Sliver of Hope

[ShockTalk]

I may be alone on this, but I love the effort and what they've shown can be done.

You're not.

[SubGod22]

Something about this one I think is pretty cool. Helping nature, the environment, and themselves with a relatively simple, though time consuming, action.

Couple Plants 2 Million Trees in 20 Years to Restore A Destroyed Forest and Even the Animals Have Returned

In 2001, the legendary photojournalist Sebastião Salgado had a dream of restoring the forest near his home in the state of Minas Gerais. Now 20 years later, his family property is a biodiverse paradise.

His work over long years saw him, his wife Lélia, and volunteers plant 20 million trees from 290 different species across over 1,500 acres of desiccated hillsides, recreating a natural forest ecosystem into which rare animals have now come to live.

Salgado’s story is a famous one. The photojournalist documented some of the most dramatic events of human misery of the 20th century. He authored half a dozen books, exhibited his photos around the world, and was the subject of a documentary Salt of the Earth.

When he came home in 1998 after reporting on the exodus of the Rwandans into the Congo, the land around his family home had been completely destroyed.

“The land was as sick as I was—everything was destroyed,” Salgado told the Guardian back in 2015.

“Only about 0.5% of the land was covered in trees. Then my wife had a fabulous idea to replant this forest. And when we began to do that, then all the insects and birds and fish returned and, thanks to this increase of the trees I, too, was reborn – this was the most important moment.”

I like things like this. I know in recent times lumber companies have done a good job of replanting what they cut down, at least in some areas, but more can be done in certain parts of the world. It's a fact that being in nature can have a number of health benefits and having access to such things is a positive. I'm sure there's a lot of places that a similar type of effort could be done to help restore nature which would benefit a number of species of animals as well as our fellow humans. Trees do also help clean the air we breathe which is why even in and around cities it's very beneficial to have a fair amount of green spaces.

I may be alone on this, but I love the effort and what they've shown can be done.

[SubGod22]

Teen Brings Drowned Toddler Back to Life on Thanksgiving While Adults Watch Stunned (WATCH)

A California high-schooler is being hailed as a hero after administering CPR to save a little girl.

Surrounded by adults, it was the 15-year-old Madison Atkinson who stepped forward to save her cousin, a 3-year-old who had seemingly drowned in the pool.

It was Thanksgiving when the Atkinson family was together with their relatives for the day. Losing sight of 3-year-old Maxine, they thought she was playing with the other kids, when she had actually wandered outside to the pool.

Surveillance camera footage captured the moment when Maxine falls in the pool, and later when Uncle Damien sees her floating face down and rushes in to pull her out, calling for help while he does it.

“I saw that he was trying the Heimlich,” Madison told ABC 7 news. “But I knew in that case you needed CPR because she didn’t seem like she was breathing. I told everyone I knew CPR and it calmed everyone down.”

It didn’t take long for the girl to be revived, and for the two families to thank their lucky stars Madison had learned CPR in class.

[SubGod22]

More things like this will make things a lot better.

Jobs, Not Jail: A Judge Was Sick of Sending Kids to Prison, so He Found a Better Way

By the year 2000, Judge John Phillips had long since lost count of the number of minors he had sent through the California penitentiary system for crimes committed during a violent, unguided, and hopeless adolescence.

“You send these young people to prison, and they learn to become harder criminals,” he said once.

In 2003, he set out to find a better way—to get kids in an environment of support where they could pass through these difficult years with a hand on their shoulder. Phillips started Rancho Cielo at the base of a hill in the town of Salinas, utilizing an old juvenile detention center ironically, and with a board made up mostly of county supervisors, judges, and law enforcement leaders.

Rancho Cielo is a vocational training facility, culinary academy, and private school that only works with at-risk youth or youth living below the poverty line of $19,000 a year for a family of four.

At first, the organization running it would only take in adolescent offenders, but as the 21st century marched on, Salinas took several turns for the worse, and in 2015 saw more underage murders than anywhere else in the nation.

The strategy changed, and Rancho Cielo would be out frequently passing by high schools, county jails, juvenile detention centers, homeless shelters, and foster homes, always asking if it were possible to take in the worst of the worst, hoping to interrupt the course of these youths’ lives and turn them toward a brighter future.

To that end, Rancho Cielo has a wide variety of programs, much of which is hands-on and kinetic, from the carpentry and construction program and vintage car repair, to beekeeping and equestrian care.

They still get the education they need as well as experience some life skills that can give them hope for a future.

This is much cheaper than incarceration.

The recidivism rate of these students is only about 15% compared to the 40% in the county it's located. Obviously, this is working much better and setting these kids up for an actual future.

I'd love to see something like this catch on in other areas. A lot of criminal activity and violence with young people has to do with the lack of hope in their lives. Be it lack of parenting, poverty, lack of opportunities and role models.

There's a seven minute video at the bottom of the article on the program.

[SubGod22]

Hero Truck Driver Saves Choking Woman Who Showed Up at a Construction Site

An Illinois woman has a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving; a pair of healthy children, the keys to a German-made SUV, and the fact that when her life depended on it, she parked in front of a hero in waiting.

Jeff Hanus was calmly sitting on the side of the road in his cement truck at the Ozinga job site near Bolingbrook at I-55 and Route 53, listening to classical Chinese violin on the sound system in his coat, hat, and gloves.

All of a sudden, his working day became very unusual, as a woman pulled up in front of his truck, got out, and gave the international symbol that her airways were blocked: two hands on the neck.

Hanus, a former Army infantryman, jumped into action and performed the Heimlich maneuver, three thrusts up and in from under the ribcage, which dislodged the piece of food that was choking her.

“I was in the right place at the right time, and I did what, in my opinion, most people would have done,” he told Inside Edition with all the composure of a classical violinist.

News clip in link.

[SubGod22]

Wendy's Worker Saves Customer's Life: 'I was like, 'Girl, you know how to do CPR; get over there'

A Wendy’s worker was given the impromptu opportunity to have a break from work; normally a delightful surprise, but it wasn’t for R&R.

At a franchise location on Richmond Road in Lexington, Kentucky, a man had collapsed in the parking lot. Alexandria Cowheard was on shift and alerted to the situation by her coworker.

She had already called 911 by the time she arrived at the man’s unconscious body, but the color of his face told of the need for immediate action.

“I didn’t panic visibly, but in the back of my mind, I was like, what do I do,” Cowheard said. “I kind of short-circuited a little bit before I was like, ‘Girl, you know how to do CPR; get over here and do these chest compressions.’”

The 22-year-old Alexandria learned CPR in her senior year of high school, and after a short time doing chest compressions, he “did that snoring thing again,” and gasped for air.

The whole thing took just a few minutes, but to the adrenaline-soaked mind of Alexandria, it seemed a long while.

News clip in article.

[SubGod22]

NYC Mom Plans A Final Act Of Kindness After Her Death



I've not heard about this, but it seems relatively simple and beautiful and can help so many with the struggles that comes with medical debt.

The fund is now up to about $139K.

UPDATE

Mom Channeled Her Terminal Cancer into Debt Relief Fundraiser - Wiping Out $65 Million in Medical Debt

A wife and mother turned her last month on Earth into a fundraiser to wipe out medical debt burdens of families and individuals in need.

Passing away 12 days ago at the age of 38, Casey McIntyre’s death and the humble request at its onset has raised $650,000, which has the likely potential to pay off $65 million in privately-shouldered medical debt.

A mother of one and a publicist at Razorbill, an imprint of Penguin Random House, Casey is survived by her husband of 8 years Andrew Gregory and her daughter Grace. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2019. A long battle resulted in a transfer to hospice care for her final 6 months.

On November 12th, a post appeared on her social media accounts that announced her passing, saying “I loved each and every one of you with my whole heart and I promise you, I knew how deeply I was loved.”

On her obituary page, it’s written that “she was a consummate New Yorker who always knew which bodegas had the best magazine selections, whether to take the B or the Q, what restaurants were best to spot celebrities, and [who] gave every new New Yorker the same advice: make sure you buy a coat that covers your butt, because that’s where you lose a lot of warmth.”

Casey decided to host a “debt jubilee” a term of growing popularity used to describe fundraising for debt purchases. As GNN has reported several times, America is so loaded up with debt, and many creditors like hospitals and universities provide so much service on credit that the chance for a cash payout is more attractive than a long, slow, perhaps uncertain collection of debt.

In the wake of the Occupy Wall Street protests, a pair of hedge fund managers created RIP Medical Debt, which has so far wiped out billions in private medical debt for pennies on the dollar.

[SubGod22]

Just WOW

Man With No Car And No Furniture Dies With Big Secret, Leaving His Small Town Millions

oday's good news story comes from Hinsdale, New Hampshire.

In the quiet town of Hinsdale, New Hampshire, a man of humble means and unassuming presence has posthumously astonished his community with a remarkable secret.

Geoffrey Holt, a local resident known for his modest lifestyle — void of a car and sparsely furnished home — has left an extraordinary legacy, revealing himself to be a multimillionaire in his final act.

Geoffrey Holt, who served as the caretaker of a mobile home park in Hinsdale, lived a simple and curious life that belied the magnitude of his financial success. Town residents often observed him in worn-out clothes, maneuvering a lawn mower around town or leisurely parked along the main road, engrossed in a newspaper or watching the world go by.

Despite having taught driver's education to high school students in the past, Holt opted for a bicycle instead of a car and eventually transitioned to using a lawn mower for his daily travels. His mobile home, which lacked the usual amenities like a television or computer, spoke volumes about his minimalistic lifestyle.

Edwin "Smokey" Smith, Holt's best friend and former employer, told the AP, "He seemed to have what he wanted, but he didn't want much."

Respect

[SubGod22]

Yearly update of one of my favorite stories.

Grandma And The Stranger She Mistakenly Texted in 2016 Will Spend 8th Thanksgiving Together

In a heartwarming twist of fate, Wanda and Jamal are set to celebrate their eighth Thanksgiving together, marking another year of love and gratitude that blossomed from a serendipitous text mishap back in 2016.

It all began when Wanda, eager to invite a friend over for Thanksgiving, accidentally sent an invitation to Jamal, a virtual stranger at the time. Unbeknownst to her, Jamal had recently changed his phone number, leading to the mix-up that would change their lives forever.

Rather than dismissing the unexpected invitation, Jamal, intrigued by the friendly message, decided to accept the offer. As the years unfolded, Wanda and Jamal's relationship deepened, growing stronger with each passing Thanksgiving.

This year, the pair joined forces with Airbnb to open Dench's home to other people who want to share in the Thanksgiving tradition.

"Exciting news, guys – our Thanksgiving year 8 plans are with you! With @airbnb's help, we're hosting you and a friend at Wanda's home this year," Jamal shared.

[SubGod22]

NYC Mom Plans A Final Act Of Kindness After Her Death

oday's good news story comes from Brooklyn, New York.

A beloved wife and mother passed away this week after a courageous battle with cancer.

Her final act of kindness was to alleviate others from the burden of medical debt.

Casey McIntyre, a 38-year-old resident of Brooklyn, passed away from ovarian cancer on November 12, 2023. Despite the challenges she faced, she remained determined to leave a positive impact on the world.

In her final days, Casey devised a plan to alleviate the financial strain faced by others.

In a poignant farewell message, Casey expressed her wish to use the funds she had saved for her medical expenses to purchase the outstanding medical debt of others.

"To celebrate my life, I've arranged to buy up others' medical debt and then destroy the debt," she wrote in a Tweet. "I am so lucky to have had access to the best medical care at [Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center] and am keenly aware that so many in our country don't have access to good care."

As of today, the fund has raised an impressive $136,000 of her $150,000 goal.

Casey partnered with RIP Medical Debt — a New York-based non-profit organization that buys medical debt at a fraction of the cost. Every $100 donated relieves $10,000 in medical debt.

To date, RIP Medical Debt has relieved a total of $10 billion of medical debt for over 7 million families.

A memorial service for Casey is set for Dec. 2, where mourners "will celebrate her life by anonymously purchasing medical debt and then anonymously forgiving it."

I've not heard about this, but it seems relatively simple and beautiful and can help so many with the struggles that comes with medical debt.

The fund is now up to about $139K.

[SubGod22]

I'm also going to put this personal story/experience in here.

I frequent a Scooter's Coffee at Maple and West before work many days. I've never had a bad experience and every member of their staff has always been friendly and genuinely good. On Monday, there was a girl working who I don't recall having interacted with and she was one of the most upbeat, positive people I've ever met. Her energy was infectious and it simply made my Monday just having that brief interaction with her. I saw her again today as she was outside taking orders and she remembered me and we had a small chat and she had that same infectious energy that makes you feel good inside. I did something I won't normally do and gave her a compliment. Something along the lines of, 'don't ever change. I love your energy and the world needs more of it.'

I know not everyone is naturally like her in that they are overflowing with good energy. But on Monday it made me realize that even in smaller doses, we can all do something small that might have a great impact on the day(s) of others. And seeing her reaction today to what I felt was a simple, and maybe odd, compliment she seemed to be genuinely surprised and flattered by it. I can only hope that I've had a small but positive impact on her day as I know she's had a huge positive impact on a couple of mine now.

Be kind.

Spread love.

Enjoy the little things.

[SubGod22]

Simple yet genius.

Kansas Woman Turns Your Feet Into an Inspiring Billboard For Positive Affirmations - LOOK

The words we tell ourselves matter. Now you can remind yourself—and others—that you are amazing, smart, courageous, or beautiful with Notes To Self socks, because words make all the difference.

In a world where mental health is an increasing concern, a Kansas mom from the heartland of America began weaving inspiring messages—to put on your feet. Laura Schmidt is the visionary behind the unique sock company where positive affirmations become a memorable step in your morning and bedtime routines.

She has always believed in the power of positive thinking, but remembers the moment in 2011 when her feet were propped up on a car dashboard and it dawned on her what an incredible billboard your socks could be for promoting positive thinking.

“My whole life I’ve used positive affirmations to help me with my confidence,” she says.

Schmidt had already succeeded in the corporate world, in direct sales, and as a mother of three in Prairie Village, Kansas, so empowering others to reach their goals was a way of life.

I really do love the positivity and I know there are a lot of people out there that like different/fun/interesting socks.

[SubGod22]

Trees are important to our lives, that of nature, and the well being of the planet for a variety of reasons. The Kenyan government has ambitious goals to do their part in increasing the number of trees in the ground.

Kenyan Holiday Devoted To Planting 100 Million Trees

In a bid to achieve the government's ambitious target of planting 15 billion trees within a decade, Kenyans have been granted a special holiday dedicated to the planting of 100 million trees.

Environment Minister Soipan Tuya stated that the holiday empowers "each and every Kenyan to own the initiative." The objective is for every Kenyan to contribute by planting a minimum of two seedlings, collectively reaching the 100-million tree goal.

These seedlings are provided free of charge at forest agency centers for planting in designated public areas. Additionally, citizens are encouraged to purchase at least two seedlings for planting on their personal land.

They expect 500 million trees to be planted by the end of the year. A truly impressive feat.

[SubGod22]

There's something about young people developing things that could be valuable down the road that makes me smile.

12-year-old Develops Fire Detection System That Wins Her $25,000 and Top Junior Scientist Award

A 12-year-old girl from Miller Middle School in San Jose has won $25,000 in a science fair for her invention of a new fire detection system that’s faster, cheaper, and more reliable than smoke detectors.

The Thermo Fischer Junior Innovator’s Challenge claims to be the nation’s premier STEM contest for middle schoolers, and Shanya Gill won over second and third-place inventions of a smartphone app that can detect certain cancers and an experimental method of generating electricity through plant cells.

In the summer of 2022, a fire destroyed a restaurant behind Shanya’s house. That incident inspired her to create a fire-detection system that involved connecting an affordable thermal camera to a compact computer.

It wasn’t that the restaurant didn’t have smoke detectors, but as Shanya explains, that requires there to be a significant amount of smoke first, which can sometimes mean a fire has already started and gotten out of control.

She programmed her system to differentiate between people–which were identified as warm objects moving horizontally–and heat sources, such as an active gas burner, which were identified as hot objects that remained stationary.

The system can send a text message when it detects a heat source but no human presence for a continuous 10-minute period. Shanya’s system accurately detected human presence 98% of the time and heat sources 97% of the time.

And she's already looking to improve it. There's a video at the bottom of the article that's less than 90 seconds with the young lady.

[SubGod22]

Boy Invents Smart Spoon for His Uncle's Trembling Hands that Is Affordable in India

A schoolboy in India has invented a mechanical spoon that automatically stabilizes itself to help his uncle eat through his hand tremors caused by Parkinson’s.

It was the sight of the 70-year-old retired government employee trying to eat and splattering his food on his trousers, and a 10-year fascination with mechanics that started when his mother but him a Lego set, that saw Aarrav Anil build the device with motors, sensors, microelectronics, and a 3D printer.

Now undergoing tests at the RV College of Physiotherapy in Bengaluru, Southern India, Anil has taken on plenty of feedback—including from his uncle who was all too happy to give it a whirl.

“I’ve been fine-tuning the design based on the college’s feedback – that it needs to be waterproof so that it can be washed without damaging all the electronics inside; that it must be detachable so it can be cleaned and replaced by a fork; and the spoon needs to be deeper to hold more food,” Aarrav told the Guardian.

It’s not the first mechanically stabilized spoon on the market, GNN has reported on the development of such devices by Google in 2014, and by Liftware in 2016.

But Anil’s costs less than half of what similar spoons go for, making it far more likely that the more than 7 million Indian Parkinson’s patients can afford it.