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“Life is always at some turning point.” – Irwin Edman

Quote of the Day: “Life is always at some turning point.” – Irwin Edman

Photo: by Jonathan, CC license, Flickr

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IQ vs. Willpower: One is a Much Better Predictor of Success

The Lesson: Willpower is a teachable and accessible skill – and it is a much better indicator for success than an IQ score. Being intelligent, although a desirable trait, is not directly correlated to success. We can, however, teach ourselves and others to become successful simply by exercising and developing our willpower. So why don’t kids have a “willpower class” in school?

Notable Excerpt: “…if you know a kid’s willpower and you know their IQ, knowing their willpower score will make you twice as effective at predicting how well they’re doing in school than knowing their IQ … Then, know this: willpower is also the best predictor of pretty much everything else we want in life: great relationships, health, wealth, etc. Most importantly, know this: willpower is 100% teachable.”

The Speaker: Brian Johnson is a philosopher and founder of Optimize.me, a website, app, and free video series that help people to optimize their lives so they can be their best selves. He studies self-improvement books, then breaks them down into bite-sized chunks and ‘Philosopher‘s Notes’ for busy people who want ‘more wisdom in less time’. He also offers Optimal Living classes and online training for your Hero’s Journey.

Podcast: Brian’s podcast, OPTIMIZE with Brian Johnson, features the best big ideas from the best optimal living books. More wisdom in less time (between 4-19 minutes each) to help you live your greatest life. Subscribe: Stitcher — iTunes — Podbean.

Books: In this talk, Johnson refers to a book by David Servan-Shreiber called “Anticancer: A New Way of Life”.

(LISTEN to the intriguing talk below or check out Brian’s website for more information on his Conquering Cancer class)

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Santa is FaceTiming Kids in the Hospital So He Can Surprise Them From the ‘North Pole’

Hospitalized children are getting a healthy dose of holiday cheer thanks to a sweet little initiative from Santa’s workshop.

This week, Nemours Children’s Health System is utilizing their telemedicine service, CareConnect, to allow hospitalized children to have a face-to-face conversation with Santa who will be speaking to them from the “North Pole.”

The children at Nemours hospitals in Orlando and Delaware and will be able to share their Christmas wishes and interact with Santa’s elves who will be helping manage the videoconference in person.

“Being hospitalized at this time of year can leave kids feeling left out of the holiday season. Santa’s virtual visits from the North Pole offer these kids a fun and special experience,” said Carey Officer, Operational Vice President of Nemours CareConnect and Center for Health Delivery Innovation.

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And judging by the reactions of the kids, the initiative has been a huge success.

“I wasn’t expecting this visit at all,” said Rebecca Merrifield, a mother of a Nemours Children’s Hospital patient. “It’s nice to get a little surprise for the children. When we come to the hospital, he can be a little down, but to get lifted up a little bit from a simple virtual call from Santa, is just awesome.”

(WATCH the sweet video below)

Be Sure And Share This Story Of Yuletide Cheer With Your Friends On Social Media

World’s Largest Shipping Company is Ditching Fossil Fuels and Challenging Their Competitors to Do the Same

The world’s largest maritime shipping company has just announced that they are ditching fossil fuels in a bid for carbon neutrality – and they are challenging other companies to do the same.

According to the United Nations, oversea shipping contributes to roughly 3% of the world’s total carbon emissions while handling 90% of the world’s trading. Though phasing out fossil fuels will prove to be difficult, Danish-based shipping company Maersk plans to lead the shift towards sustainability by investing in renewable fuel sources and cleaner shipping models.

“The only possible way to achieve the so-much-needed decarbonization in our industry is by fully transforming to new carbon neutral fuels and supply chains,” says Søren Toft, Chief Operating Officer at Maersk.

“The next 5 to 10 years are going to be crucial. We will invest significant resources for innovation and fleet technology to improve the technical and financial viability of decarbonized solutions. Over the last four years, we have invested around $1 billion and engaged over 50 engineers each year in developing and deploying energy efficient solutions. Going forward we cannot do this alone” adds Søren Toft.

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Developing carbon-neutral shipping vessels is no easy task. According to the company, an electric cargo truck used for shipping purposes is expected to be able to carry two containers and run for 500 miles (800 kilometers) per charging. In comparison, a container vessel carrying thousands of containers sailing from Panama to Rotterdam will need to be able to travel 5,400 miles (8,800 kilometers). With short battery durability and no charging points along the route, innovative developments are imperative.

Since shipping vessels typically run for 20 to 25 years, the company hopes to meet their 2050 carbon neutrality goal by replacing their shipping fleet with clean energy-powered vessels within the next few decades.

Maersk has already gone to great lengths to reduce their carbon footprint. At the end of 2016, Maersk had reduced carbon emissions by 42% per container and reduced their total amount of carbon emissions by 25%.

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Rapper’s Insistence on Featuring Homeless People in Music Video Results in Family Reunion

An English rapper’s insistence on paying homeless people to be extras in his music video has resulted in a long-lost family reunion.

Back in August, Manchester-based musician Bugzy Malone was shooting a music video for his song called “Run”.

Instead of recruiting actors for the shoot, however, he wanted to feature some of the city’s rough sleepers as a means of spotlighting homelessness.

“We went out and got proper homeless people. We had a chance to chat [with] them and give them a little something,” Malone told BBC 1Xtra’s DJ Target in the video interview below. “We got proper people off the streets of Manchester in there.”

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After the video was published, Malone received an email from a local mother who recognized one of the homeless men as her missing son.

The young man had reportedly been missing for almost a year – and his appearance in the video prompted his mother to go out and find him.

Malone then goes on to say in the interview that the homeless man later ended up in the hospital after trying to commit suicide.

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As the mother was at his bedside, she showed her son all of Malone’s social media posts about the video shoot.

In one post, Malone says: “I’ve been at the bottom, it’s not easy. Homeless or not, you must treat people with respect, rich or poor. People that have struggled are the special ones out here!”

In another post, Malone can be seen giving some money to the man. The caption reads: “Life might get you down, just do your best not to stay there for too long. My guy was special regardless of his circumstances. You never know what people have been through. Good to meet you my brother.”

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The man was so touched by Malone’s kind words, he reunited with his family and committed to getting his life together.

According to Malone, the young man now has a job and a girlfriend – and the rapper says that his hand in the young man’s inspiring tale is easily the highlight of his entire career.

Be Sure And Share This Wonderful Story Of Fate And Family With Your Friends On Social Media – Feature photo by Riad Ariane via Instagram

Veteran Who Was Given 4 Months to Live Transforms Polluted Creek – and Lives 27 Years Longer Because of It

Want to LISTEN to this story? Hear the short segment from The Good News Guru (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)

 

Though John Beal was able to make it home to his family after the Vietnam war, he was still in dire straits – not because of the gunfire, but because of his health, a story that was first told by KUOW’s RadioActive Youth Media program at Puget Sound Public Radio.

After settling in with his family in Seattle, Washington, the veteran suffered three heart attacks within a year of returning from the war.

At the VA hospital, he was not only told that he had PTSD, but the doctor said that he only had about four more months to live – so the doctor recommended that he “get a hobby”.

As a means of clearing his head, Beal walked to Hamm Creek to contemplate his future. Though he was being faced with an immediate death, he took particular notice of how polluted the waterway was. The yellowed water, which had been sullied by a nearby sewage plant, was filled with broken cars, dead fish, and rotting debris. Local children would caution people to avoid getting into the water, otherwise they might emerge from the creek covered in rashes.

WATCHAfter Youth Walks 7 Hours to First Day of Work, CEO Hands Over His Own Car as a Thank You

But according to Beal’s daughter Liana, the creek inspired her father.

“He thought, well, I did a lot of damage in Vietnam, so why not clean up where I am now before I pass?” she recalled to KUOW.

Beal started cleaning the river by removing all the trash and garbage. He then realized that aquatic wildlife were still unable to survive in the creek because the water flow continued into a series of underground pipes – so he removed the pipes.

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Even though he sometimes got overwhelmed by his new “way of life,” the determined veteran persevered.

After years of work, Hamm Creek is now a flourishing wildlife oasis that is resplendent with healthy greenery and wild salmon.

“I was told the first year that I took this job on that you can’t change it, you’ll never bring it back to what it was,” John said in a video quoted by KUOW. “Well, it is restored.

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“You can do anything you want if you possess an idea with a passion. If you pursue that, and if you stick with it long enough, you’ll change the world.”

As fate would have it, Beal passed away in 2006 – which is 27 years later than the doctor’s original prognosis. In the years after his passing, conservationists have honored him for his work and labored to carry on his legacy so Hamm Creek can improve the lives of other people the same way it saved Beal.

Clean Up Negativity By Sharing The Good News With Your Friends On Social Media – Photo by John Hogg / World Bank, and Chesapeake Bay Program, CC license

“Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Rebekah, CC license

Quote of the Day: “Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Airman’s Odyssey

Photo: by Rebekah, CC license, 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?

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

LISTEN to this story from our podcast, told by The Good News Guru (GNN Founder) on Friday’s 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)

Cats kill a staggering number of birds in the U.S. every year—estimated to be in the billions—but one feline’s affinity for hunting them has inadvertently led to the salvation of hundreds of thousands of other feathered prey.

Back in 2008, Nancy Brennan was sick and tired of her cat George bring dead birds into her home. Not only was it a distasteful thing to find on her living room floor, it was also heartbreaking for the enthusiastic birdwatcher.

“His first catch one spring was a ruffed grouse, which he killed and brought into the house,” Brennan told the Burlington Free Press. “I was so disgusted, I literally said out loud, ‘I’m going to stop you, George.’”

As she pondered how to curb George’s hunting habits, she recalled reading an article about how birds notice bright colors. So she grabbed some rainbow fabric and sewed up a bright collar that he could wear around his neck as an early warning system for the birds.

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A week went by and Brennan did not find a single bird on her living room floor in Duxbury, Vermont. She waited a few more weeks to judge the collar’s efficacy, and after one month knew her little invention actually worked.

She also knew that she wasn’t the only pet owner who was tired of finding dead birds on their doorstep, so Brennan launched a website called “Birds Be Safe” and crafted 500 colorful collars to sell online to her fellow cat lovers.

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For the next six years, the 60-year-old birder sold the quick-release collars from her home to hundreds of customers describing similar success with the product.

Then in 2015, an ornithologist and St. Lawrence University professor named S.K. Willson was so happy with the collar that she decided to do a scientific study to test its efficacy.

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Her 12-week studies, conducted in spring and fall, were published in the Global Ecology and Conservation journal, and showed that the cats donning the colorful Birds Be Safe collars were, in fact, killing 19 times fewer birds than those who did not.

The study brought a flood of new customers to Brennan’s website, turning her small business turned into a booming success. She now has a manufacturer creating the collars and says that she has orders coming in from Australia, New Zealand, Europe, South Africa, Iceland, and all fifty of the United States.

CHECK OUT: Generator That Creates Electricity From Gravity Could Revolutionize Renewable Energy

While George passed away some years ago, his antics have saved hundreds of thousands of birds so far.

“Can you believe I went from George being in trouble all the time, for catching birds, to this?’” Brennan said. “He’s paid off his karma pretty well.” (Buy the product on Amazon)

Be Sure And Share This Pawesome Story With Your Friends On Social MediaPhoto by Birdsbesafe

One Cat’s Obsession With Hunting Birds Leads to Invention That Has Saved Hundreds of Thousands (Podcast)

Cats kill a staggering number of birds in the U.S. every year—estimated to be in the BILLIONS—but Nancy Brennan’s love of both birds and cats led to a solution. Hear The Good News Guru tell her feel-good story of the week (from the December 7, 2018 Ellen K. Morning Show on KOST-103.5 radio in Los Angeles).

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

A Happiness Lesson From Waitressing: It’s Not About You

The Lesson: When you’re working in the service industry, it’s easy to assume that the gratuity you receive is a direct result of your performance – but what observation shows is that people will tip what they tip, and they will behave how they normally behave. Ultimately, this means that we can’t always expect to be able to evoke change in others – whether it’s in a restaurant or the rest of the world. We must accept that sometimes we have little control over the people who we encounter.

Notable Excerpt: “…although I feel like the center of the action, often I’m not. People aren’t adjusting everything they do based on me. I need to remember that in many cases, I’m not responsible for the reactions that I think I’m provoking.”

The Host: Dubbed a “Happiness Guru”, best-selling author Gretchen Rubin started her career in law and was clerking at the Supreme Court when she realized she wanted to be a writer. To date, the Manhattan-based speaker has written several biographies, self-help guides, and indexes on the happiest places and practices in the world.

Podcast: Her top-ranking, award-winning podcast, “Happier with Gretchen Rubin,” which discusses happiness and good habits.

Books: Rubin is the author of “The Happiness Project”, which spent two years on the New York Times bestsellers list. Her books, including “The Four Tendencies”, “Happier at Home”, and “Better Than Before”, have sold almost three million copies worldwide in more than thirty languages. Additionally, Rob Lowe has published an autobiography called “Stories I Only Tell My Friends” and a collection of romantic memoirs called “Love Life”.

(LISTEN to the quick psychology lesson below)

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Brain-Dead Mom Wakes Up Minutes After Being Taken Off Life Support; Four Months Later, She’s Fighting Fit

Michele De Leeuw’s family and doctors had assumed the worst after a heart attack left her with just a sliver of brain function – but to everyone’s astonishment, she has made a “miraculous” recovery since her husband decided to take her off life support.

Four months ago, the 57-year-old suffered a devastating heart attack while she was with her husband at their home in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Though she was without oxygen for fifteen minutes, she was given a chance at survival after paramedics guided Karl through performing CPR on his wife.

Unfortunately, her situation was still dire – it only takes six minutes after the heart stops pumping blood for a person’s brain to fail, and ten minutes without blood flow usually results in permanent brain damage.

Six days after Michele was taken to the hospital, doctors told Karl and her two kids that she only had 5% brain function and 25% heart function.

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He was then faced with “the hardest decision of his life”: choosing to take his wife off of life support.

Minutes after the heart-broken husband opted to unplug his wife from the ventilator, however, Michele started breathing on her own.


The doctors still maintained that she would not recover – but then, two days later, Michele woke up. Two days after that, she was talking on her own. Another two days later, she was feeding herself.

Over the course of the last four months, she has undergone open-heart surgery as well as speech and physical therapy – all of which has resulted in her full recovery.

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Upon being restored to her former self, she was sent home earlier this week just in time for her 26th wedding anniversary with Karl.

“You wouldn’t believe it if you didn’t know what she’s gone through,” Karl told NBC News. “She’s a miracle lady.”

Cure Your Friends Of Negativity By Sharing The Good News With Your Friends On Social MediaPhotos by Myles De Leeuw

Norway to Become First Country That Bans Palm Oil Biofuels That Are Linked to Deforestation

In a historic vote, the majority of the Norwegian parliament agreed to ban their biofuel industry from buying palm oil and other dangerous biofuels that are linked to deforestation and harmful environmental practices.

The initiative is set to go into full effect on January 1st, 2020. Until that deadline, legislators will be putting together a comprehensive policy that will prevent the biofuel industry from purchasing or using fuels that are not ethically sourced.

Norway’s palm oil consumption reached an all-time high in 2017 as a result of the country’s race to cut fossil fuel use from their transportation sector, with reports saying that 10% of the country’s entire diesel consumption was based out of palm oil. However, the nation has been working since April 2017 to ensure that all of their cars sold after 2025 will be electric.

Since palm oil has been linked to deforestation, the prosecution of native people, dangerous sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and the destruction of wildlife habitats, Norway’s vote is being praised as a landmark “victory” for the environment.

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“The Norwegian parliament’s decision sets an important example to other countries and underlines the need for a serious reform of the world’s palm oil industry,” says Nils Hermann Ranum of conservational group Rainforest Foundation Norway, adding that “this is a victory in the fight for the rainforest and the climate.”

While the European Union has also voted to phase out harmful biofuels, their ban will not go into full effect until 2030.

Plant Some Positivity Amongst Your Friends By Sharing The Good News To Social Media – File photo by Craig Morey, CC

Read the Amusing Card That Two Cheeky Mailmen Have Been Sending to Each Other for 43 Years

SWNS

Two retired Royal Mail workers have been exchanging the same Christmas card for more than 40 years – but since the card has become so precious to them, they refuse to post it in case it gets lost.

Every December, 78-year-old Raymond Pearson and 59-year-old Steve Ford take it in turns to deliver their festive greeting and add a new message to the card.

The comments they’ve included over the years usually include jokes, clever rhymes and jibes about saving cash, such as “Over to You in ’92” and “The Saving is Mine in ’79”.

“Each year, it is a short message, and we try and think of something rhyming,” said Pearson, who is from Stourbridge, West Midlands. “This year it’s quite weird – but that’s Steve.

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“It says ‘It’s Christmas time 2019, the card is making news, may your year be full of tidings bright and devoid of any blues’.

Their bizarre tradition started in 1975 when Pearson sent the Yuletide greeting to Ford.

SWNS

“We both used to work for the Royal Mail,” said Pearson. “In 1975, I was in personnel, Steve was a cadet. We both had similar interests in motorcycles and films, so I sent him a Christmas card.”

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Instead of putting it up on the mantle, however, Ford decided to post it back to Pearson as a joke.

“The following year he sent it back to me [and] I thought ‘we are going to play silly beggars, are we?’ and sent it back to him.”

SWNS

Little did they know it at the time, but the friends had started a custom which was to continue every Christmas for the next 43 years.

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Despite how they are both retired Royal Mail stalwarts, they always insist on hand-delivering the battered card so that it won’t get lost or damaged in the post.

“Once we started, we had to carry on,” he added. “It didn’t really cross our minds we would be doing it for 43 years. We just kept on doing it.”

SWNS

Ford, who is from Kingswinford, said: “I just thought it’d be funny to keep [the card], take it to him next year and see his face, if he remembers the card – and then the swine sent it back to me.

“We’re running out of space to write inside the card and we may be on the back cover next year.”

SWNS

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“Many eyes go through the meadow, but few see the flowers in it.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Quote of the Day: “Many eyes go through the meadow, but few see the flowers in it.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Photo: by scrappy annie, CC license, 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?

JetBlue is Delivering Gift-Wrapped People to Their Loved Ones for Christmas

There is no better Christmas gift than being able to spend time with your loved ones – which is why JetBlue is surprising people with some very special deliveries.

The airline is holding an amusing holiday contest in which five people will win free round-trip plane tickets to a destination of their choice.

The winners can then be gift-wrapped and “delivered” in a variety of packaging styles.

The “Go Get Gifted” contest winners will be flown out to the homes of their friends or family on Christmas Eve. Interested participants have until December 12th to enter the contest with a description of why they believe they should be a contest winner.

The most creative or intriguing submissions will be selected as the winners and announced on December 15th.

(WATCH the amusing promo video below) – Photos by JetBlue

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Scientists Praise 96-Year-old for His Hobby of Saving Dwindling Bluebird Populations

The dedication of a 96-year-old citizen scientist has been an unparalleled lifesaver for his home state’s bluebird population.

Al Larson, also known as “The Bluebird Man”, first began his conservational labor of love after he read an issue of National Geographic that detailed how building bird houses could help to curb their declining populations. After seeing a bluebird going in and out of a dead tree on his property, Larson became inspired to start setting up little boxes that could serve as nests for bluebirds.

“I got carried away,” Larson told Audobon. “I settled on a simple design that [was] easy to build and easy to monitor. I kept adding more boxes on these trails, and these birds responded.”

What started as a hobby to pursue in his retirement turned into a full-time effort  – and after almost four decades of devotion, he has banded and documented over 30,000 bluebirds, thanks primarily to the 350 birdhouses that he has built across southwest Idaho. He often travels over 5,000 miles to check on all of his boxes during the summer nesting season.

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Since bluebirds reside in dead or nearly-dead trees, their population began to decline after the invention of the electric chainsaw in the early 1900s made it easier for homeowners to rid their properties of dead trees.

In addition to having their habitats destroyed, the implementation of pesticides spelled an uncertain future for the bluebirds of Idaho.

But the efforts of Larson have shown us that if we take a moment to understand the needs of a species, the solution will present itself in a practical and obtainable way.

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Now that he is nearing the age of 97, Larson shows no signs of slowing down. Additionally, his inspiring story has been turned into the Emmy award-nominated documentary “Bluebird Man.”

“Al is a living example of how much one person can achieve when they set their mind on a task. But he’s also an example of the benefits that a project like this can have for people,” filmmaker Matthew Podolsky told Audubon. “[Bluebirds] have given meaning to Al’s life, and they are truly the secret to his longevity.”

(WATCH the documentary below) – Feature photo by Matthew Podolsky

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When Cops Respond to Noise Complaint About Friends Playing New Nintendo Game, They Join in on the Fun

Instead of ruining the fun for a couple of friends who were enjoying the new Nintendo video game, two police officers accepted their offer to join in.

Jovante Williams had been playing the newly-released “Super Smash Brothers Ultimate” game at his friend’s apartment in Minneapolis, Minnesota when they heard a knock at the door.

Local police officers had been called to the apartment based on a noise complaint from a neighbor. Since Williams says that the actual source of the noise was coming from somewhere else in the apartment complex’s hallway, however, the cops left.

The officers returned several more times to make sure that the noise wasn’t too loud, until finally, Williams’s friend told the squad they they were simply drinking beers and playing Smash.

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When one of the officers asked “what is smash?”, Williams asked them if they wanted to play.

Two of the cops immediately accepted the offer and sat down for a few rounds. Amidst everyone sharing some good-natured banter, Williams says that he jokingly told one of the cops: “Just don’t fine me if I beat you.”

When asked who won the games, Williams replied: “We did. But they were pretty good [and] one of them was sick with Pikachu.”

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Williams posted a video of the exchange to Reddit where it was upvoted thousands of times, much to his delight.

“Ultimately (badum-tssh), [I’m] just super happy to post wholesome content and have it go a li’l viral for the world to watch,” he wrote in a comment.

(WATCH the footage below)

Serve Up This Fun Story To Your Friends By Sharing It To Social MediaPhoto by Jovante M. Williams

Tesla’s Record-Breaking Mega Battery, Installed on a Bet, Saves Australia $40 Million in Its First Year

It has been one year since the world’s largest lithium ion battery was switched on in South Australia to combat costly statewide power outages – and this new report shows that it has performed astonishingly well.

The 100-megawatt Hornsdale Power Reserve, which was designed by Tesla, has saved over $40 million AUD in annual maintenance costs to the electrical grid, also known as frequency controlled ancillary services (FCAS).

The report, which was conducted by consultancy firm Aurecon and commissioned by Neoen, the energy company that manages the massive battery, goes on to say that this is a 75% reduction in annual maintenance costs compared to 2016 and 2017.

The data is especially impressive since the battery itself only cost about $66 million.

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The battery was built in just 54 days after Tesla CEO Elon Musk made a bet with state legislators, saying that if he was unable to finish the battery in 100 days, he would give it to them for free.

In addition to being a cheaper replacement to the fossil-fuel dependent system that was previously used by the energy market operator, the battery creates zero carbon emissions. It is also capable of responding to outages in a matter of milliseconds, which could not be achieved by previous backups.

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Santa Claus Melts Hearts By Getting Down on One Knee to Thank WWII Veteran for His Service

A heartwarming photo that is being shared across social media proves that even Saint Nicholas is humbled in the presence of US veterans.

Gina Wilbur had been sitting on a bench at the Concord Mall in Wilmington, Delaware last week when Santa Claus was greeting kids at his workshop.

Though there were many kids who still wanted to sit on his lap, he briefly stepped away from his chair so he could walk over to 93-year-old Bob Smiley, a World War II veteran who was sitting nearby.

As Wilbur looked on in astonishment, Santa got down on one knee and earnestly thanked Smiley for his service.

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“I hear Santa telling the gentleman, in a soft voice, of others he knew who served,” said Wilbur in a Facebook post. “He shakes his hand with genuine gratefulness thanking him for his service and returns to the children. Best moment of my day.”

Wilbur quickly snapped a photo of the heartwarming moment and posted it to social media where it was later shared thousands of times.

WTXF later managed to reunite Santa and Smiley and introduce them to Wilbur so they could discuss the emotional encounter in person.

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Smiley, who has 10 children, 26 grandchildren, and over 26 great-grandchildren, says that he is always appreciative of when people thank him for his service.

“I try to show my appreciation when they do thank me,” he told Fox News. “I thank them for thinking about us.”

(WATCH the news coverage below)

Be Sure And Share This Heartwarming Story With Your Friends On Social Media – Photo by Gina Wilbur

“Vision is the art of seeing the invisible.” – Jonathan Swift

Quote of the Day: “Vision is the art of seeing the invisible.” – Jonathan Swift

Photo: by David Unger, CC license, Flickr (Van Gogh painting, cropped)

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?