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The Science of The Magic Hour: Why We Should Read to Each Other – Especially Our Kids

By
Andy Corbley
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Pixabay

The Lesson: Attention span flexibility is incredibly important for young students in school. It can help to predict a child’s success with science, math, and even college graduation – which is why parents are being called to read to their children more often than ever.

When parents read to their children, the chemicals in their adult brains begin to change, reflecting an increased desire to bond with and nurture others, reductions in stress hormones, and most importantly of all in this age of digital distraction, it facilitates the growth and development of attention span.

In this podcast, these parenting experts go on to explain why we should also be reading not just to our children, but to elderly people and newborns as well – for their sake, as well as our own.

Notable Excerpt: “Somehow, mankind has stumbled upon this magical object which is the picture book. And when a child gets to look at the picture book, sit with an adult, have the words read aloud, they’re getting this multi-dimensional experience. But it’s happening at a speed that they can absorb.”

The Host(s): Christina Hoff Summers is the author of several books including “The War on Boys” and “One Nation Under Therapy”, and she is a scholar and contributor for several major journalistic and scientific publications including The Atlantic, The Journal of Philosophy, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.

Danielle Crittenden is the author of four books, including “What Our Mothers Didn’t Tell Us”. In addition to serving as a contributing editor for Huff Post, her essays and articles have appeared in such publications as The Daily Telegraph, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal, which has prompted Vanity Fair to describe her as “one of the most important new thinkers about women and family.”

The Guest: Meghan Cox Gurdon is the author of the newly-published book “The Enchanted Hour”, which encapsulates all the science and magic of reading aloud to your children and pleads a convincing case for you to put down the phone, turn off the TV, and open a book.

The Podcast: The Femsplainers is a cheery, open-minded forum of scholarly repute that tackles some of the most compelling and divisive social issues facing women and men today. Whether it’s #MeToo, the Google memo, or the Women’s March, Danielle and Christina give a measured response based on “factual feminism”, regardless of how many cocktails or glasses of wine are consumed in the process. The Femsplainers podcast is available for streaming on Player FM, iTunes, and Spotify.

(LISTEN to the intriguing talk below)

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How Acupuncture May Ease Symptoms of Menopause

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Good News Network
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For middle-aged woman suffering through menopause, this new study says that acupuncture may ease its symptoms.

Researchers found that a brief course of acupuncture may help to ease troublesome menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, sweating, mood swings, and disturbed sleep as well as skin and hair problems.

The Danish team from Copenhagen said their findings, which are published in the online journal BMJ Open, show that acupuncture offers “a realistic” treatment option for women who can’t, or don’t want to use hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Menopausal symptoms are common and, depending on their severity, can have a major impact on quality of life, health and well-being. Hot flushes are one of the most common symptoms, and can go on for several years. Other common symptoms include heavy sweating, emotional vulnerability, sleep disturbances, fatigue, “fuzzy” brain, joint pain, and reduced sex drive.

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

Hormonal treatments and other drugs can treat the various symptoms, but they are not without side effects – and according to the Danish researchers, the evidence for other non-pharmacological approaches such as exercise, relaxation, and herbal or dietary remedies, is not very convincing.

Previous studies suggest that acupuncture might be helpful, but the researchers said that design flaws or quality issues have undermined the findings.

For this particular study, the Danish team randomly allocated 70 menopausal women who met their inclusion criteria to either five weeks of standardized Western medical acupuncture, using pre-defined acupuncture points, or no acupuncture until after six weeks.

MORE: Blue Light Reduces Blood Pressure, Just as Effectively as Medication – UK Study

Each weekly session lasted 15 minutes, and was delivered by Danish family doctors from nine different general practices, who had additionally trained in acupuncture, and had been practicing the treatment for an average of 14 years.

Each participant completed a validated Meno Scores (MSQ) questionnaire designed to measure outcomes from the patient’s perspective before their first session and then again after three, six, eight, eleven, and twenty-six weeks.

At six weeks, most of the women in the acupuncture group (80%) said that they felt that the sessions had helped them. Compared with those who had not been given acupuncture, they were “significantly less troubled” by hot flushes – a difference that was already apparent after three weeks of “treatment”.

CHECK OUT: Want to Stop Eating Junk Food? New Research Says You Should Get More Sleep

Statistically significant differences also emerged between the two groups in the frequency of day and night sweats, general sweating, sleep disturbances, emotional and physical symptoms, and skin and hair problems.

The drop-out rate was low, with just one woman failing to complete all five acupuncture sessions, and no serious side effects were reported.

The researchers said that their findings show that a brief course of acupuncture by suitably trained professionals is “feasible” in routine primary care for both doctors and patients.

MORE: Next Time You’re Feeling Stressed or Anxious, This Study Says You Should Play Tetris

Study co-author Dr. Kamma Sundgaard Lund said: “Not all menopausal women need or request treatment, and we believe this acupuncture intervention is most relevant to women who experience moderate-to-severe menopausal symptoms.”

“Acupuncture for menopausal symptoms is a realistic option for women who cannot, or do not wish to use HRT,” she added.

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Man Who Loves Cats Transforms Home into Feline Playland – And You Can Too (For Charity)

By
McKinley Corbley
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If someone is renovating their home, it usually consists of something like redoing their bathroom or installing new kitchen counters – not transforming their house into a wondrous cat playland.

Nevertheless, that is exactly what Peter Cohen did with his home in Santa Barbara, California.

Cohen first discovered his obsession for adopting cats when he bought his home in 1988 and found that two feline occupants were included with the property.

As Cohen quickly became a bona fide “cat person”, he continued to adopt more and more rescue cats until finally, in order to accommodate his furry roommates, he started adding wall fixtures and catwalks to his home.

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

His home has since been transformed into the House of Nekko, which means “House of Cats” in Japanese. Thanks to Cohen’s background in construction work, every room in his house has been adorned with colorful hiding places, scratching posts, and winding wall-to-wall walkways. He even installed a koi pond.

Cohen is currently the proud parent of 22 rescue cats, many of which he rescued because they were less likely to be adopted based on their fur color or personality.

Not only that, Cohen uses the House of Nikko’s internet fame to run his charity, Zen By Cat. The nonprofit raises money for organizations researching feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), a previously incurable disease that affects a small percentage of newborn kittens.

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

After researching the disease for 50 years, scientists were finally able to cure 25 cats of FIP within the last few years, one of which was Cohen’s cat Smokey – and it is partially thanks to his dedicated fundraising.

If you would like to help finance FIP research, you can donate to the Zen By Cat website or purchase your own easy-to-install home catwalks from this online store.

(WATCH the video below) – Photo by Houzz

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Taxing Empty Apartments Could Be the Solution to Affordable Housing in Expensive Cities, New Study Says

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Good News Network
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Rather than building new homes to help satisfy housing markets, this fascinating new study says that taxing empty homes in developed cities could increase housing affordability for local residents while simultaneously generating income for municipal governments.

Over the course of the last 20 years, housing affordability has decreased substantially in the UK due to a rapid increase in prices relative to earnings. This may be partially due to foreign investors buying out properties in cities such as London, or from British citizens in rural areas buying out second homes in the city, which reduces the availability of affordable housing for local residents.

This means that local citizens who actually live in the city are forced to pay more money for housing in neighborhoods that are filled with homes that are unoccupied for more than half of the year.

In a study that was published last week in the journal Palgrave Communications, researcher Jonathan Bourne at University College London investigated the relationship between the amount of properties which do not have permanent residents (low-use properties), and housing affordability in different parts of England and Wales.

MORE: Instead of Selling Her $1.7 Million Home, Woman is Giving It Away to the Winner of a Letter-Writing Contest

Upon researching the data, which represents about 40% of the population, the researcher was stunned to find that there were over 340,000 low-use properties across the regions.

Analysis revealed that low-use properties were worth £363,000 on average, which is 18.5% more expensive than the average home (£306,000). This was the case for the majority of properties included in the dataset.

“One of the goals of this research was to get an idea of the fraction of the population of England and Wales living in areas where low-use properties are more expensive than homes occupied by full-time residents, which suggests that the most desirable properties are being bought for purposes other than use as a home, for example as investment opportunities or holiday homes,” Bourne explained.

“Some of the most surprising findings were the sheer value and quantity of low-use properties in some areas, amounting to £21 billion in the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea alone, and £123 billion in the entire dataset. We estimate that in England and Wales, 39-47% of the population lives in areas where low-use properties are more expensive than permanently-occupied homes.”

CHECK OUT: Café That Hires and Feeds the Homeless Has Just Built a Village for Their Rough Sleeping Employees

Though some municipalities are trying to meet housing demands by building more housing, Bourne suggests that local governments implement an empty homes tax of 1% instead.

“The data shows that low-use properties are very concentrated in small numbers of desirable areas. In such cases simply building more homes is not going to solve the problem, as the issue is intense competition for property, not a lack of places to live,” says Bourne.

“An empty homes tax may be more effective, with the potential to generate a not inconsiderable income for local authorities, whilst taxing people who are typically not eligible to vote in local elections, or encouraging them to rent out their properties.”

Based on these findings and the current council tax base, the author suggests that an empty homes tax of 1% would raise an additional £1.2 billion in taxes, which is equivalent to 11% of the council tax currently collected in the areas included in the dataset.

LOOK: These Will Be the First 3D-Printed Homes That You Can Actually Live In

Vancouver implemented a similar empty home tax in 2017, which was the first of its kind in North America. One year after it went into effect, the city reported a 15% decrease in unoccupied homes, which amounted to 163 properties being rented out to local tenants.

Furthermore, the tax raised more than $38 million in city revenue, all of which was spent on affordable housing programs.

Bourne cautions that the UK empty homes tax would not be evenly distributed due to varying concentrations of low-use properties, but his findings could help to make housing more affordable in cities around the world.

(WATCH the explanatory video below) – File photo by Beyond My Ken, CC

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

By
McKinley Corbley
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Watch this beautiful tribute to Gary Sinise, a hero to US veterans across the globe, and a role model for this long parade of celebrities who wanted to say ‘Thanks.’

The 64-year-old actor is most widely known for his iconic role in Forrest Gump as Lieutenant Dan – but to thousands of veterans across the country, he is much more than that.

Ever since the Hollywood star launched the Gary Sinise Foundation in 2011, the charity has spearheaded dozens of initiatives to benefit American veterans and firefighters. The foundation is responsible for building 70 smart homes, hosting 700 benefit concerts, and raising over $30 million every year – all to improve the lives of former servicemen and women.

“These service members and first responders have already done their part,” says Sinise. “They have already given of themselves. And it is our great privilege, through the trust of the American people and the support given to us, to do our part to give something back to them.”

MORE: Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler Donates $500K to Open Up Another Home for Abused and Traumatized Girls

As a thank you for his philanthropy, the foundation recently published a compilation video of celebrities and veterans all thanking Sinise for his compassionate work.

The montage included shoutouts from Robert de Niro, Rob Lowe, Jay Leno, and last, but not least, former co-star Tom Hanks gleefully yelling “Thank you, Lieutenant Dan!”

CHECK OUT: Patton Oswalt Responds to Online Troll by Rallying Followers to Pay For the Guy’s Medical Bills

In a reaction video to the thank-you compilation, Sinise can be seen getting more and more emotional over the slew of heartfelt clips from A-listers and military families alike.

“That made me feel really good,” Sinise said at the end of the video with a teary chuckle.

If you would like to learn more about Sinise’s charity work or career, you can read his recently released memoir “Grateful American”, which was published earlier this month.

(WATCH Sinise’s reaction in the news coverage below)

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“Be prepared to have patience in difficult times and to know the Universe is conspiring in our favor, even though we may not understand how.” – Paulo Coelho

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Be prepared to have patience in difficult times and to know the Universe is conspiring in our favor, even though we may not understand how.” – Paulo Coelho

Photo: by Anoop Kumar, 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?

Taco Bell Cashier Has Written Hundreds of Kind Messages on Customer Receipts to Brighten Their Days

By
McKinley Corbley
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No matter how busy it may get behind the counter at Taco Bell, this 27-year-old employee always tries to include an extra serving of inspiration with her customer orders.

Kelly Stewart has only been working at the Taco Bell in Camillus, New York for about four months, but she has already received plenty of feedback from her customers.

The feedback isn’t negative, however; Stewart has received an outpouring of praise since customers started publicizing her small acts of kindness on social media.

MORE: When ‘Homeless‘ Man Insists On Paying for Fancy Meal With His Hard-Earned Money, Restaurant Makes Special Offer

For the last month, Stewart has been taking the time to write inspiring quotes and encouraging anecdotes on the back of customer receipts.

One customer told Syracuse.com that she had recently left the fast food restaurant only to find one of Stewart’s note included with her order.

“I got this message that said ‘when you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot around it and hang on…’” she told the news outlet. “It made me stop in my tracks and smile. Knowing someone took time out of their work or life to write this is another example that there are still good people out there.”

Since Stewart began her labor of love one month ago, she says that she has included hundreds of motivational messages in people’s orders.

Stewart’s customers are now rallying to repay the favor by calling on Taco Bell’s corporate branch to recognize and reward her for going above the call of duty.

RELATED: UPS Driver Hailed a Hero for Following His Gut and He Hopes Other Drivers Will Do the Same

Though she has received widespread attention for her kindness, the 27-year-old cashier simply says that she writes the messages partially because she “loves people” and because she wants to be a good role model for her 6-year-old son.

“I may just work at a fast food place, but you have to take pride in what you do,” Stewart told WXIA. “Especially with how hard today’s times are, it’s nice to put a smile on someone’s face.”

Inspire Your Friends With This Sweet Story Of Positivity By Sharing It To Social Media – Photos by Kelly Stewart

Cheap 2D Material Can Cleanse 99.9999% of Bacteria From Water in 30 Minutes Simply by Using the Sun

By
McKinley Corbley
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This latest scientific breakthrough from China could bring cheap, clean drinking water to people around the world.

Earlier this month, scientists from Yangzhou University developed a water system that used sunlight and 2D materials to purify water of 99.9999% of bacteria – including E. coli.

According to their tests, their eco-friendly system was able to purify enough daily drinking water for four people in just under 30 minutes.

MORE: Elon Musk Keeps His Promise, Donates $480,000 to Give Every School in Flint a Clean Water System

The inexpensive system works by using sheets of graphitic carbon nitride as a photocatalyst inside of a water container. When the sheets are exposed to direct sunlight, they release electrons that bond with the oxygen in the water and create compounds that purge the water of bacteria.

There are modern purification systems that use similar chemical processes for destroying bacteria, but they use photocatalysts that leave behind harmful chemical pollutants as a byproduct. These systems usually also take over an hour to purify the same 10-liter bag of water as the system from Yangzhou University.

The university researchers recently published their findings in the journal Chem.

LOOK: Engineer Creates Green Oasis by Growing Glaciers in the Desert

“Its first-order disinfection rate was five times higher than that of previously reported best metal-free photocatalysts with only one tenth catalyst consumption,” said the paper’s co-author Wang Chengyin.

The researchers are now working to implement their system into portable drinking containers so they can start being deployed to at-risk areas around the world.

“The future application of photocatalytic disinfection technology can significantly relieve clean-water scarcity and global energy shortage,” said Wang Da, the study’s lead researcher.

Clean Up Negativity By Sharing The Good News With Your Friends On Social Media – Photo by Sun Star

Clever Girl Scout’s Business is Booming After She Launches Jason ‘Momoa Samoa’ Cookies

By
McKinley Corbley
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Business is good for this clever Colorado fifth grader after she launched an amusing new sales scheme for her Girl Scout cookies.

Charlotte Holmberg is a Top Cookie CEO from Highlands Ranch who has been going viral for her Samoa marketing strategy.

Charlotte earned her CEO title in recognition of her impressive cookie sales history – and this year is no exception.

WATCH: Girl Scout’s Hilariously Honest Cookie Reviews Lead to Record-breaking Sales

As a means of encouraging consumers to buy her cookies, she has been printing out pictures of Jason Momoa with the classic Girl Scout Cookie packaging and gluing them onto the front of her Samoa boxes.

She and her mother first got the idea for the “Momoa” cookies after they saw photoshopped pictures of the Aquaman actor on social media which depicted the shirtless star on the front of the coconut treat packaging.

Since launching their specialized cookie line, the “Momoas” have apparently been very successful.

“The moms are getting really excited and they’re saying that they need them,” Charlotte told KUSA.

In addition to parents asking to use the strategy, Charlotte’s fellow Girl Scouts have been asking to participate in the “Momoa” sales as well.

Though Charlotte has not yet disclosed her sales figures for the strategy, other imaginative Girl Scouts have cornered a slice of the cookie market by taking advantage of the chilly Midwestern weather by selling “pre-frozen” Thin Mints in 16ºF temperatures.

(WATCH the news coverage below) – Feature photo by Girl Scouts of Colorado

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These Floating Trashcans Are Being Deployed Around the World So They Can Suck Up Tons of Ocean Trash

By
McKinley Corbley
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After facilitating a successful crowdfunding campaign in 2016, a floating vacuum for ocean pollution is sucking up hundreds of pounds of litter around the world.

The Seabin is an ocean trashcan that tidies up marinas, bays, and bodies of water by sucking up rubbish from the surrounding area. The device can collect up to 44 pounds (20 kilograms) of trash, including tiny plastic microbeads that are 2 millimeters small.

Collectively, the contraptions are capable of salvaging half a ton of garbage every year – and because fish are discouraged from approaching the Seabin due to the sound of its water pump motor, it causes zero harm to marine life.

RELATED: Undersea Robot Just Delivered 100,000 Heat-Resistant Baby Corals to the Great Barrier Reef

The Seabin Project was launched by two Australian surfers who were sick and tired of finding trash in their beloved oceans. After they developed the eco-friendly contraption, they managed to raise over $250,000 on their Indiegogo page to finance manufacturing – and now, the little rubbish bins are being deployed all over the world.

In addition to a Seabin being set adrift in Sydney Harbor this week, the organization says that they have 35 sponsored Seabins that are being launched in 25 different countries.

The City of Cockburn recently became the first municipality in Western Australia to deploy a Seabin, and they say that the contraption has already proven to be very successful.

MORE: Man Postpones Retirement to Save Reefs After He Accidentally Discovers How to Make Coral Grow 40 Times Faster

“We realize the Seabin is not going to be the answer to all our marine debris problems, but it is a great local solution for this area,” the city’s waste education officer, Nicki Ledger, told ABC News. “We have such a healthy marina — we have bait fish, seahorses, green sea turtles, we get seals and dolphins coming in as well — so it’s just imperative that we keep a healthy environment for these animals so they keep coming in to visit.”

If you would like to pre-order your own Seabin for your local marine life, you can visit The Seabin Project’s website.

(WATCH the 2015 Seabin crowdfunding promo below) – Photo by Seabin

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When Parents Accidentally Lock Keys in Their Car With Infant Daughter, Group of Inmates Offer Their Skills

By
McKinley Corbley
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Though it may seem counterintuitive, these prison inmates were being cheered on by a crowd of spectators as they were breaking into a couple’s car earlier this week.

However, the inmates weren’t forcing their way into the SUV for any nefarious purposes; they were simply trying to reunite a 1-year-old girl with her parents.

The car had been parked at the West Pasco Judicial Center in New Port Richey, Florida when the father of the infant accidentally locked the keys inside of the vehicle – with the baby still sitting in the back seat.

LOOK: Inmates Write Heartfelt Letter to Police Department Offering Condolences for Slain Officer

Since the parents reportedly could not afford a locksmith, they had no idea how to unlock the door.

Deputies from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office were about to break the window of the vehicle when a nearby group of inmates offered to help.

The five low-risk, non-violent offenders had been repairing local median strips under the supervision of a law enforcement officer when the incident occurred. With permission from their supervisor, the group of trustees got to work.

MORE: Instead of Running, These Inmates Rush to Aid Their Supervisor Who Collapsed From Stroke Along a Roadside

While the infant’s father soothed his daughter from the window, several of the trustees pried open the SUV door so that the opening was just wide enough for another inmate to slip a coat hanger in through the crack. Within just a few brief minutes, the inmates had managed to activate the electronic lock and open the door.

In a cell phone video that was shared by the infant’s mother, the crowd can be heard cheering as the parents are finally reunited with their distressed daughter.

(WATCH the news coverage below) – Photo by Shadow Lantry

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“The secret to happiness is not doing what one likes, but in liking what one does.” – James M. Barrie

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “The secret to happiness is not doing what one likes, but in liking what one does.” – James M. Barrie

Photo: by Nathan Rupert, 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?

MOTH Monday: ‘Something Really Good Will Come From This’

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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.

Denise Scheuermann took the stage in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to tell the audience about a ritual of hope that she always used throughout her medical career.

Something really good will come from this.

It was a mantra she used in her own life, whenever she wanted to invoke the best intentions for a project or outcome.

She also spoke it aloud whenever she mailed out lab specimens, hoping that the best outcomes would manifest from the test results.

MORE MOTH Mondays: The Gift Returned That Meant the World

She often worked with anxiety-ridden patients undergoing in-vitro fertilization—and the kindness she showed to them every day came back to bless her at a moment when she needed it most.

Listen to her story below…

The Moth gives people an opportunity to tell a true story in front of a live audience, and sometimes their stories are chosen to air on the radio show, now celebrating its tenth year, and broadcasting on 485+ public radio stations—and on The Moth podcast, which is downloaded over 52 million times a year.

The Moth’s third book, Occasional Magic: True Stories About Defying the Impossible will be published in March 2019 and is available for pre-order from your favorite bookseller now.

SHARE the Ritual, and Multiply the Good…

New Harvard Study Says That Men Can Avoid Heart Problems By Doing a Certain Amount of Pushups

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Good News Network
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This intriguing new Harvard study shows that middle-aged men who can complete a certain number of push-ups are far less likely to experience heart-related diseases.

Active, middle-aged men who are able to complete more than 40 push-ups had a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes—including diagnoses of coronary artery disease and major events such as heart failure—during 10 years of follow-up compared with those who were able to do less than 10 push-ups during the baseline exam.

“Our findings provide evidence that push-up capacity could be an easy, no-cost method to help assess cardiovascular disease risk in almost any setting,” said first author Justin Yang, occupational medicine resident at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

“Surprisingly, push-up capacity was more strongly associated with cardiovascular disease risk than the results of submaximal treadmill tests,” he added.

RELATED: 86-Year-old Has Lost 120 Pounds Simply By Walking Around Her One-Bedroom Apartment

This study was published earlier this week in JAMA Network Open.

Objective assessments of physical fitness are considered strong predictors of health status; however, the majority of current tools such as treadmill tests are too expensive and time-consuming to use during routine exams. This is the first known study to report an association between push-up capacity and subsequent cardiovascular disease outcomes.

The researchers analyzed health data from 1,104 active male firefighters collected from 2000 to 2010. Their mean age was 39.6 and mean body mass index (BMI) was 28.7. Participants’ push-up capacity and submaximal treadmill exercise tolerance were measured at the start of the study, and each man subsequently completed annual physical examinations and health and medical questionnaires.

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

During the 10-year study period, 37 CVD-related outcomes were reported. All but one occurred in men who completed 40 or fewer pushups during the baseline exam. The researchers calculated that men able to do more than 40 push-ups had a 96% reduced risk of CVD events compared with those who were able to do less than 10 push-ups. Push-up capacity was more strongly associated with lower incidence of cardiovascular disease events than was aerobic capacity as estimated by a submaximal treadmill exercise test.

Because the study population consisted of middle-aged, occupationally active men, the results may not be generalizable to women or to men of other ages or who are less active, note the authors.

“This study emphasizes the importance of physical fitness on health, and why clinicians should assess fitness during clinical encounters,” said senior author Stefanos Kales, professor in the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard Chan School.

(Source: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Health)

Cure Your Friends Of Negativity By Sharing The Healthy News To Social Media – Photo by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Health

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

By
McKinley Corbley
-

It’s a police officer’s job to protect and serve – but Kevin Briggs never thought that his job would lead him to save over 200 people from committing suicide.

Briggs has been dubbed the “Guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge” because of his awe-inspiring history of talking people down from the edge of the historic landmark.

The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the world’s most notorious spots for suicide attempts. Briggs, who is a California Highway Patrol officer, was first stationed on the bridge in 1994 – but he says that he had never been trained on how to handle suicidal people.

As he encountered more and more distraught individuals, however, he began to pick up more and more strategies on how he could talk to them efficiently. Whenever he successfully managed to coax someone off of the ledge, he would ask them about which parts of his approach were helpful and which ones weren’t.

RELATED: Beer Deliveryman Prevents Suicide on a Bridge By Offering a Cold One—While Channeling Denzel Washington

“I think my approach right from the start was wrong,” Briggs told CBC in an interview. “Just to walk right up to those folks and start talking with them. Now what I do is I stand back and I’ll just introduce myself. I’ll say ‘Hi I’m Kevin’ or ‘I’m Kevin with the Highway Patrol, is it okay, is it alright if I come up and speak with you for a bit?’ I want to get their permission and empower them.”

One his most notable encounters was with a man named Kevin Berthia back in 2005. At the time, Berthia was a 22-year-old who was drowning in medical bills from caring for his prematurely-born infant daughter. In the midst of his depression, Berthia climbed onto the edge of the bridge and prepared to take his own life – and then he was approached by Briggs.

Briggs later said that the man seemed angry with him – but in an interview with NPR, Berthia told him otherwise.

MORE: Police Officer Vaults Over 30-Foot Overpass in Order to Save Suicidal Boy

“I was just mad at myself for being in that situation and I was embarrassed,” Berthia said. “But somehow the compassion in your voice is what allowed me to kinda let my guard down enough for us to have a conversation.

“We talked for 92 minutes about everything that I was dealing with. My daughter, her first birthday was the next month. And you made me see that if nothing else, I need to live for her.”

Out of all of Briggs’s encounters on the bridge, Berthia is one of the only people who he has stayed in contact with over the years. Briggs retired from the CHP in 2013, and he now works in suicide prevention and mental health awareness. Sometimes, Berthia even joins him for speaking events.

CHECK OUT: Homeless Man Becomes a Hero After Saving Woman Who Jumped From Bridge

On top of all of this, Briggs hopes that his legacy on the Golden Gate Bridge will inspire other people to take depression more seriously – whether it’s in themselves or their loved ones.

“It takes a lot of courage to be over that rail,” Briggs told CBC. “It takes a lot of courage. But it also takes a lot of courage to come back and face the reality that is with them right now. But there is a brighter side to this, and it can happen, and it might take a long time and a lot of work. But life is beautiful and, you know, it is worth living.”

If you want to learn more about Briggs’s career, you can buy his autobiography or watch his critically-acclaimed TED talk below.

Build Up Some Positivity With Your Friends By Sharing The Inspirational Story To Social Media – Photo by Kevin Briggs

Australia is Creating Renewable Energy Faster Than Other Countries and They’re Planting 1 Billion Trees to Boot

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Good News Network
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An exciting new piece of research claims that Australia is installing renewable energy faster than any other country – and on top of that, the government recently announced they are taking even more steps to reduce their national carbon footprint by planting one billion trees by 2050.

The research, which was conducted by The Australian National University (ANU), found that Australia is installing renewable power per person each year faster than any other country, which is putting it on track to meet its entire Paris Agreement emissions reduction targets 5 years early.

If the nation continues at its current pace, it is likely to be powered by 100% renewable power sources by 2032.

Lead researcher Professor Andrew Blakers said Australia was installing renewable power per capita several times faster than the European Union, Japan, China and the United States, based on preliminary data available for installations globally last year.

MORE: NASA Happily Reports the Earth is Greener, With More Trees Than 20 Years Ago–and It’s Thanks to China, India

“The installation of renewables in Australia last year really ramped up compared to these other major economies, and we expect that trend to continue this year and beyond,” said Professor Blakers. “The electricity sector is on track to deliver Australia’s entire Paris emissions reduction targets five years early, in 2025 – without the need for any creative accounting.

“Australia is on track to reach 50 per cent renewable electricity in 2024 and 100 per cent by 2032. The Australian renewable energy experience offers real hope for rapid global emissions reductions to preserve a living planet,” he added.

Co-researcher Dr Matthew Stocks said the net cost of achieving the 2030 carbon emission targets set in the Paris Agreement would be zero because expensive fossil fuels were being replaced by cheaper renewables.

WATCH: After Planting a Tree Every Day for 40 Years, Man Has Created Blossoming Forest on Barren Wasteland

“The price of electricity from large-scale solar PV and windfarms in Australia is currently about $50 per Megawatt-hour (MWh), and steadily falling,” Dr Stocks said. “This is below the cost of electricity from existing gas-fired power stations and is also below the cost of new-build gas and coal power stations. Nearly all of the new power stations are either PV or wind. We anticipate that this will continue into the future, provided that energy policy is not actively hindering development.”

Meanwhile, the Australian government just announced the launch of a new Regional Forestry Hubs plan to plant one billion trees by 2050.

RELATED: People Have Passively Planted Over 30 Million Trees Simply by Surfing the Web

The initiative is expected to remove over 18 million tons of greenhouse gas per year and create over 1.25 million new jobs over the course of the next five years alone.

“This plan ambitiously aims to deliver a billion new trees to meet a projected quadrupling of global demand for timber products by 2050, planting the right trees, at the right scale in the right places,” said Prime Minister Scott Morrison. “The end result will be better returns to business, more investment, more jobs and greater economic prosperity for Australia.”

Plant Some Positivity By Sharing The Green News With Your Friends On Social Media – Photo by Australian National University

This 2-Year-Old Deaf Girl Loves People – So Her Whole Neighborhood is Learning Sign Language

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Good News Network
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Hearing impairment can often serve as a social barrier for those who don’t know how to speak sign language – but in this little Massachusetts town, sign language has actually brought the community together.

2-year-old Samantha Savitz is deaf, but that doesn’t stop her from being an outgoing little toddler. Whenever Samantha is out with her parents in their town of Newton, she tries to chat up everyone she meets.

LOOK: 15-Year-old Melts the Hearts of Airline Passengers When She Befriends Blind and Deaf Passenger

As the youngster got older, she continuously tried to befriend her neighbors – and they were all heartbroken when they were unable to respond because they did not know sign language.

Rather than giving up, the entire community started attending sign language classes so they could communicate with Samantha.

(WATCH the emotional video below or our international viewers can watch the video on the CBS News website) – Photo by CBS News

Give Your Friends A Sign Of Positivity By Sharing The Good News To Social Media…

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” – Albert Einstein

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” – Albert Einstein

Photo: by CLAUDIA DEA, 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?

Ireland Will Finally Get Its Own Ice Hockey Rink, Thanks to a VERY Famous Canadian

By
McKinley Corbley
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Want to LISTEN to this story? Hear the segment from The Good News Guru (the GNN Founder) on our Friday radio broadcast with Ellen K on KOST-103.5 — Or, READ the story below…
(Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes – or for Androids, on Podbean)

The Republic of Ireland surprisingly has no year-round ice-skating rinks, so the nation’s youth hockey teams have struggled to find suitable practice space—but that’s about to change, thanks to a world famous hockey fan in Canada.

Ever since the Dundalk Ice Dome closed in 2010, the hockey clubs have been practicing on inline roller skates, until the winter holidays when the seasonal rinks open for about seven weeks.

Despite this, more Irish kids are developing a passion for the sport.

LOOK: These Tales of Kindness From the World Cup Are the Best Examples of Humanity at its Finest

“I suppose ice hockey is perfectly suited to Irish people,” Flying Penguins club president Aisling Daly told CBC. “We’ve got a lot of contact sports here.”

Then, in 2016, everything was about to change. The club received an unexpected message from Kevin Murphy, a Canadian man from the Irish Societies of Montreal who is passionate about his Irish heritage.

When he heard there were Irish hockey teams that shared Canada’s love for the sport, he reached out to Daly and asked if the team would like to march in Montreal’s St Patrick’s Day parade.

MORE: Norway Wants to Give Finland a Mountain For Its Birthday

When players on the Flying Penguins team flew over, they were stunned by how Canadian kids had the freedom to hit the ice whenever they wanted.

And while in Canada the kids got to voice those frustrations to none other than the country’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“He really took it on, he really understood what they wanted to do. I won’t say he promised, but he did tell them he would do what he could,” said Murphy, recalling how Trudeau listened attentively.

CHECK OUT: Watch Stand-in Goalie Who Has Never Played Pro Steal the Show With Perfect Winning Streak

Four months later, the handsome young leader traveled to Ireland to negotiate trade agreements with the EU and, true to his word, talked up the plight of local hockey players to Irish lawmakers.

Because of Trudeau’s promise to the Flying Penguins, local Irish lawmakers secured funding for a new ice rink – and it will be opening at the same spot as the previous ice dome by the end of the summer, just before the start of the new season.

And, the Canadian Murphy is excitedly planning to attend the rink’s grand opening with his new friends on the other side of the pond.

Don’t Give This Sweet Story The Cold Shoulder: Share It With Your Friends On Social Media – Photo by Aisling Daly

Ireland Will Finally Get Its Own Ice Hockey Rink –Thanks to a Very Famous Canadian (GNN podcast)

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Good News Network
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Devoted Irish hockey teams will soon have a place to skate thanks to a very famous Canadian — a hockey fan on the other side of the pond. Hear our Good News Guru tell the inspiring story on the radio in Los Angeles—during the February 15, 2019 Ellen K. Morning Show on KOST-103.5.

READ the full story here.

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 Pre

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