Quote of the Day: “The miracle is that the honey is always there, right under your nose, only you were too busy searching elsewhere to realize it.” – Henry Miller
Photo by: Kai Hawes
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
104 years ago today, Coco Chanel debuted her “No. 5” perfume, as revolutionary a fashion-fragrance as was every made. Smelling unlike anything that until then had been sold, and hoping to appeal to the free-wheeling, flapper culture of the 1920s, the glass bottle, rather than appearing as an over-elaborate crystal vial, was inspired by a whiskey decanter. Andy Warhol chose to commemorate its iconic status in the mid-1980s with his pop art, silk-screened, Ads: Chanel. READ more about the famous fragrance… (1921)
While driving through rural Iowa at dusk, Kurt Massimilla and his family experienced a once-in-a-lifetime wildlife encounter—spotting not one, but two rare albino deer.
The Dubuque-area residents witnessed a rare incident— with some estimates placing the odds of seeing two together at 1 in 400 million, said Kurt.
The sighting (see the video below) occurred five weeks ago as they were heading home from a birthday dinner for the family’s 13-year-old son.
“We were driving home just at dusk on this back road and all of a sudden, my wife was like, ‘Oh my God, an albino deer!’ Just the tone in her voice…she was like a giddy teenager,” the 56-year-old recalled.
“I actually saw it, and I thought it was like a white llama or something like that.
“So I put on the brakes and backed up, and there were two of them out in the field just hanging out,” he told SWNS news agency.
The genetic mutation that causes albinism in deer results in a lack of pigmentation, making them stand out starkly against their surroundings, so it’s illegal to hunt them in Iowa and other US states.
WILDLIFE KINDNESS FROM TEENS: Students Given $15,000 to Use AI to Prevent Deer From Running into Cars
A pair were reportedly spotted elsewhere in the state previously in both 2020 and 2023 and estimates calculate that albinism occurs about once in every 30,000 deer births. Deer can also exhibit leucism, a condition that causes a lack of pigment, resulting in white patches or a fully white coat.
SWEET! LOOK:
• Orphaned Deer Falls Head Over Hooves For Rescuer’s 11-Month-Old Daughter
• Tiny ‘Mouse Deer’ Rediscovered in Vietnam After Being Lost to Science Since 1990
• Daughter Surprises Her Deer–Loving Dying Mom With Visit from Bambi – Her Face Says It All
Kurt, who recently moved to Iowa from Arizona, has a deep appreciation for wildlife.
“We’re big wildlife enthusiasts, so it was kind of neat to see. We love seeing animals that you typically don’t see on the beaten trail.”
LISTEN to the excitement expressed in the car during their family video below…
SEND THE UNICORNS to Nature Lovers By Sharing on Social Media…
This week marks Teacher Appreciation Week, and we can’t think of a better role model than this preschool teacher who spotted a developmental quirk in a little boy who was then able to get early treatment for a serious and rare condition.
Every child is unique in terms of their development—but there are some milestones in childhood that, if delayed or missed, could be a warning sign of a deeper medical issue.
That was exactly the case for little boy named Hudson, whose parents consider his preschool teacher to be a blessing because she spotted a very early sign that Hudson might have a rare muscle disease.
The Arizona teacher noticed that he was not running as fast as the other children in class and – notably – was relying on something called the Gower’s maneuver to get himself up off the floor (a maneuver in which a person uses their arms to walk their body from a seated to standing position).
From her experience with other students Hudson’s age (3-4 years-old at the time), she knew that type of movement wasn’t normal and pulled Hudson’s parents aside to share her subtle observation with the advice that they should have him checked out by a specialist.
“Hudson would walk up to the classroom with a very large–gated, slow walk holding his mom’s or grandma’s hand for help,” recalled the Tucson-area teacher Twyla Pobuda.
“When getting up from the floor, sitting, or playing on the grass, he would have to get on all fours and push himself up with both of his hands, sometimes struggling to rotate his hips to a comfortable position to get up. Running was also hard for him to coordinate his muscle strength.”
“I decided that I needed to ask his mom if she had noticed any of these motor skill struggles at home. Little did we know or expect the diagnosis that was finally to come.”
A visit to a neurologist and subsequent testing led to the scary diagnosis: Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a muscle-wasting disease that affects a child’s ability to walk by the time they reached middle-school age.
“Mrs. Twyla is such a blessing to our family,” Hudson’s mom told GNN. “Without her I truly believe Hudson would have gone undiagnosed for a while and we would not have been able to receive early interventions.”
“We are forever grateful for her courage and her knowledge of preschoolers.”
Getting that early diagnosis proved invaluable because Duchenne is a progressive disease where muscle is lost every day. Twyla’s sharp eye ultimately enabled the boy in 2023 to become one of the first children in the country to receive Elevidys, the first and only FDA-approved gene therapy for Duchenne—giving the family hope for Hudson’s future.
“I truly believe that Mrs. Twyla was brought into our life for a specific reason, and she has changed the trajectory of Hudson’s life.”
MORE GOOD NEWS FOR DUCHENNE:
• ‘Wearable Muscles’ Restore Mobility in Those Who Have Trouble Moving Their Arms
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“Since we found out when Hudson was still fairly young, we were able to provide early intervention which is key to treating Duchenne… and he would not be doing as good as he is today.”
“Almost 4 years later, Hudson is able to enjoy his childhood, all because one teacher cared enough to make a difference.”
OVERCOMING MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY: The Steven Hawking of Drone-based Agriculture Overcomes Disability with Entrepreneurial Drive
Initially, the family had reported similar observations to their pediatrician, but he was not concerned—so they knew that something was off when they were approached by Mrs. Twyla, who now considers the outcome to be a bit of a miracle.
“I was relieved to have an answer,” she told GNN. “There surely was more to the plan for Hudson’s life and that was nothing but a miracle!
“It takes one voice of concern to make a difference and each child deserves that.”
HONOR YOUR FAVORITE TEACHERS By Sharing The Inspiration on Social Media…
An Ohio music conductor dealing with Parkinson’s disease was fitted with a ‘pacemaker for the brain’ allowing him to control his tremors and lead his orchestra once again.
Rand Laycock was diagnosed with Parkinson’s just before his 60th birthday, after going to his doctor with a twitch in his thumb.
Rand’s symptoms progressed over the years and he started to experience a tremor in his right hand, which became more noticeable if he had a looming deadline with his 100 piece orchestra.
Unable to control his shaking with medications alone, Rand learned about deep brain stimulation (DBS) at the Cleveland Clinic, and underwent surgery last year to insert the stimulation leads and battery—and now his tremor has nearly disappeared.
“My tremor is almost all gone, except if I experience extreme anxiety or stress,” the conductor said in a media release. “And my dyskinesia is pretty well under control.” (See the remarkable difference in the video below…)
“When I was diagnosed 11 years ago, my doctor at the time told me this wasn’t a death sentence, and there would be advancements over the next few years to help with my treatment. And here I am today with adaptive deep brain stimulation – something we didn’t even know about at the time,” says Rand of Olmsted Falls, Ohio.
ALSO CHECK OUT: Man Living with Tremors for 30 Years Is Cured by Ultrasound Beam Paid by Medicare: ‘It’s unbelievable!’
“I know the thought of brain surgery can be intimidating, but it’s a life-changing procedure that allows you to become your own self again.”
Dr. Michal Gostkowski, DO, a neurologist at Cleveland Clinic explained that DBS involves implanting a device to deliver electrical currents to specific parts of the brain that control movement, which helps to modulate the abnormal brain signals caused by Parkinson’s.
He first underwent operations to insert the stimulation leads and implant the stimulator battery before having the device activated by programmer Erica Hennigs.
She explained, “When it comes to programming the device, we try different settings at first. We then adjust those during follow-up visits as we learn more about how his symptoms are being controlled.”
Rand saw success with DBS for nearly a year, and then he learned about a new advancement called adaptive deep brain stimulation (aDBS).
Although not everyone with DBS needs this adaptive technology, Rand was a good candidate for it because his symptoms fluctuated throughout the day.
MORE SUCCESS WITH PARKINSON’S:
• Severe Shaking in Parkinson’s Patient Calms Down in Just 6 Days With New Drug –Watch the Transformation
• This is the Gene That Could Prevent Parkinson’s Disease
Since his overall experience with DBS had been positive, Rand was eager to try the new adaptive technology.
“It sounded like it would make my life simpler – not having to worry about adjusting my device settings and medications as frequently.”
Erica confirmed that fine-tuning with aDBS would reduce the risk of him experiencing tremors if his medication were to wear off in the middle of a concert or performance.
AMAZING: Boy Invents Smart Spoon for His Uncle’s Trembling Hands that Is Affordable in India
In March, Rand started using aDBS and now his tremor is almost gone—and he looks forward to his 47th year of conducting.
“My symptoms are minimal compared to the way they were and a lot of that is due to the adaptive deep brain stimulation.”
WATCH the video from the Cleveland Clinic…
SHAKE UP EXPECTATIONS FOR PARKINSON’S By Sharing This On Social Media…
The Lesson: Ever wonder why some habits stick so easily while others are nearly impossible to change? This video explains how your brain forms habits through a process called the habit loop—and how you can use that same process to change your behavior. You’ll learn the science behind automatic routines, why willpower isn’t enough, and practical strategies to build better habits that support your mental resilience.
Notable Excerpt: “Your brain doesn’t distinguish between good habits and bad habits. The process is exactly the same whether you habitually drink water all day or reach for a cigarette when you’re feeling stressed… It explains why certain habits—especially those involving dopamine-rich rewards like eating sweets—can be so hard to break. The reinforcement from dopamine (‘the pleasure chemical’) is why willpower alone is not enough to change your habits. One of the biggest insights from habit research is that habits are not eliminated—they are replaced… You need to swap it out for a better alternative, one that still gives your brain a sense of reward.” (She provides good examples of alternatives in the video.)
The Host: Dr. Tracey Marks is a psychiatrist with over 20 years of experience. She empowers people to take control of their mental health by understanding the mind-brain connection and how it is key to building resilience. She explores mental practices that influence your brain—and the neuroscience behind these practices, showing you how to optimize your brain for a fulfilling life.
The YouTube channel: Dr. Marks has over 2 million subscribers on her YouTube channel where viewers can find playlists featuring videos about depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, willpower, sleep, and self esteem.
Books by Dr. Marks: Why Am I So Anxious?: Powerful Tools for Recognizing Anxiety and Restoring Your Peace – AND – Master Your Sleep: Proven Methods Simplified
PASS On The Wisdom to Folks Trying to Kick Habits–SHARE This on Social Media…
Quote of the Day: “Nature is often hidden, sometimes overcome, seldom extinguished.” – Francis Bacon (The same goes for human nature!)
Photo by: Morgane Le Breton
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
199 years ago today, Frederic Edwin Church, one of the foremost painters in the American landscape movement known as the Hudson River School, was born. His absolutely stunning depictions of North and South American wilderness put an emphasis on realistic detail, dramatic light, and panoramic views. In his pomp, Church was the most famous painter in New York City, and a wonderful selection of his works can be seen today at the National Gallery in Washington DC SEE some and read more about his life… (1826)
Scientists have unveiled a new food source designed to sustain honey bee colonies indefinitely without natural pollen.
The research from Washington State University and APIX Biosciences in Belgium details successful trials where nutritionally stressed colonies, deployed for commercial crop pollination in Washington state, thrived on the new food source.
The innovation resembles human “Power Bars” and contains all the nutrients honey bees need. It’s expected to become a potent strategy for combating the rate of colony collapse and safeguarding global farm crops that depend on bee pollination.
Placed directly into honey bee colonies where young bees process and distribute the essential nutrients to the larvae and adult bees, the breakthrough addresses the growing challenge of lack of adequate nutrition in their environment.
“Changes in land use, urban expansion, and extreme weather all negatively impact nutrition for honey bees and other pollinators,” Brandon Hopkins, WSU Professor of Pollinator Ecology, explained in a media release.
“Honey bees are generalists and do not get all their nutrition from a single source. They need variety in their diet to survive but find it increasingly difficult to find the continuous supply of pollen they need to sustain the colony.”
“Until this study, honey bees were the only livestock that could not be maintained on a man-made feed,” said Dr. Patrick Pilkington, CEO of APIX Biosciences US.
“The reported scientific work shows in commercial field conditions that providing nutritionally stressed colonies with our pollen-replacing feed results in a major measurable step change in colony health compared to current best practices. Our product has the potential to change the way honey bees are managed.”
POPULAR BUZZ: A Country of 2 Million is the World Leader in Beekeeping and Protecting Pollinators
The research, published this month in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, is a culmination of over a decade of work involving extensive collaboration.
“The newly published work is the result of a herculean scientific effort of three teams,” said Thierry Bogaert, lead author and chairman of APIX Biosciences.
“First, the founders and scientists of APIX Biosciences who tested thousands of combinations of ingredients on honey bees over more than 10 years to create this feed. Second, the WSU team with leading honey bee and field expertise, and, third, leading beekeepers in California together with extension teams. They made large scale and science-based field testing of feeds possible.” (Paper co-author Anne Marie Fauvel managed that third aspect.)
A critical discovery within the research is the role of isofucosterol, a molecule found naturally in pollen that acts as a vital nutrient for honey bees. Colonies fed with the isofucosterol-enriched food survived an entire season without pollen access, while those without it experienced severe declines, including reduced larval production, adult paralysis, and colony collapse. The new feed also contains a comprehensive blend of the other nutrients honey bees require.
To validate the efficacy of the new food source under real-world conditions, WSU conducted field trials with nutritionally stressed colonies in blueberry and sunflower fields, both known for poor pollen quality for bees. Compared to colonies receiving standard commercial feed or no supplementation, those fed the new food source thrived, demonstrating increased survival and colony growth.
MORE GOOD NEWS FOR BEES:
• Bumblebees Increase by More than 100x in ‘Remarkable’ Scotland Rewilding Project–From 35 Bees to over 4,000
• Beekeeper Finds Grandfather’s Long-Lost Hives Thriving in Quarry–and Turns Them into a Colony of Millions
• California Governor Signs Law to Help Protect Pollinators From Toxic Pesticides
• World’s First Vaccine for Declining Honeybees Approved By the US for Conditional Use
“Some beekeepers don’t pollinate blueberries anymore because colonies suffer or die and the pollination fees don’t cover the losses,” said WSU Prof. Hopkins, a co-author of the paper.
“Blueberry pollen isn’t very nutritious for honey bees, and they aren’t adapted well to pollinating that crop. But if they have this supplemental food source, beekeepers may return to pollinating those fields since they know their bees are more likely to survive.”
Pilkington summarized the team’s optimism saying they are working with the beekeeping community across the U.S. to develop the best way to make use of this new tool in agricultural settings.
“We are confident that the product will positively impact beekeepers and growers once it’s available to purchase in the U.S., which is targeted for mid-2026.”
CREATE A POSITIVE BUZZ By Sharing The Bee Breakthrough on Social Media…
An adopted woman met her two sisters for the first time in 44 years—after hiring a private detective to track down her birth family.
Magda Berg hired the detective after her own 20-year search hit a dead end. She paid $1,300 and had the names and addresses of her family members four months later.
The 44-year old and mother-of-one was able to meet her birth mother and discovered she had three half siblings, including two sisters. Now she feels a “real sense of family”.
“My sisters and I connected straight away, it was amazing,” said the receptionist from Buckinghamshire, England, who now has regular contact with Beata and Daria, both in their early 40s. “I am very, very happy.
“We have a lot in common. We all talk about life in the same way, like we were raised together, and we’re able to finish each others’ sentences.
“I now have that real sense of family that I had been missing.
Magda grew up in Poland and was told that she was adopted as a baby. She moved to the UK in 2005 but all she knew about her birth mom was her name, the village where she gave birth, and the location of the convent where she had been left.
She started to feel curious about her birth family at age 18 after her adoptive parents were killed in a car crash. However, the convent where she’d been left as an infant had closed and she couldn’t find out any more information about her origins.
A change in Polish law meant she could request her original birth certificate in January 2018, so she was able to discover her birth mother’s maiden name and the town she had lived in.
AMAZING: Two Sisters Put Up for Adoption at End of WWII Finally Reunite After 75 Years Apart
After struggling to get any further, Magda decided to hire a private detective who discovered the name and address for her mum and revealed she had three half siblings: two sisters and a brother.
The detective sent two letters of introduction to her birth mother on Magda’s behalf but got no answer. Then, Magda’s half sister Beata found one of the letters and contacted the detective and arranged to meet Magda.
They met up in a restaurant when Magda was on holiday in Warsaw just after Christmas.
“It was like meeting my other half,” Magda told SWNS news agency. “We talked like we’d known each other our whole lives.”
A year later Magda’s mother finally agreed to meet her in a café, and revealed that she was 20-years-old and unmarried when she became pregnant with Magda. She later married a different man, with whom she had the other three children.
A WILD DISCOVERY: Bakery Owner Discovers Her Longtime Customer Is Her Biological Son
Magda now also has a young niece who calls her ‘my auntie in the UK’.
The three sisters get together twice a year and send long messages every month.
“It’s so lovely to have Daria and Beata. We look quite alike, and we all like reading, sight seeing, and going to the forest. I share interests with them that I did not share with my adoptive parents.
SWEET SOCIAL MEDIA SURPRISE: Woman Looking for Birth Parents Learns That Dad Was a ‘Friend’ on Facebook
“I have a whole new sense of belonging. We really love each other. I’ve never had such a great relationship.”
“It’s funny because I now talk about ‘my sisters,’ and when I hear myself say it I’m still really surprised.”
INSPIRE SOMEONE ELSE’S SEARCH By Sharing the Story On Social Media…
A revolutionary new antidote neutralizes the venom of 19 of the world’s deadliest snakes, including the black mamba, king cobra, and tiger snakes.
Researchers used antibodies from a human donor with a “hyper-immunity” to snake venom to develop the most broadly effective antivenom to date.
It combines protective antibodies and a small molecule inhibitor and opens a path toward a universal antiserum, according to new research.
How antivenom is made has not changed much over the previous 100 years. It usually involves immunizing horses or sheep with venom from single snake species and collecting the antibodies produced.
While effective, scientists say the process can result in adverse reactions to the non-human antibodies, and treatments tend to be region-specific and only for one species.
While exploring ways to improve the process, American researchers came across someone named Tim Friede who had self-induced a hyper-immunity in himself to the effects of snake neurotoxins.
“The donor, for a period of nearly 18 years, had undertaken hundreds of bites and self-immunizations with escalating doses from 16 species of very lethal snakes that would normally kill a horse,” said study first author Dr. Jacob Glanville, CEO of Centivax Inc, based in California.
After Friede agreed to participate in the study, researchers found that by exposing himself to the venom of various snakes over several years, he had generated antibodies that were effective against several snake neurotoxins at once.
“What was exciting about the donor was his once-in-a-lifetime unique immune history,” said Dr. Glanville in a media release.
“Not only did he potentially create these broadly neutralizing antibodies, it could give rise to a broad-spectrum or universal antivenom.”
To build the antivenom, the research team first created a testing panel with 19 of the World Health Organization’s category 1 and 2 deadliest snakes, a group which contains roughly half of all venomous species, including coral snakes, mambas, cobras, taipans, and kraits.
The researchers then isolated target antibodies from the donor’s blood that reacted with neurotoxins found within the snake species tested.
One by one, the antibodies were tested in mice envenomed from each species included in the panel.
Using that method, scientists could systematically build a “cocktail” comprising a minimum but sufficient number of components to render all the venoms ineffective.
The research team formulated a mixture comprising three major components: two antibodies isolated from the donor and a small molecule.
WOW, LOOK: ‘Fantastic Grandmas’ Have Been Spending Retirement Photographing Venomous Sea Snakes for Science
The first donor antibody, called LNX-D09, protected mice from a lethal dose of whole venom from six of the snake species. To strengthen the antiserum further, the researchers added the small molecule varespladib, a known toxin inhibitor, which granted protection against an additional three species.
Finally, they added a second antibody isolated from the donor, called SNX-B03, which extended protection across the full panel.
“By the time we reached three components, we had a dramatically unparalleled breadth of full protection for 13 of the 19 species and then partial protection for the remaining that we looked at,” explained Glanville. “We were looking down at our list and thought, ‘what’s that fourth agent?’ And if we could neutralize that, do we get further protection?”
SOCIAL MEDIA SCIENCE: Snake Photo Posted on Instagram Leads to Discovery of New Species From the Himalayas
Even without a fourth agent, he says the results suggest that the three-part cocktail could be effective against many other, if not most, snakes not tested in the study.
Since the antivenom cocktail proved effective in mouse models, the team is now looking to test its efficacy out in the field, beginning by providing the antivenom to dogs brought into veterinary clinics for snake bites in Australia.
The researchers also want to develop an antivenom targeting the other major snake family, vipers, to fully cover the more than a million snake bites annually worldwide.
The lead author of the study published in the journal Cell, Professor Peter Kwong of Columbia University, said: “We’re turning the crank now, setting up reagents to go through this iterative process of saying what’s the minimum sufficient cocktail to provide broad protection against venom from the viperids.”
“The final contemplated product would be a single, pan-antivenom cocktail or we potentially would make two: one that is for the elapids and another that is for the viperids because some areas of the world only have one or the other.”
ANOTHER NEW CURE: 13-year-old Successfully Undergoes World-First Treatment to Cure Rarer-Than-Rare Wild Syndrome
The other major goal of the team—which was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health, the National Institutes of Health Small Business Innovation Research program, and the US Department of Energy—is to approach foundations, governments, and pharmaceutical firms to support the manufacturing and clinical development of the broad-spectrum antivenom.
SLITHER THIS GOOD NEWS To Adventure-Seeking Friends On Social Media…
Our partner Rob Brezsny, who has a new book out, Astrology Is Real: Revelations from My Life as an Oracle, provides his weekly wisdom to enlighten our thinking and motivate our mood. Rob’s Free Will Astrology, is a syndicated weekly column appearing in over a hundred publications. He is also the author of Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How All of Creation Is Conspiring To Shower You with Blessings. (A free preview of the book is available here.)
Here is your weekly horoscope…
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY – Week of May 3, 2025
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Taurus author Nellie Bly (1864–1922) was a daring trailblazer. It was almost impossible for a woman to be a journalist in the 19th century, but she did it anyway. One of her sensational groundbreaking stories came when she did an undercover assignment in New York’s Women’s Lunatic Asylum. Her reporting on the neglect and brutality there prompted major reforms. I nominate Bly as your role model for the foreseeable future. You are, I believe, poised for epic, even heroic adventures, in service to a greater good. (PS: Bly also made a solo trip around the world and wrote 15 books.)
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Gemini painter Henri Rousseau (1844–1910) never saw a jungle in person. In fact, he never left his native country of France. But he painted some of modern art’s most vivid jungle scenes. How did that happen? Well, he visited zoos and botanical gardens, perused images of tropical forests in books, and heard stories from soldiers who had visited jungles abroad. But mostly, he had a flourishing imagination that he treated with reverent respect. I urge you to follow his lead, Gemini. Through the joyful, extravagant power of your imagination, get the inspiration and education you need. The next three weeks will be prime time to do so.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
No, ruby-throated hummingbirds don’t hitch rides on airplanes or the backs of geese. They make their epic migrations completely under their own power. To get to their wintering grounds, many fly alone from the southern United States to the Yucatan Peninsula, crossing the 500-mile expanse of the Gulf of Mexico in 20 hours. I don’t recommend you attempt heroic feats like theirs in the coming weeks, Cancerian. More than usual, you need and deserve to call on support and help. Don’t be shy about getting the exact boosts you require. It’s time to harvest the favors you are owed and to be specific in articulating your wishes.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
The golden pheasant is dazzling. Among the bright colors that appear in its plumage are gold, red, orange, yellow, blue, black, green, cinnamon, and chestnut. In accordance with astrological omens, I name this charismatic bird to be your spirit creature for the coming weeks. Feel free to embrace your inner golden pheasant and express it vividly wherever you go. This is a perfect time to boldly showcase your beauty and magnificence, even as you fully display your talents and assets. I brazenly predict that your enthusiastic expression of self-love will be a good influence on almost everyone you encounter.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Virgo poet and visual artist Dorothea Tanning (1910–2012) had a few mottoes that endlessly nurtured her abundant creative output. Here’s one: “Keep your eye on your inner world and keep away from ads, idiots, and movie stars.” As excellent as that advice is, it’s a challenge to follow it all the time. If we want to function effectively, we can’t always be focused on our inner worlds. However, I do believe you are now in a phase when you’re wise to heed her counsel more than usual. Your soul’s depths have a lot to teach you. Your deep intuition is full of useful revelations. Don’t get distracted from them by listening too much to ads, idiots, and celebrities.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is essential for the functioning of your body and every other animal’s. It carries instructions about how to build proteins, and your cells are full of it. We humans can’t edit this magic substance, but octopuses can. They do it on the fly, enabling them to adapt quickly to changing environmental conditions. Even though you Libras can’t match their amazing power with RNA, you do have a substantial capacity to rewrite your plans and adjust your mindset. And this talent of yours will be especially available to you in the coming weeks. Your flexibility and adaptability will not only help you navigate surprises but may also open up exciting new opportunities.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Is there a sanctuary you can retreat to? A relaxing oasis where you can slip away from the world’s colorful madness? I would love for you to be bold enough to seek the precise healing you need. You have every right to escape the rotting status quo and give yourself full permission to hide from pressure, demands, and expectations. Is there music that brings you deep consolation? Are there books and teachers that activate your profound soul wisdom? Keep that good stuff nearby. It’s time for focused relief and regeneration.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
The chemical element known as arsenic is notoriously toxic for humans, but has long been useful in small amounts. Ancient Chinese metallurgists discovered that blending it with copper and tin made the finest, strongest bronze. In modern times, arsenic fortifies the lead in car batteries. People in the 19th century sometimes ingested tiny doses as a stimulant. In this spirit, Sagittarius, I invite you to transform potentially challenging elements in your life into sources of strength. Can you find ways to incorporate iffy factors instead of eliminating them? I assure you that you have the power to recognize value in things others may neglect or reject.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Renowned Capricorn author Henry Miller (1891–1980) had to wait far too long before getting readers in his home country, the United States. American censors regarded his explosive texts as too racy and sexy. They forbade the publication of his books until he was 69 years old! His spirit was forever resolute and uncrushable, though. In accordance with astrological omens, Capricorn, I recommend you adopt his counsel on the subject of wonders and marvels. Miller wrote, “The miracle is that the honey is always there, right under your nose, only you were too busy searching elsewhere to realize it.” Here’s another gem from Miller: He advised us “to make the miracle more and more miraculous, to swear allegiance to nothing, but live only miraculously, think only miraculously, die miraculously.”
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
For now, everything depends on your foundation, your roots, and your support system. If I were you, I would devote myself to nurturing them. Please note that you’re not in any jeopardy. I don’t foresee strains or tremors. But your graduation to your next set of interesting challenges will require you to be snugly stable, secure, and steady. This is one time when being thoroughly ensconced in your comfort zone is a beautiful asset, not a detriment to be transcended.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
The coming weeks are a favorable time for you to build symbolic bridges. I hope you will link resources that aren’t yet linked. I hope you will work to connect people whose merger would help you, and I hope you will begin planning to move from where you are now to the next chapter of your life. I advise you to not model your metaphorical bridges after modern steel suspension bridges, though. Instead, be inspired by the flexible, natural, and intimate bridges made by the ancient Incas. Woven from ichu grass via community efforts, they were strong enough to span rivers and canyons in the Andes mountains.
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
To create microgardens, you plant vegetables and herbs in small containers placed on your porch, balcony, window sills, and kitchen counter. Lettuce, peas, spinach, and basil might be among your small bounties. I encourage you to use this practice as a main metaphor in the coming weeks. In other words, gravitate away from huge, expansive visions, and instead work creatively within existing constraints. For now, at least, “less is more” should be your operative motto. Meditate on how apparent limitations might lead to inviting innovations. Seek out abundance in unlikely places.
WANT MORE? Listen to Rob’s EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES, 4-5 minute meditations on the current state of your destiny — or subscribe to his unique daily text message service at: RealAstrology.com
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Quote of the Day: “A baby is born with a need to be loved… and never outgrows it.” – Frank A. Clark
Photo by: By Oleg Sergeichik @kpebedko_o
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
72 years ago today, two men were rescued from a semitrailer that crashed over the side of the Pit River Bridge before it fell into the Sacramento River. At the same time, amateur photographer Virginia Schau photographed the effort and won the Pulitzer Prize for Photography as a result. She became the first woman to win the award. She captured the photo with a Kodak brownie. READ more… (1953)
From Tech Crunch comes the story of a trash-sorting robot that just got massive financial backing to improve America’s recycling infrastructure.
Recycling is a difficult industry, as consumers pay little attention to things they throw out, and recycling labor is an unwanted job, even among manual labor positions.
In response, Glacier, a 6-year-old startup hoping to tackle the problems with robotic arms and machine learning, has deployed its products to San Diego, Seattle, Chicago, Detroit, and Los Angeles. But more needs to be done, as well over 1 billion tons of trash is created around the world annually.
Hoping that robotics can make up for human failings at both ends of the recycling process, a variety of venture capital and climate philanthropy funds have chucked $16 million at Glacier and its robots.
Capable of identifying 30 different types of material waste from trash speeding down a conveyor belt, the robots can due what humans just can’t, or wont’
“Every time we send people to audit our AI systems, the people just do so much worse,” Areeb Malik, Glacier’s CTO and second co-founder, told Tech Crunch. “AI is getting really powerful, being able to distinguish beyond what people can even notice.”
Additionally, Tech Crunch reports that materials recovery facilities (MRF) the official name of a recycling plant, have incredibly high turnover rates of employees compared to similar types of work.
ALSO CHECK TO: This Robot Expertly Takes Apart E-Waste So Their Components Can Be Reused
A typical MRF might hire five times a year for the same sorting position, and as Malik points out, all in the name of staffing an inferior set of eyes and hands.
Believing the cause is worth the cost, Glacier offers the sorting robots for outright purchase, or through a lease-to-own program. The firm offers an accompanied maintenance package, but will also allow companies to access the diagnostics data and repair manuals for fixing the bots themselves.
MORE TRASH SORTING ROBOTS: Robot Named Sorty McSortface Uses Mechanical Claws and AI to Sort Tons of Recyclables in Minutes
The robots collect data on recycling waste streams they are tackling, which the company then packages and offers as a research product to municipalities and businesses interested in understanding how much waste of any given type is being collected, how the material streams vary throughout the year, and other statistical data.
The Ecosystem Integrity Fund led the Series A financing round, and was backed by the Amazon Climate Pledge Fund and 10 other funds and intiatives.
WATCH the robot system in action…
SHARE This Financial Shot-In-The-Arm With Your Friends On Social Media…
Already partially-solar powered, the Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) is doubling its solar panel count by utilizing an adjacent property that used to be a landfill.
Now filled in, the 12 acres of terrain will be covered in 4.7 megawatts of solar energy, capable of canceling out 5 million pounds of CO2 emissions that would otherwise be generated from burning fossil fuels.
PIT already boasts its own 23-megawatt solar and natural gas microgrid, an installation which uses solar power to cover PIT’s demands, natural gas to make up the difference during peak hours or if the sun isn’t shining, and which transfers unutilized solar power to local homes and businesses.
The new solar farm on the old landfill will support this mission, leading to fewer cubic meters of gas being burned, and more solar power being sent out into the wider area.
“We’re maximizing the use of airport assets for the betterment of the region—from air service to real estate development to energy innovation,” said PIT CEO Christina Cassotis. “And there’s more to come.”
“More” in this case means the future site of a mini-refinery for sustainable aviation fuel, according to Elektrek, which claimed the landfill solar farm would be operational in 2027 for those looking out of their windows hoping for a glimpse.
OTHER AIRPORT INNOVATIONS:
A release from Blue Sky News references recent blackouts that shut down London Heathrow Airport and airports in Spain and Portugal as a flashpoint that captures the value of PIT’s microgrid, which, along with preventing such calamities, saves the airport $1 million in electricity costs per year.
SHARE This Impressive Display Of Corporate Responsibility And Innovation…
In the ancient English region of Cumbria, a woman discovered to her great surprise that Leonardo, her pet tortoise, had fled her house in Ulverston.
Rachel Etches will occasionally allow Leonardo to wander around the garden lawn to his great enjoyment. Despite being far from a sprinter, it only took one lapse of concentration for one such play date to go terribly awry.
Escaping, Leonardo began a 9-month trip around town right as winter was approaching. Etches set up a social media campaign to try and recruit help in locating her reptile before the temperatures plummeted and the cold-blooded creature froze.
But after the spring thaw, a dog walker noticed him ambling down the street, proving him capable of facing the North English winter, of finding food, and avoiding predators like rowdy shepherd dogs.
MORE LOST TESTUDINES: Lacking Ninja Training, Trapped Turtle is Rescued from City Sewer by Police and Firefighters
“He’s gone on his travels around our little hamlet and he was found about a mile from our house. It was totally my fault, we were out in the garden, we’d just had our second child, I got a bit distracted and he just wandered off out of our sight,” Etches told the BBC.
“He’s led a very comfortable life for 13 years under a heat lamp in my house, so we didn’t think he was going to survive the winter being out for the first time.”
SHARE This Surprisingly Resilient Tortoise And His Winter Holiday Plans On Social Media…
In Kenya, a gathering of young Maasai tribesmen is taking place that wont happen again for a generation.
In the past, the gathering lasted all year, and required young warriors to sleep and survive in the rough, hunt lions, and learn to fight with spears. The goal was to form the leadership of the clans’ next generation.
Now however, the training camp, called the “Enkipaata,” is cultivating a different kind of clan leadership. The 900 or so young warriors attend for only one month—in line with the school holiday so as not to disrupt education. Spears are replaced with sticks, and while wilderness survival skills are still practiced, so are the skills needed for the tribes to survive the 21st century.
With shrinking grazing rights and climate change altering the patterns of rain and pastures, the Maasai need engineers and lawyers more than lion hunters.
The Enkipaata is formed by selecting the most promising youth from the clans of Maasai people across Kenya and Tanzania. Gathering in Narok County, Kenya, they learn essential Maasai values of respect, leadership, and cultural preservation.
Chief Ole Ngoshoshi of the Irkitoip age group stressed the importance of maintaining cultural practices to avoid losing respect within the community, urging the younger generation to safeguard their traditions.
NEWS FROM THE MARA: Transforming Lion Killers into ‘Lion Guardians’ in Africa
“If you lack respect, there will be disorder among the clans,” he said, according to Africa News.
The Maasai have always lived close with the land, and the camp includes a training session on reforestation—seen as a necessary skill for the future generations.
MORE INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE: Bison Ranchers Return Thousands of Animals to Native Lands and Witness Total Rejuvenation of Ecosystem
At the conclusion of the Enkipaata, a feast was prepared for the attendant clans from the meat of a ceremonial and blessed bull. The graduating class was given the name “Iltaretu,” symbolizing unity and hope, and encouraged to preserve the traditions they just undertook, and pursue education.
SHARE This Tribe Adapting To The Challenges Of The Modern World…
Quote of the Day: “Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.” – Julia Child
Photo by: Olivie Strauss for Unsplash+
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
80 years ago today, the Third Reich surrendered Berlin, the Wehrmacht surrendered en masse, and World War II ended in the West as more than 1,000,000 German soldiers officially surrendered across their positions in Italy, Germany, and Austria. A Red Army soldier was famously photographed draping the flag of the Soviet Union down over the Reichstag. READ a bit more of what happened on May 1-2… (1945)
