Huang was heartbroken over the idea of losing his heritage.

So when Huang found himself surrounded by a dozen empty houses, he decided to pick up a paintbrush and enhance his surroundings with color.

Huang had not created any art since his father taught him to draw at 3 years old, but as he began to cover the buildings with animal doodles and designs, the senior fell in love with painting once more.

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He continued to decorate the walls of his neighborhood until it eventually caught the eye of local university students. The youngsters rallied behind “The Rainbow Grandpa” and demanded that the buildings be preserved.

Thanks to the students’ campaign, the town was protected – and Huang has happily continued to cover his community in color ever since.

To this day, Huang wakes up as early as 3AM so he can spend hours adding more detail onto his breathtaking murals.

(WATCH the BBC video below)

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Happy National Wine Day! Survey Explains What Drinking Red vs. White Says About Your Personality

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Good News Network
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A charming new survey of 2,000 American wine drinkers suggests that there might be more to the contents of your wine glass than just the color.

The survey, which was conducted in celebration of National Wine Day on May 25th,  looked at the differences in personality traits between those who drink red wine and those who prefer white.

Commissioned by Coravin and conducted by OnePoll, the results revealed that white wine drinkers are more likely to be night owls, extroverts, and fans of punk music. White wine drinkers were also more likely to describe themselves as curious, sarcastic, and perfectionists.

RELATED: Let’s Clear Up Some Myths About Sulfites, Wine, and Headaches

On the other hand, red wine drinkers were more likely to be introverts who enjoy traveling and watching Game of Thrones.

Furthermore, red wine drinkers were more likely to describe themselves as adventurous, humble, and organized. They were also more likely to identify as early birds, jazz fans, and “wine aficionados” (45% vs. 31%).

PROFILE OF RED WINE DRINKERS
• More likely to be a “wine aficionado”
• Early bird
• Introvert
• Prefer dogs to cats
• Listen to jazz music
• More likely to identify as adventurous, humble and organized
• Willing to spend slightly more per bottle ($40)

In addition to looking at the differences in personality, the survey also examined each groups’ knowledge when it came to drinking and tasting wine, as well as hosting and attending events.

It found that red wine drinkers had the knowledge to back up their claim of “wine aficionado” — they were more likely to know how to correctly hold a wine glass (73% vs. 65%), know what “tannins” are (53% vs. 45%) and know how long it takes for wine to oxidize (64% vs. 54%).

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They were also more likely to consider it a turnoff if a date wasn’t knowledgeable about wine (46% vs. 40%), and were willing to spend slightly more on wine — averaging $40 a bottle.

PROFILE OF WHITE WINE DRINKERS
• Less likely to be a “wine aficionado”
• Night owl
• Extrovert
• Prefer cats to dogs
• Listen to punk music
• More likely to identify as identify as curious, sarcastic, and perfectionist
• Willing to spend slightly less per bottle ($37)

The average respondent reported drinking four glasses of wine per week, and their favorite place to drink — regardless of wine preference — was found to be at home (72%). But 62% will forego drinking a glass of wine after work or with dinner because they don’t want to open a new bottle.

In addition to drinking in the comfort of their own home, the survey found that 49% of respondents enjoy drinking wine at events or gatherings more drinking at a bar.

While at an event, three-quarters will drink what everyone else is drinking, even if they’d prefer something else.

Read more fun stories about wine (like how to choose Orange wine on Halloween) on Good News Network.

Let’s Have A Toast To Good News And Friendship By Sharing Wine Day on Social Media…

MORE: Restaurant Offers Sweet Note of Forgiveness to After She Accidentally Served $6,000 Bottle of Wine

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