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Four Best Friends All Move to Houses On the Same Street: ‘These Girls are my Sisters

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Sarabeth Stine, Erinn Cottman, Kelly Holbin, and Kristi W. (via SWNS)
Sarabeth Stine, Erinn Cottman, Kelly Holbin, and Kristi W. (via SWNS)

Four women in their 40s who’ve been best friends for 17 years have all moved to the same street—and they now feel like they’ve built their own community.

Sarabeth Stine was delighted when her pal Kelly Holbin found a house just around the corner 10 years ago in Atlanta, Georgia.

Three years ago, when their buddy Erinn Cottman needed a new home, the girlfriends couldn’t believe their luck when the house across the street from Sarabeth became available.

And, one year later, Kristi W. surprised her friends by purchasing the house one door down.

Now the quartet are loving the fact that they live seconds from each other, so they can hang out whenever they want.

They also keep boundaries in place—so they can maintain individual lives and not overuse their welcome.

“Having people you can count on that are like family,” said the newest arrival. “That’s really important.”

“It’s a true blessing for me,” Kristi told SWNS news agency. “It feels like these girls are my sisters.”

Kristi has been friends with Kelly for 25 years after meeting her in college and becoming besties.

Kelly moved to Atlanta in 2008 and met Sarabeth and Erinn—and the group now has a strong 17-year bond.

Erinn Cottman and Kelly Holbin – via SWNS

“We all developed our own individual relationships, which fused the bond amongst the group,” said Erinn.

While Sarabeth and her family were the first ones in the neighborhood, she was suddenly surprised when Kelly spotted a house for sale and asked if it would be strange if she lived there.

“I text her to ask would it be weird if I lived in the same neighborhood. She was like ‘absolutely not’.”

Kelly moved in 2014 and has loved living round the corner from her friend. The pair goes to morning workouts and walks together.

“Three-and-a-half years ago Erinn needed a new home,” explained Sarabeth. “The house across the street became available.”

“At first she said it would be creepy, but then went for it.”

For Erinn and Sarabeth, it has meant their sons—eight and ten—have been able to grow up together.

“Our boys are a year and a half apart and they run back and forth between our houses,” said Sarabeth.

“They did Christmas morning together!”

ALSO LOOKIN’ AMAZING! Four Girlfriends Recreate Photo From Their First Fun-Loving Vacation 50 Years Ago

Sarabeth Stine, Erinn Cottman, Kelly Holbin and Kristi – SWNS

The friend that finally joined the group, after the pandemic, was Kirsti—when the house next to Sarabeth came up for sale.

Sarabeth had suggested to Kirsti: ”Please come and buy this house.”

Kirsti started thinking about it, then decided to go for it—but kept it a secret from the others, even going so far as disguising herself when she came for the home inspection.

Kirsti recalled: “I made up a story and said ‘would you guys come and look at a house – I really want your opinion?’

“We got in the car and pulled away and then I turned around as if I’d forgotten something.

“Then I told them I was buying the house.”

Sarabeth remembers, “That’s when we lost our minds.”

AMAZING MEETING: The Breathtaking Moment Enemy Soldiers Who Saved Each Other Reunite By Chance in Waiting Room 20 yrs Later

She moved in March 2023 and the ladies have loved living close ever since.

“I’ve got built-in folks,” said Erinn.

Sarabeth says, “It’s a true community we have built.”

Despite living so close they don’t always see each other every day. In fact, sometimes they go three or four days without running into anyone.

COMING TOGETHER AFTER 7 DECADES: Pen Pals Finally Get to Meet in Person–68 Years After They Began Writing Letters Back and Forth

“We’re all so busy. It’s easy to miss each other.” But they know someone has their back.

“What makes us special is regardless of what has happened, we have an ability to accept each other–and be vulnerable with each other.”

SPREAD THE LOVELY IDEA By Sharing With Friends On Social Media…

Ingredient Found in All Mushrooms Can Reprogram Immune Cells to Fight Deadly Flu Infections

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Credit: Andrew Ridley
Credit: Andrew Ridley

A component found in all fungi may provide a shield that prevents flu-related lung damage, according to a new Canadian study.

The preclinical trial uncovered how beta-glucan—which is found in all mushrooms, and also yeast, oats, and barley—can ‘reprogram’ immune cells to prevent lung inflammation.

A team of scientists at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, demonstrated that administering the compound to mice before their exposure to influenza, reduced lung damage, improved lung function and lowered the risk of illness and death.

The scientists led by Professor Maziar Divangahi discovered that a unique structure of this component can boost defenses against pathogens.

While most research focuses on stopping the virus from replicating, this study explored how to regulate the body’s immunity to infection, a concept known as “disease tolerance.” The researchers discovered that beta-glucan significantly enhanced flu survival rates by modulating immune responses and preventing severe lung inflammation, a common cause of fatality.

These results, published in Nature Immunology, highlight beta-glucan as a promising therapy for influenza, as well as other emerging viral pathogens.

“It is remarkable how beta-glucan can reprogram certain immune cells, such as neutrophils, to control excessive inflammation in the lung,” said first author Nargis Khan, who conducted this research at McGill and is now an Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary.

“Neutrophils are traditionally known for causing inflammation, but beta-glucan has the ability to shift their role to reduce it,” added co-first author Kim Tran, who recently completed her Ph.D. at McGill.

CHECK OUT: The Medicinal Value of Chaga Mushrooms as a Nutraceutical for Good Health

Rebalancing the immune system

Most flu-related deaths aren’t caused by the virus itself, but by an overreaction of the immune system, said the researchers. This suggests the true danger lies in the host’s own immune response. However, how the immune system becomes so imbalanced remains poorly understood.

“Beta-glucan is found in the cell walls of all fungi, including some that live in and on our bodies as part of the human microbiome,” explained Divangahi.

“It is tempting to hypothesize that the levels and composition of fungi in an individual could influence how their immune system responds to infections, in part because of beta-glucan.”

With flu season underway and the looming threat of bird flu (H5N1), developing effective therapeutic strategies for respiratory diseases is more critical than ever, he added.

MORE FANTASTIC FUNGI:
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• Mushrooms Help Turn Toxic Brownfields into Blooming Meadows
• Fungi Could Be Answer to Global Warming – They Store 1/3 of All Carbon Emissions

The research was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Future studies will explore how exactly the findings apply to humans.

SHARE THE FASCINATING FUNGI With Mushroom-Lovers On Social Media…

42-Year-old Woman With Black Belt Sends a Would-Be Robber Packing–Wearing Her New Heels

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Mairi Kerin gets award for bravery from Chief Superintendent Edd Williams (Released)
Mairi Kerin gets award for bravery from Chief Superintendent Edd Williams (Released)

A woman with training in martial arts jumped into action sending a would-be robber scampering from a convenience store, after he threatened the shopkeeper.

Karate expert Mairi Kerin was at the counter buying chocolate treats for her nieces when the hooded man came into the LOCO store in Shropshire, England—and dramatic CCTV video captured the encounter.

But she had already noticed the suspicious man in the parking lot.

“As I got out of the car I noticed this person all covered up and thought ‘You look like you’re going to rob a shop’,” the 42-year-old told SWNS news agency.

But then she reminded herself, “You can’t think that about people, can’t pigeon-hole people like that… Maybe he’s just got a bike somewhere, he’s been out riding, or whatever.”

Mairi entered the store and spent a couple minutes shopping and was getting ready to pay the cashier when the man appeared.

“I heard the shopkeeper ask, ‘Why did you put something against the door?’, and I heard him reply, ‘Because I’m going to take your money’.

“He said it really cool, really calm.

“He stepped forward, I could see his pockets were full and I thought he had weapons, my eyes were glued to his pockets.

“When I saw his left hand still in his pocket I took the chance.”

She grabbed the would-be thief’s arm and delivered a couple of firm kicks to the shin causing him to run out of the store. (See the video at the end of the article…)

Mairi Kerin (via SWNS)

Mairi, who lives in Staffordshire, received a Commendation Award from the Police Chief Superintendent of West Mercia Police following her heroics on March 3.

She described how she didn’t think twice about jumping to the shopkeeper’s defense.

“We would later find out a knife and a firearm were involved but whatever was in the left pocket, for that moment it was not coming out.”

She said her John Wayne-style swagger on the CCTV footage was due to the pain of breaking in some heels for a new job.

“I was wearing new heels at the time and I was trying to break them in, I hadn’t worn heels since lockdown so I needed some practice.

“It makes me laugh when I watch it now.

Mairi said that her intervention wasn’t bravery. She credits it to self-belief after 20 years of martial arts training that has seen her represent England and the Republic of Ireland.

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“The time was right, and I’m glad I was there. People have asked whether I was scared. No, I was not.

“I’ve trained with this type of event in mind (and) sparred in full-contact sessions with people far heavier than me.

“In my opinion this is not stupidity or bravado, it’s a reflection of self-belief.”

After the robber was caught and jailed for his involvement, Chief Superintendent Edd Williams praised Mairi’s intervention as “an inspiring act of bravery from an upstanding member of the public.”

WATCH: Teen Lifts a Truck to Free His Trapped Father: ‘My Son is My Hero’

“Her quick thinking meant that no one was harmed during this attempted robbery and no money or goods were stolen.” (Watch the video footage of the encounter below…)

SHARE THE INSPIRATION With Martial Arts Fans On Social Media…

Serious Knee Injury Repairs ‘Significantly’ Improved With Cartilage Grown From Nasal Septum Cells

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Doctor collects nasal septum cells used to repair knee injuries – Credit: University of Basel Hospital
Doctor collects nasal septum cells used to repair knee injuries – Credit: University of Basel Hospital

Engineered cartilage from nasal septum cells is helping treat complex knee damage, according to researchers in Switzerland who have developed the implants.

Their new study shows that giving the cartilage implants more time to mature “significantly” improved clinical efficiency and outcomes—even in patients with complex cartilage injuries, which are painful and seriously limit mobility.

Their work also shows that the method could also be suitable for the treatment of degenerated cartilage in osteoarthritis, says the team from the University of Basel.

They explained that an unlucky fall while playing football or skiing can end an athlete’s career, and such damage to articular cartilage does not heal by itself. It also increases the risk of osteoarthritis.

Researchers at the University Basel Hospital have been working on the new method for several years and can now show that even complex cartilage injuries can be repaired with engineered cells taken from a tiny piece of the patient’s nasal septum cartilage and then allowing them to multiply in the lab on a scaffold made of soft fibers.

The newly grown cartilage is then cut into the required shape and implanted into the knee joint.

Earlier studies have already shown promising results because the nasal cells have particular characteristics that are ideally suited to cartilage regeneration.

Cartilage from nasal septum cells – Credit: University of Basel Hospital

“For example, it has emerged that these cells can counteract inflammation in the joints,” said Professor Ivan Martin, who co-led the research with Dr. Marcus Mumme and Professor Andrea Barbero.

In a clinical trial involving 98 participants at clinics in four countries, the team compared two experimental approaches.

One group received cartilage grafts that had matured in the lab for just two days before implantation – similar to other cartilage replacement products. For the other group, the grafts were allowed to mature for two weeks.

During that time, the tissue acquires characteristics similar to native cartilage.

For 24 months after the procedure, the participants self-assessed their well-being and the functionality of the treated knee via questionnaires.

The results, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, showed a “clear improvement” in both groups.

But patients who received more mature engineered cartilage continued to improve even in the second year following the procedure, overtaking the group with less mature cartilage grafts.

MRI scans further revealed that the more mature cartilage grafts resulted in better tissue composition at the site of the implant, and even of the neighboring cartilage.

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Study co-author Anke Wixmerten emphasized that the longer period of prior maturation is worthwhile. “The additional maturation time of the implant only requires a slight increase in effort and manufacturing costs, and gives much better results.”

Prof. Barbero said it was noteworthy that patients with “larger injuries” benefit from cartilage grafts with the longer prior maturation periods.

“This also applies to cases in which previous cartilage treatments with other techniques have been unsuccessful.”

“If we look at the results from standard questionnaires, patients treated with our approach achieved far higher long-term scores in joint functionality and quality of life,” concluded Prof. Martin.

FRIENDS WITH KNEE DAMAGE? Share This Breakthrough On Social Media…

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won.” – Mahatma Gandhi

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Quote of the Day: “When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Photo by: Tingey Injury Law Firm

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?

Good News in History, March 9

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Japanese imperial army soldier Hiroo Onoda (R) offering his military sword to Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos (L) on the day of his surrender, March 11, 1974.

51 years ago today, Hiroo Onoda, the Japanese infantryman holdout finally surrendered 29 years after the end of World War II. Operating out of the remote jungles of the Philippines, Onoda followed his orders to the letter—to disrupt Allied operations on the island chain, and not surrender until his commanding officer relieved him—orders which had been given along with a promise “whatever happens, we’ll come back for you.” Well, this presented a problem for post-war Japan, because in Onoda’s own words, if Japan had lost, there shouldn’t be a post-war Japan; there should be no Japan of any kind—echoing the Imperial Army’s famous samurai-like sensibilities. READ how they got him out of there… (1974)

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10-Year-old Paramedic Teaches Adults Lifesaving Skills and CPR as ‘The Mini Medic’

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SWNS
10-yo paramedic Jack Dawson teaches lifesaving skills – SWNS

Meet the 10-year-old paramedic who teaches adults life-saving procedures as an in-demand mini-medic.

Jack Dawson was just two-years-old when it became obvious he was interested in becoming a paramedic.

His grandfather owns a first response company in Staffordshire, England, and Jack would ride along in his ambulances with the flashing blue lights. By age three, he would start “randomly performing CPR on his teddies, pumping the bear’s chest”.

“So, at the same time he was learning to speak, my husband and I decided to teach him first aid,” said his mother, Danielle. “He was like a sponge. He just picked everything up so quickly.”

Jack, quickly grasped the act of CPR, understanding the different recovery positions, and learned how to use a defibrillator.

Then, at age seven, the youngster started to lead workshop sessions of his own, overseen by his father and other trainers for their charity, Tamworth Have A Heart, which aims to make automatic defibrillators publicly accessible and train people to use them confidently.

Jack teaches both children and adults how to perform CPR and use defibrillators, while also patrolling his town centre and checking that the public defibrillators’ pads and batteries are up to date and fit for use. (Watch a demonstration at the end of the article…)

“His motto was ‘if I can save a life, then you can’,” says Danielle.

The sessions often draw 20-40 people and sometimes Jack gives presentations teaching in front of 100 people.

10-yo mini-medic Jack Dawson teaches lifesaving skills to adults – SWNS

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He does step-by-step walkthroughs on how to perform CPR with practice dummies laid on the floor, informing people about the dangers—including “looking into patients airways before pumping, in case of vomit or blood”. He gives tutorials on how to operate defibrillators which are used to revive someone from sudden cardiac arrest.

“He absolutely loves teaching,” Danielle told SWNS news agency. “I’ve never seen him so confident before and the fact he’s helping people to save a life determines him even more.”

“People are very surprised. He gets a lot of positive feedback and even special requests to teach people.

QUICK THINKING HERO: 14-Year-old Grabs Wheel of His School Bus After Driver Passes Out with Foot on the Gas

“I think people appreciate the information coming from a child, as it makes them think that if a 10-year-old can do it, then they can.”

Under the name ‘Mini Medic’, Jack has a YouTube channel and a page on TikTok posting medical tutorials and training nights for those unable to attend.

As a result of his community work, the 10-year-old is a finalist for Children of Courage Birmingham Awards.

SO SWEET: 10-Year-old Girl’s Idea for a ‘Postbox to Heaven’ is Rolled Out Nationally Across Cemeteries in UK

Looking forward, Danielle said he’s enthusiastic about going to university and being a paramedic. “It’s all he thinks about!”

WATCH the video below from the news agency SWNS.com…

SHARE THE INSPIRATION With Ambulance-Loving Kids On Social Media…

New Obesity Gene Identified Causes Dogs to Want More Food–And it’s Also in Humans Prone to Over-Eating

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Jordan González / Unsplash+
Jordan González / Unsplash+

Obesity genes that cause dogs—and people—to pile on the pounds have been identified.

Researchers studying Labrador retrievers discovered several genes associated with canine obesity—and the Cambridge University team showed that the same genes are associated with obesity in humans.

The gene is called DENND1B, and the researchers explained that it directly affects a brain pathway (called the leptin melanocortin pathway) responsible for regulating energy balance in the body.

An additional four genes associated with canine obesity, but which exert a smaller effect than DENND1B, were also mapped directly from human genes.

“The results emphasize the importance of fundamental brain pathways in controlling appetite and body weight,” explained Alyce McClellan, of Cambridge’s Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience who co-authored the study. “(But) these genes are not immediately obvious targets for weight-loss drugs, because they control other key biological processes in the body that should not be interfered with.”

The team measured how much dogs pestered their owners for food, and whether they were fussy eaters.

“We found that dogs at high genetic risk of obesity were more interested in food,” said Cambridge co-author Natalie Wallis.

“Dogs at high genetic risk of obesity showed signs of having higher appetite—as has also been shown for people at high genetic risk of obesity.”

The study, published in the journal Science this week, found that owners who strictly controlled their dogs’ diet and exercise managed to prevent even those with high genetic risk from becoming obese—but much more attention and effort was required.

The researchers say that, similarly, people at high genetic risk of developing obesity will not necessarily become obese, if they follow a strict diet and exercise regime, but they are more prone to weight gain.

By Karolina Grabowska / Unsplash+

As with human obesity, no single gene determined whether the dogs were prone to obesity; the net effect of multiple genetic variants determined whether dogs were at high or low risk.

LOOK: Girl With Cleft Lip Adopts Dog Born With the Same Feature

Study leader Dr. Eleanor Raffan said: “Studying the dogs showed us something really powerful (and the same is true of people). If you have a high genetic risk of obesity, then when there’s lots of food available you’re prone to overeating and gaining weight unless you put a huge effort into not doing so.”

“By studying dogs we could measure their desire for food separately to the control owners exerted over their dog’s diet and exercise. In human studies, it’s harder to study how genetically-driven appetite requires greater willpower to remain slim, as both are affecting the one person.”

The current human obesity epidemic is mirrored by an obesity epidemic in canines with between 40% and 60% of pet dogs overweight or obese, which can lead to several health issues.

GOOD DOGGIES: Dogs in UK Are First to Be Trained to Sniff Out Bowel Cancer–After Nailing Parkinson’s and COVID

The research team recruited owners with dogs and they then measured the pet’s body fat, scored ‘greediness’, and took a saliva sample for DNA. They then analyzed the genetics of each dog. By comparing the obesity status of the dog to its DNA, they could identify the genes linked to canine obesity.

Dogs carrying the genetic variant most associated with obesity, DENND1B, had around 8% more body fat than those who didn’t have it.

The researchers say owners can keep their dogs distracted from constant hunger by spreading out each daily food ration, for example by using puzzle feeders or scattering the food around the garden so it takes longer to eat, or by choosing a more satisfying nutrient composition for their pets.

KINDNESS FOR CANINE: Couple Uses Wedding Fund to Pay for Surgery on Injured Dog Found on Side of Road: ‘She Deserved a Chance’

The researchers explained that dogs are a “good model” for studying human obesity. They develop obesity through similar environmental influences as humans. And, any given breed has a high degree of genetic similarity with the others.

“This work shows how similar dogs are to humans genetically,” says Dr. Raffan, who believes the work has led to “a big advance in understanding how our own brain controls our eating behavior and energy use.”

SEND A DOG OWNER A BONE By Sharing On Social Media…

First Ever HD Footage From the Moon Shows Incredible Lunar Landing of Blue Ghost Spacecraft (WATCH)

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Blue Ghost lunar lander on the Moon March 2, 2025 – Firefly Aerospace via SWNS
Blue Ghost lunar lander on the Moon March 2, 2025 – Firefly Aerospace via SWNS

In 1969 NASA live-streamed a moon landing on television by mounting a robust TV camera on the Apollo 11 and pointed it toward the steps—but, oh, how technology has changed in 55 years.

Firefly Aerospace engineers were cheering last Sunday as their Blue Ghost lunar spacecraft touched down and landed upright–the first time that a private company has done that.

And three days later the Texas-based company released amazing HD video of their accomplishment.

Blue Ghost had cameras attached to every side of its 6ft-tall by 11ft-wide frame to capture every angle of the descent.

The team at mission control identified surface hazards and selected a safe landing site. After that, Blue Ghost landed directly over the target in Mare Crisium.

“We have Moon dust on our boots!” wrote Firefly in an announcement.

“Our Ghost Riders have since downlinked our landing footage for the world to see—a historic moment on March 2 we’ll never forget.”

The descent of Blue Ghost lunar lander onto the Moon – Firefly Aerospace via SWNS

Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1, named Ghost Riders in the Sky, was launched out of Earth’s atmosphere and into orbit by a SpaceX rocket on 15 January.

It made its own way over to the Moon within 45 days using solar powered batteries, before softly touching down on the craggy surface, and becoming the first commercial spacecraft in history to achieve a fully-successful lunar landing.

The descent of Blue Ghost lunar lander onto the Moon surface on March 2, 2025 – Firefly Aerospace via SWNS

Proving it had the right stuff, the lander delivered 10 science and technology instruments to the surface, including a drill that will attempt to dig down nine feet (3m) to measure the temperature.

MORE COOL SPACE NEWS:
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The Blue Ghost mission was part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative but, best of all, it delivered the first HD footage from the moon.

Watch a video from CBS News—and ALSO the Final Descent from Firefly…


SEND THE AMAZING FOOTAGE TO FRIENDS By Sharing On Social Media…

Your Weekly Horoscope from ‘Free Will Astrology’ by Rob Brezsny

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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 March 8, 2025
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
No cars drove through London’s streets in 1868. That invention was still years away. But the roads were crammed with pedestrians and horses. To improve safety amidst the heavy traffic, a mechanical traffic light was installed—the first in the world. But it had a breakdown a month later, injured a police officer, and was discontinued. Traffic lights didn’t become common for 50 years after that. I believe your imminent innovations will have better luck and good timing, Pisces. Unlike the premature traffic signal, your creations and improvements will have the right context to succeed. Don’t be shy about pushing your good ideas! They could revamp the daily routine.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
The world’s darkest material is Vantablack. This super-black coating absorbs 99.96% of visible light, creating a visual void. It has many practical applications, like improving the operation of telescopes, infrared cameras, and solar panels. I propose we make Vantablack your symbol of power in the coming weeks. It will signify that an apparent void or absence in your life might actually be a fertile opportunity. An ostensible emptiness may be full of potential.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Among their many sensational qualities, rivers have the power to create through demolition and revision. Over the centuries, they erode rock and earth, making canyons and valleys. Their slow and steady transformative energy can be an inspiration to you in the coming months, Taurus. You, too, will be able to accomplish wonders through the strength of your relentless persistence—and through your resolute insistence that some old approaches will need to be eliminated to make way for new dispensations.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
Centuries before European sailors ventured across the seas, Polynesians were making wide-ranging voyages around the South Pacific. Their navigations didn’t use compasses or sextants, but relied on analyzing ocean swells, star configurations, cloud formations, bird movements, and wind patterns. I bring their genius to your attention, Gemini, because I believe you are gaining access to new ways to read and understand your environment. Subtleties that weren’t previously clear to you are becoming so. Your perceptual powers seem to be growing, and so is your sensitivity to clues from below the visible surface of things. Your intuition is synergizing with your logical mind.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
The Maeslant Barrier is a gigantic, movable barricade designed to prevent the flooding of the Dutch port of Rotterdam. It’s deployed when storms generate surges that need to be repelled. I think we all need metaphorical versions of this protective fortification, with its balance of unstinting vigilance and timely flexibility. Do you have such psychic structures in place, Cancerian? Now would be a good time to ensure that you have them and they’re working properly. A key factor, as you mull over the prospect I’m suggesting, is knowing that you don’t need to keep all your defenses raised to the max at all times. Rather, you need to sense when it’s crucial to assert limits and boundaries—and when it’s safe and right to allow the flow of connection and opportunity.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
The authentic alchemists of medieval times were not foolishly hoping to transmute literal lead and other cheap metals into literal gold. In fact, their goal was to change the wounded, ignorant, unripe qualities of their psyches into beautiful, radiant aspects. The coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to do such magic. Life will provide you with help and inspiration as you try to brighten your shadows. We all need to do this challenging work, Leo! Now is one of your periodic chances to do it really well.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Cosmic rhythms are authorizing you to be extra demanding in the coming days—as long as you are not frivolous, rude, or unreasonable. You have permission to ask for bigger and better privileges that you have previously felt were beyond your grasp. You should assume you have finally earned rights you had not fully earned before now. My advice is to be discerning about how you wield this extra power. Don’t waste it on trivial or petty matters. Use it to generate significant adjustments that will change your life for the better.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
In North America, starlings are an invasive species introduced from Europe in the 19th century. They are problematic, competing with native species for resources. They can damage crops and spread diseases that affect livestock. Yet starlings also create the breathtakingly beautiful marvel known as a murmuration. They make mesmerizing, ever-shifting patterns in the sky while moving as one cohesive unit. We all have starling-like phenomena in our lives—people, situations, and experiences that arouse deeply paradoxical responses, that we both enjoy and disapprove of. According to my analysis, the coming weeks will be prime time to transform and evolve your relationships with these things. It’s unwise to sustain the status quo. I’m not necessarily advising you to banish them—simply to change your connection.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
Buildings and walls in the old Incan city of Machu Picchu feature monumental stone blocks that fit together precisely. You can’t slip a piece of paper between them. Most are irregularly shaped and weigh many tons. Whoever constructed these prodigious structures benefited from massive amounts of ingenuity and patience. I invite you to summon some of the same blend of diligence and brilliance as you work on your growing masterpiece in the coming weeks and months. My prediction: What you create in 2025 will last a very long time.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Bioluminescence is light emitted from living creatures. They don’t reflect the light of the sun or moon, but produce it themselves. Fireflies do it, and so do glow-worms and certain fungi. If you go to Puerto Rico’s Mosquito Bay, you may also spy the glimmer of marine plankton known as dinoflagellates. The best time to see them show what they can do is on a cloudy night during a new moon, when the deep murk reveals their full power. I believe their glory is a good metaphor for you in the coming days. Your beauty will be most visible and your illumination most valuable when the darkness is at a peak.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
Capricorn-born Shah Jahan I was the Emperor of Hindustan from 1628 to 1658. During his reign, he commissioned the Taj Mahal, a magnificent garden and building complex to honor his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. This spectacular “jewel of Islamic art” is still a major tourist attraction. In the spirit of Shah Jahan’s adoration, I invite you to dream and scheme about expressing your devotion to what you love. What stirs your heart and nourishes your soul? Find tangible ways to celebrate and fortify your deepest passions.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Over 2,100 years ago, Greek scientists created an analog computer that could track astronomical movements and events decades in advance. Referred to now as the Antikythera mechanism, it was a unique, groundbreaking invention. Similar machines didn’t appear again until Europe in the 14th century. If it’s OK with you, I will compare you with the Antikythera mechanism. Why? You are often ahead of your time with your innovative approaches. People may regard you as complex, inscrutable, or unusual, when in fact you are simply alert for and homing in on future developments. These qualities of yours will be especially needed in the coming weeks and months.

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

(Zodiac images by Numerologysign.com, CC license)

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“If odor were as visible as color, I’d see the summer garden in rainbow clouds.” – Robert Bridges

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “If odor were as visible as color, I’d see the summer garden in rainbow clouds.” – Robert Bridges

Photo by: Erda Estremera (cropped)

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?

Good News in History, March 8

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Good News Network
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Compact Disk - CC 3.0. Derek K Miller.

46 years ago today, the Philips electronics company demonstrated the first CD, unveiling the single-sided compact disc that was impervious to scratches, dust, and vibrations, leading to CD players becoming a huge success. The format was later adapted to CD-ROM, for general-purpose data storage and the write-once audio and data storage CD-R. In 2004, worldwide sales of audio CDs, CD-ROMs, and CD-Rs reached about 30 billion discs. By 2007, 200 billion CDs had been sold worldwide. READ who came up with the idea… (1979)

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Private Financing for Nature Surges to Over $102 Billion

By
Andy Corbley
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Foto: Fernando Sette ©
Foto: Fernando Sette ©

Recent UN summits on climate and biodiversity have both ended in what were seen as major disappointments, but a recent report from the United Nations Environment Program details that finance to protect nature is surging from the world’s banking and investment houses.

Raising elevenfold in just four years, various financial mediums such as managed accounts, electronically-traded funds, debt-for-nature swaps, and venture capital funding have raised the total amount of private investment into nature and biodiversity to over $100 billion.

If capital continues to flow at current rates, though that seems unlikely, the private sector would have contributed over $1 trillion by 2030 into investments that protect nature in some way.

Global media reports a lot on the “COP” or conference of the parties [to a treaty], most commonly referring to the parties of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, of which the most recent iteration was COP29. Confusingly, mainstream media will also use COP to refer to the parties to the Convention on Biodiversity, which recently concluded in Rome, and was called COP16.

In both COPs 29 and 16, agreements were struck to fund climate change resilience and biodiversity protection respectively, but neither left anyone feeling positive for the future. COP29 was seen as too great a compromise. At COP15, a $200 billion per year fund by 20230 was seen as a major success, but already the world’s developed nations are not even closely holding to these funding commitments.

In the shadow of what many environmental journalists would describe as the failure of the Developed World to confront two of the biggest challenges of our age, the private sector is quietly picking up the slack.

Never capable of leveraging the resources of modern nation-states, private capital, such as investment firms, hedge funds, banks, and venture capital funds, nevertheless have the benefit of being able to generate sustainable funding for nature by identifying mutually beneficial agreements and investments that are insulated from the swaying wills of politicians and voters.

MORE GREEN STORIES: Grove of 100 Giant Trees Discovered in 2019 Are Tallest in the Amazon–and Now Protected by State Park

In 2020, of the $9.4 billion of private sector capital channeled to protect nature, $2.5 billion came through philanthropy: an unsustainable form of finance. Illustrative of this was philanthropic contributions falling by $700 million by 2025, despite the fact that overall funding for nature had risen, according to the UN’s World Biodiversity Forum, to $102 billion—60% of which was driven by private equity investments.

By 2030, growth could reach $1 trillion—which would be more than what was asked in direct government grants by the COP biodiversity panelists during COP15 in Colombia, and the COP16.

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Sight Restored to People Blinded in Eye Accidents Using New Stem Cell Treatment

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Andy Corbley
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Ula Jurkunas, MD (Credit John Earle Photography)
Ula Jurkunas, MD (Credit John Earle Photography)

People who suffered blinding eye injuries have had their sight restored using a new form of stem cell therapy.

American surgeons took stem cells from the patient’s healthy eye and transplanted them into the injured eye, successfully repairing previously “irreversible” damage.

The experimental procedure safely restored corneal surfaces in 14 patients who were followed for 18 months.

Researchers say this clinical trial shows that the experimental treatment for injuries to the cornea is both “feasible and safe.”

Called cultivated autologous limbal epithelial cells (CALEC), the treatment was developed at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, a specialty hospital located in Boston, and became the first stem cell therapy for the eye ever trialed in the United States.

The research team explained that the ground-breaking procedure consists of removing stem cells from a healthy eye with a biopsy, expanding them into a cellular tissue graft in a new manufacturing process that takes two to three weeks, and then surgically transplanting the graft into the eye with a damaged cornea.

“Our first trial in four patients showed that CALEC was safe and the treatment was possible,” said Principal investigator Professor Ula Jurkunas.

“Now we have this new data supporting that CALEC is more than 90% effective at restoring the cornea’s surface, which makes a meaningful difference in individuals with cornea damage that was considered untreatable.”

The team showed CALEC “completely restored” the cornea in 50% of participants at their three-month visit and that rate of complete success increased to 79% and 77% at their 12- and 18-month visits, respectively.

With two participants meeting the definition of partial success at 12 and 18 months, the overall success of CALEC was 92% at 18 months. Three participants received a second CALEC transplant, one of whom reached complete success by the study end visit.

Prof Jurkunas said CALEC displayed a high safety profile, with no serious events occurring in either the donor or recipient eyes. The only major adverse event, a bacterial infection, occurred in one participant, eight months after the transplant due to “chronic” contact lens use.

Other adverse events were minor and resolved quickly following the procedures.

CURING BLINDNESS: Bioengineered Corneas Stand to Cure Blindness For Millions of People Around the World

The researchers say the study shows the “promise” of cell therapy for treating incurable conditions.

One limitation of the approach is that it is necessary for the patient to have only one involved eye so a biopsy can be performed to get starting material from the unaffected normal eye. Study team members said that an allogenic manufacturing method would, in the future, allow for CALEC to be possible in patients with two damaged eyes rather than just one.

CALEC remains an experimental procedure and is currently not offered at Mass Eye and Ear or any other hospital, and research team says additional studies will be needed before the treatment is submitted for federal approval.

MORE DEVELOPMENTS IN EYESIGHT REPAIR: Red Light Therapy Could Improve Your Eyesight After it Declines Due to Age

“We feel this research warrants additional trials that can help lead towards FDA approval,” said Jurkunas.

“While we are proud to have been able to bring a new treatment from the lab bench to clinical trials, our guiding objective was and always will be for patients around the country to have access to this effective treatment.”

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Steve Carell Tells Students Affected by Wildfires That Prom Tickets Are Paid for

By
Andy Corbley
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- credit Steve Carrell released
– credit Steve Carell released

In a recorded video, A-list actor Steve Carell dropped in on several high schools around Los Angeles to give the seniors a very special announcement.

The students probably thought it was a curious prank, or an AI-generated video, but they’d have been wrong. The announcement was that all the seniors’ prom tickets had been paid for by a nonprofit that Carell has personally worked alongside before.

They asked him to lend an air of stardust to their announcement video, and Carell was all too happy to ablige.

“Attention. Attention all seniors,” Carell said in the video, which beamed into the assembly halls of six schools in Altadena, California. “This is Steve Carell, with a very special announcement.”

Even though the Eaton Fire, which burned 14,000 acres of towns and hillsides to cinders, had left all six of the schools standing, many of the students lost their homes in the blaze.

3,000 miles away in Virginia, Alice’s Kids works anonymously to provide low-income or disadvantaged children something they need. In this case, it was determined that, along with taking away the burden on families of affording a $50-$185 prom ticket, what they needed more than anything was a good time.

“I work with a wonderful charity based out of Virginia called Alice’s Kids,” Carell said in the video. “And Alice’s Kids wanted me to let you know that they will be paying for all of your prom tickets.”

“The prom is a party, and more than anything, these kids need a party,” Ron Fitzsimmons, executive director of Alice’s Kids, told the Washington Post. “They need something that is uplifting.”

OTHER STORIES LIKE THIS: Charles Barkley Keeps $1M Promise After 2 New Orleans Students Solve Pythagorean Theorem

Steve Carell’s famous protagonist in The Office, Michael Scott, once promised children he’d pay for their college tuition through a program he started called Scott’s Tots, but as is often the case throughout the show, Michael backs out of his commitment to the kids after he realizes he doesn’t have the money.

Alice’s Kids is donating $175,000 to send 800 seniors to proms across Aveson Schools, Blair High School, John Muir High School, Marshall Fundamental Secondary School, Pasadena High School, and Rose City High School.

CELEBRITIES STEPPING UP: Baseball Star Bryce Harper Helps a Random Guy Ask a Girl on a Prom Date

“This means everything to our students…” said Lori Touloumian, the principal of Marshall Fundamental Secondary School. “It brought so much joy this morning, and that’s something that our students have really been missing.”

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Oldest-Known Asteroid Crater is Discovered in the Outback–Made More Than 3 Billion Years Ago

By
Andy Corbley
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Crater in Western Australia - By Chris Kirkland / Curtin University
Western Australia – By Chris Kirkland / Curtin University

Unique geologic formations found in Western Australia have led a team of researchers to conclude that an asteroid struck the area around 3.57 billion years ago which would make it the oldest such impact site known.

And it wouldn’t be even close. The second-oldest impact crater dates to around 2 billion years before our time.

Located in an area known as the Pilbara in the state of Western Australia, certain formations like “shatter cones” and “pillow basalts,” along with a rising dome shape in the middle of a vast expanse, have convinced Geologist and co-author Tim Johnson that their hypothesis is correct.

The Earth formed around 4.5 billion years ago and was mostly water, but meteorite and asteroid impacts were uncommon before 2.5 billion years ago. This long stretch of largely empty history is known as the Archean Eon, and as one might imagine, little is known about the dynamics of Earth formation, terrestrial build-up, or impacts from this time.

ABC News Down Under reports that Johnson and his colleagues contentiously proposed three years ago that a 250,000 square kilometer region called the Pilbarra Craton was created by this impact, and a new paper on this theory includes physical examinations in an area which they believe was the epicenter of this event—one so large it would rival the extinction of the dinosaurs for aftermath.

Johnson reports the crater can be seen today only in a 35-mile wide dome that marks exactly where the asteroid impacted.

“So, when you form a really big crater, the middle bit forces its way back to the surface so you get a dome structure,” he said.

Shatter cones provide evidence of an impact crater – credit Tim Johnson /Curtin University, supplied

“We think those [sort of] domes are possibly the likely places where life would have taken a foothold in the Pilbara and elsewhere.”

As Johnson suggests, part of the work he and his team are doing at the site is laying out a hypothesis for how a massive impact event like this may have been the genesis of life. But before that, he and his team had to present multiple lines of evidence that point to the Pilbara dome structure being the site of a meteorite impact.

MORE ANCIENT EARTH HISTORY: Antarctica Yields Intact Skull — An Ancestor of Today’s Waterfowl That Survived Dinosaur Extinction

Part of that evidence is the presence of shatter cones, a formation that appears like an upside down badminton shuttlecock.

“So, upward facing cones with delicate feathery-like features,” Johnson said. “The only way you can form those in natural rocks is from a large meteorite impact.”

OTHER AUSTRALIA NEWS: Second-Ever Elusive Night Parrot Egg Discovered in Australia Where it Had Been ‘Extinct’ for 100 Years

Another formation found that may hint that the site’s archaic history are pillow basalts, which could have formed from lava flowing under water after an impact event, overlying the shatter cones in the Pilbara, and offering part of the precise date of 3.57 billion years ago.

Other scientists aren’t convinced—at least that the discovery changes anything about our understanding of Earth’s evolution and the influence of impacts on Earth’s structure. Johnson and his team will use a variety of tools to examine the components of the shatter cones to hone their argument.

WATCH a video on why Australia can help understand Mars…

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“How successful you are on the outside is directly related to how you feel inside.” – Neville Goddard

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “How successful you are on the outside is directly related to how you feel inside.” – Neville Goddard 

Photo by: Benjamin Davies

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?

Good News in History, March 7

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Good News Network
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176 years ago today, the renowned American botanist and horticultural pioneer, Luther Burbank, who developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants, was born. He created the Shasta daisy, the Delicious apple, and the Russet potato, which he invented to be resistant to the blight that wiped out crops throughout Europe and caused the devastating Irish potato famine. READ more… (1849)

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Burger King Workers Show up at Beloved Regular’s Funeral with Chair Engraved in His Honor

By
Andy Corbley
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Jerry's chair - credit released by the family
Jerry’s chair – credit released by the family

While some might consider Burger King royalty only among big corporate fast food chains, the staff members at a local Minnesota branch just put some very human, very sensitive toppings on the reputation of their restaurant.

When a 91-year-old regular at the restaurant’s North Branch location died, the staff requested his name be engraved into the chair on which he always sat—a request that was granted swiftly by the higher-ups.

Jerry Parkin – credit released by the family

For years, Jerry Parkin met his friends often for their morning coffee at Burger King, so often in fact that they began to see him as family.

So when that family member died, it was only natural they attended the funeral.

“Someone came into the kitchen at church and said, ‘The whole crew of Burger King is here, and they brought a chair,’” Jenny Olson, Parkin’s daughter, told KARE. “I said, ‘What?’”

Arriving in their uniforms, the staff had brought the chair that Parkin always sat in. Into the back of it, one of Parkin’s coffee compatriots had asked his wife to use a wood burner to engrave his name, the date of his birth and that of his death.

Before doing so, Tom DeHaven, the general manager at the Burger King location in North Branch, secured permission from corporate; a request he would eventually make again once another of the coffee compatriots passed away.

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS: Son Surprises Dad with Dream Car He Gave up for Diaper Money 41 Years Ago

“He would walk in, and we would have his order ready for him,” said Monica Kuball, one of the Burger King employees who attended the funeral, while another, Ashley Fundingsland, noted that he sat in the same chair every morning: “That was his seat. He always sat there every morning, so we had to bring his chair.”

They said they all loved him, and he loved them; and Burger King. He celebrated his 90th Birthday there, while his last meal would end up being chicken nuggets, a milkshake, and a cookie, his son Leo told KARE.

THE WHEEL TURNS: Colorado Woman Donates Kidney to Save Pennsylvania Man 35 Years After They Went to Prom Together

After the service, the chairs were returned to the Burger King, where Olson was able to eventually visit and take in the sights where her father spent so much time.

WATCH the story below from KARE…

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Given $100 to Swap Airline Seats, Dad Tells His Kids ‘Being Nice to Others’ Can Lead to Something Good

By
Andy Corbley
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Andres Perez via Unsplash
Andres Perez via Unsplash

A senior citizen who suffers from claustrophobia offered a man in the aisle seat on a recent Delta Airlines flight $100 to switch with her.

Though he repeatedly declined, and offered his seat happily, the woman would not let it lie, eventually telling him to give some of the money to his kids as a lesson that being kind brings rewards.

The man, who was not named, shared his story in a recent Reddit room for airline encounters.

“As I approached my seat an elderly lady was having a hard time getting her bag in the overhead so I offered to help. She ended up being in 1D and I was 1C,” the passenger wrote on the sub-Reddit thread r/delta.

“She immediately said she’d pay me $100 to swap seats because she feels claustrophobic in the window seats in this particular seat configuration. Even though I prefer an aisle I told her that I’d gladly switch for free…”

As boarding continued, the man, an engineer by trade, conversed freely with the woman, eventually leading him to believe that the question of payment had been settled: he was not going to willfully take money for a courtesy he hoped anyone would do for free.

Eventually, they landed in Atlanta, and the woman slipped $100 out of her purse and again offered it to the man.

ALSO CHECK OUT: Lost Stuffed Bunny Goes on Airport Adventure Ending in Heartwarming Reunion (WATCH)

“I tried to refuse again, but she told me to take it and give it to my kids but to explain to them how being nice to others can lead to something nice in return,” he recounted on the social media site.

He concluded his post by questioning the wisdom of offering his kids money, as he foresaw a world in which they’d perform many good deeds but always with a request for a reward.

MORE AVIATION INSPIRATION: United Pilot Orders 30 Pizzas to Feed Passengers After Emergency Landing for Medical Care

One of the commentors said they had recently been in the woman’s position, and wished there was some easy way to reward the seat-swapper in their story. As it turned out, the commenter alerted the flight attendant, who was able to add points to the passenger’s frequent flyer account.

What flies there around flies back around.

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