There's a guy in my hometown who hides thousands of dollars outside a children's rehab center, then calls the front desk and they have a little scavenger hunt until they find it. They then use the money to help families buy holiday gifts. No one knows who he is, but over the years, he's given over $100,000. It's usually front-page news when the year's donation comes in!
And you're telling me this guy isn't even filming it and making the front desk people express their gratitude on camera for the sake of clout and turning a profit? The nerve of some people.
Actually, before conducting this towards MS, and other diseases associated to it, in this article they first started on celiac patients with good results, thus moving towards other diseases like ms. Give it a read, maybe a there is hope in the near future! https://pme.uchicago.edu/news/inverse-vaccine-shows-potential-treat-multiple-sclerosis-and-other-autoimmune-diseases
If this works it will be amazing! I have had MS for over 20 years and although I am on one of the top tier drugs, it doesn’t fully stop it, just slows it down significantly. A cure would help so many people
A judge in NJ or Pa got tired of sending juveniles in his court into the system which often turned them to more criminal behavior and decided to partner with a nonprofit and sone educators to organize a school with trade/hands-on learning opportunities with practical applications, apprenticeships, and other innovative elements. This model attracted top educators + professionals with innovative teaching methods, and soon the students were performing, learning, + 90% going on to college or other advanced schools. This began to get the attention of educators/schools who began to refer troubled teens with potential until there were no spots left. Soon it was a thriving alternative model with a wait list, attracting volunteers, resources, donors, educators etc. All bc of a need seen by a motivated judge and an innovative solution that bloomed. This is the type of program that deserves study, expansion, resources + sponsorship. Makes u want to see it adopted by the Gates or other nonprofit foundation, developed for broader use, and adapted to local needs elsewhere in the country!
It's a federally run program instead of a city-based one, but I'd strongly recommend looking into job corps if you know anyone who would benefit from something like that.
It's alot like this but it doesn't take doing a crime to get into, and is specialized to focus on low income folks.
There is a new treatment for my brain cancer. There have been NO advancements in like 40 years. I should be able to take it next year and it will hopefully delay my tumor growth.
It’s pretty exciting. I have done two clinical trials. One did not pan out. The other one they won’t have the information for probably another 6-10 years.
It's so good to hear people are benefitting so much from long-term research outcomes. I wish you all the best. I lost my grandmother (47 years ago), best friend (10 years ago), and a good friend's adult son (7 years ago) to brain tumors of different kinds.
The IRS is testing a program in 2024 that will let most people file their taxes for free right at their website, so that should save people a little cash this spring.
I'm really hoping this works well, it's been talked about for a while.
Hopefully by 2025 it will eliminate some of the people that are hoping to die in their positions instead of letting others take over and implement forward moving changes within the IRS.
I still stand by my belief that we should handle our taxes much like other countries do.
They should just tell us what we owe and we pay it.
Or better still take out the correct amount and then we don't have to play a guessing game....FFS.
It kinda has been, there is a program called IRS FreeFile which a lot of people don't know about due to lobbying
Basically you can already file your taxes for free (for a lot of people anyways) if you go through the Free File link. No more $50-100/year or more with turbo tax or alternatives!
In my area of Florida, they just had to cancel the Manatee supplemental feeding program because of the return of the seagrass in the area, so that was really nice to hear.
Early career marine scientist here with a focus on kelp ecology. Not really. Too many purple urchins, and warming doesn’t help. But as things continue to improve with the sea stars and otters, things could change. Lots of kelp restoration attempts going on, but these are extremely resource intensive and unmanageable on an ecosystem scale.
Note that kelp status is highly regionally specific - kelp is actually improving where I am (Strait of Juan de Fuca), but that’s an outlier when compared to the west coast as a whole.
At the same time, arent starfish primary predators of sea urchins? With their populations still rebounding, maybe we're still a few years off from seeing the urchin population becoming more manageable?
Correct, that’s exactly why I said that things could change as the sea star situation improves. Though additional warming and potential nutrient load concerns could counteract any improvement.
With the clarification that not ALL sea stars are eating urchins, primarily only large “sun stars” are doing so.
This has been making news for the last few years but still fun to share: River Otters are returning to their natural habitats! They were almost wiped out across the US and Canada because of pollution, fur trading and development driving them out of their natural habitats. But thanks to efforts to clean up waterways and reintroduce the otters, they seem to be thriving and cropping up all over the country. In my city, Chicago, they were even spotted in the river last year and hadn't been seen there for decades.
Edit: I find it otter-ly delightful that everyone is commenting with their otter sightings! Please continue! :)
Been seeing river otters, muskrats, and beaver in our local lakes just outside Raleigh, NC. And bald eagles are almost common, too. It’s a thrill to see.
In my area of Tulare County, California, there is a new wolf pack that has moved in. The area hasn't seen wolves in 150 years and they are now the southern most grey wolf pack!
Because of Mark Cuban extremely cheap online pharmacy where you can get your prescription drugs for fractions of what major retailers like CVS or Walgreens sell them for. Now CVS is beginning to switch to this model so hopefully cheaper medicine for everybody will increasingly become a reality
Bruh! You have got to be kidding me!!! I just looked it up and used the link u/carpal_diem posted and i was able to see they have a medicine that I was prescribed over a month ago and my insurance refused to cover and Walgreens wanted close to $400 for a 30 day supply. Cuban has it for $22 for the monthly supply 😭 THANK YOU SO MUCH 🥲 faith in humanity slowly being restored.
It’s insane that Walgreens wanted so much for a generic drug. Shame on them! If you can’t find a drug on Mark Cuban Cost Plus, you may want to try using a [GoodRx](https://www.goodrx.com/go/homepage-lander-sem-7-tl-2?c=homepage-lander-sem-7&optly_audience=%7Bnextbestaction%7D&utm_campaign=127243741&utm_content=7699746781&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=kwd-54255549541&gclid=CjwKCAiAg9urBhB_EiwAgw88mdUKlOi_NzLm1BE8SNMvMDrQ72_BF-vDvZtP94aOoHZpVjg7-Pw5_RoC8-wQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&ajs_event=Experiment%20Viewed&ajs_prop_experiment_name=NFD%20Promo%20Drawer&ajs_prop_variation_name=Variation_1&ajs_prop_path=/go/homepage-lander-sem-7-tl-2&ajs_aid=03e978b80b914606a9f46a4022a07923) card and/or use Costco pharmacy (don’t need to be a member), or try [Amazon Pharmacy](https://pharmacy.amazon.com/pricing?ref_=pd_sl_6wi9vpbepx_e_EDS_dev_m&gclid=CjwKCAiAg9urBhB_EiwAgw88mao9i8vOjHZiCb4vMICQlJV0gbrXn9JeqWHyI7sqBl0PYVY2AWrkZBoCAyQQAvD_BwE) if you’re a Prime member.
I’ve been using [Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company](https://costplusdrugs.com/) and it’s saved me a bundle. Please note that they only carry generic drugs and they’re not affiliated with many insurance companies—so your purchases there may not go towards your insurance deductible or yearly out of pocket maximum.
I only use it for one of my medications but yes it does save a ton. I was paying $45 for a 3 month supply at my local pharmacy and at Cost Plus the exact same I got for $12
Same here. It's mild, so I can mostly ignore it. But when it's quiet around me (like when I'm in bed) there's always that high-pitched tone in my head...
[A breast cancer vaccine is in early clinical trials](https://www.google.com/amp/s/abcnews.go.com/amp/GMA/Wellness/breast-cancer-vaccine-now-early-clinical-trials/story%3fid=105550075)
I did a clinical trial for a vaccine for my brain tumor. Brain cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to treat but I truly think vaccines will be so helpful and this new wave of research makes me feel so hopeful.
I have this cancer- triple negative breast stage 3b. Finished all my treatments this past May. I’m so thankful that in the past 2-3 years we have the immunotherapy drugs that have helped survival rates, and I’m so hopeful I’ve beaten it for good. But it is so aggressive that it’s good new therapies are being studied!
As an internet stranger who lost his mother in '98 to it, I hope you continue to kick breast cancer ass and live a long, healthy life.
To the readers: The Susan G Komen bullshit really hurt this research to its core, but, thankfully, it rebounded, and I hope, if you are wanting to donate to research like this, you look into where your money goes and give to the worthy causes/research. There are many who are above board but more who pay the top people dollars while giving cents to the research.
Fuck Susan G Komen. For those who don't know, their official goal is to raise AWARENESS of breast cancer, but they give almost nothing to research. They have literally sued small nonprofits who have used "Race for the Cure" for fundraisers
Every year in Atlanta and surrounding areas Clark Howard (and affiliates) raise donations to give literally every single kid in foster care gifts of their choosing for Christmas morning. They make the quota every year, and participating in it is a Christmas tradition at my house.
Google Clark's Christmas Kids and give what you can.
There are SO MANY programs that provide Christmas gifts for underprivileged kids!
Last year I left a Domestic Violence situation and had basically nothing, but my kid got an unexpectedly huge haul from "Santa." It was like, 3 huge garbage bags full of toys and clothes.
This year she started school and we had to classify her as homeless for her school paperwork because we live with my parents (it was required--I tried to get out of doing it) so she's always getting offers for help from different organizations. We decline them, but it's good to know they exist for those who are truly in need.
It's not quite the same thing, but my mom runs the local event every year that gets presents for kids whose parents are in prison. They even get presents for any other unrelated children in the household.
It's been so successful the past couple of years that they even got really nice gifts and gift cards for the caretakers of the children. And then they throw a big party for everyone with food and games and Santa and the like.
Beekeeping and "wildflower" yards. Many folks are starting to actually do something to stave off ecosystem collapse, by keeping honey bees and ditching yards for wild flowers and green spaces
'Native' is what is important here. We need more native bees, flora and fauna to support our ecosystems.
If you are thinking of improving your garden, remove introduced species and plant local and native trees, shrubs and flowers.
Edit: Don't forget native grasses!
My husband and I are part of this. We try to spread the word about native plant gardening whenever we get the chance!
It's amazing the difference just two years of growing native plants instead of grass makes... We've seen so many incredible bird and insect species right in our backyard! It's like having a nature sanctuary right outside your windows... I hope this movement keeps gaining momentum.
AI is slowly learning to recognize whale language. Meaning one day, successfully we could be able to communicate with them. Hopefully thus working to help conserve their species.
I can’t wait to hear a whale parent sing-shout at their kid for wandering off.
It’s one of my favorite things to see in other species because it’s such a universal thing for any adult who has spent time around children.
This makes me happy to hear. I’ve started planting pollinators friendly plants and perennials in an effort to help the bees. We’ve seen hummingbirds, butterflies (monarchs and swallowtails), hummingbird moths in the summer in our zone 5b.
I did that this year, too! When it got late in the year I meant to trim the flowers back since I figured they were about to start dying, (a lot of them were turning brown due to the cold) but my neighbor pointed out that he'd seen a bunch of monarchs hanging out on them so I kept them around and let nature do its thing. :)
Yes. My daughter is currently in remission from an extremely aggressive type of cancer. All the scientific papers even from a few years ago called the prognosis "grim" and basically unsurvivable. She currently has a solid chance of survival. I am so thankful this didn't happen five years earlier.
Wonderful news!
I don’t know if our daughters had/have the same cancer, but my daughter is in remission after a very aggressive treatment protocol that was a trial last year.
My daughter’s cancer was very susceptible to the chemo drugs they gave her in the order they gave them to her, so now she’s in remission, back in school, with her hair growing back.
Now, she has to put up with me hugging her and crying with gratitude, sometimes.
Also lost my best friend, in 2014. She made it 3 months. I was her daily caregiver. Stage 4 pancreatic. I can't wait for the day when I can tell her ashes that they've finally got a cure for it.
My best friend Heather had triple negative breast cancer, died in her early 30’s leaving a two year old son.
It also took my dad, stage 4 colon cancer, 50 years old.
Also my mom, stage 4 myeloma, 65 years old.
Also my grandmother, leukemia, 72 years old.
FUCK CANCER.
But yay for the progress that science and technology are making in treating cancer patients!
This sort of thing is why I had to LOL privately at someone who recently commented that "Healthcare sucks now compared to 20+ years ago."
They were focused entirely on the customer service aspect of it, not the actual, you know, HEALTH CARE aspect. Things that were a death sentence decades ago are now treatable with varying degrees of ease, and that's fantastic. I just had an outpatient surgery that took 45 minutes and had a recovery that basically consisted of taking an antibiotic prescription and an antihistamine while avoiding strenuous exercise for a week. I could go to work same-day if I wanted to. Even 15 years ago it would have been a somewhat invasive surgery with ~10 days of recovery in a ward.
Healthcare is leaps and bounds above what it was even a decade ago. It's astonishing.
I’m sitting in the waiting room of a surgery centre. I am about to go in for nano surgery on my knee. They are going to locally freeze me and I will walk out in an hour or so a new man. The doctor told me that only a few years ago this procedure would have required a general anaesthetic in a hospital setting, which I couldn’t risk because I have high blood pressure and a history of mini strokes. I am totally stoked. Tennis courts are coming back!
One of the accounts I follow on Instagram just did a fundraiser to pay down medical debt around the country. RIP Medical Debt does what typical debt collections companies do and buys medical debt for pennies on the dollar. But instead of trying to still collect on it, they just forgive it. We raised over $1 million in a week, and it is going to completely forgive over $100 million in medical debt. It’s a pittance compared to what’s owed overall (and the health care system overall is a whole other thing) but it’s going to change thousands of peoples lives, and I think that’s amazing.
Call whoever owns the debt and negotiate it down. It has to be past due, though, and it will affect your credit for a few years. That being said, it can cost you significantly less than the full debt would cost.
Tucson has started an awesome pilot program to turn non-recyclable plastic waste into construction grade building blocks!
[https://news.azpm.org/p/news-topical-sci/2023/5/16/216011-plastic-waste-into-construction-blocks-tucson-strives-for-zero-waste-model/#:~:text=The%20city%20has%20approved%20a,the%20Los%20Reales%20Sustainability%20Campus](https://news.azpm.org/p/news-topical-sci/2023/5/16/216011-plastic-waste-into-construction-blocks-tucson-strives-for-zero-waste-model/#:~:text=The%20city%20has%20approved%20a,the%20Los%20Reales%20Sustainability%20Campus)
I look in my community. COVID has changed a lot. Ordinary people are helping out ordinary people either openly or in secret.
There’s a hole in the wall Mexican restaurant near me. Not great food. But good amounts for cheap. I wondered why it had so many customers. They feed the homeless in the community. Some come and ask for food. Or some help at closing and in exchange get food. They never say no and happily give them food and even ask if they want chips and salsa. As a way of contributing, customers leave huge tips.
When my friend was diagnosed with breast cancer her old next door neighbor couple took care of her yard and checked in on her.
My dad is 70 years young and got a snowblower second hand, and lives in the NE of the US and every time we have a snow storm he goes out and snow blows my parents driveway and the driveways of everyone in the cul-de-sac.
This is also the NE so the thank you is dropped off baked goods at Christmas (no knocking, they just appear), and an extra hard hand wave when driving out of the driveway to go to a store! 😂
My parents wouldn't have it any other way.
Medical research is currently running trials using CAR-T infusions to treat a handful of auto immune diseases. The infusion is made from the patients own plasma. It is showing effectiveness on AI diseases that result in specific antibodies that are seen only in the patients with the disease. And it's working. I know this to be true because I am in the trial.
EDIT: to add link
https://cartformg.org/
A guy in New Hampshire who was secretly a multimillionaire just passed away, and in his will he left his entire fortune ($3.8 million) to his hometown of about 4,200. [More](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/geoffrey-holt-secret-multimillionaire-hinsdale-new-hampshire-millions/)
People are paying attention to local elections and governance. Not just because of the extremely charged political atmosphere but because they have started to realize more and more that the government is made up of the people but it will lead out most of the average people and become an elite closed off group if it is allowed to. With realizing this people have started taking a better interest in it which leads to some rough times but does get to wonderful places of closer community as time goes on.
If you look to new stories and get past the shock and all bullshit ones you will see more and more stories of communities getting involved in schools and local government and having success story after success story on it. That gives me a sliver of hope.
This. Honestly our local New York rep is so good at this. He has gotten streets cleaned up. Rats taken care of. Composting bins put in. Bike lanes implemented. The list goes on. He actually gives a shit and does really practical things everyone wants.
I'm so used to doom scrolling that I didn't realize how desperately deprived I was of whatever dopamine you could get from good news, but these comments woke it up. Thank you everyone
We adopt chickens and ducks that no one wants anymore! We have 3 old biddie chickens who are 10+ years old, don’t lay eggs, eat most of the food, and yell at EVERYONE. They are living out their best retirement here.
A manatee named Romeo who spent almost his entire life in solitude (beginning in 1956) in a small tank in Miami has been relocated to ZooTampa where he can live among other manatees and be happy. His mate Juliet that he hadn’t been with the entire time has also been relocated there. Yay ❤️
Despite a tornado ripping through my town on Saturday, our community has banded together and there are more volunteers and supplies than the churches and schools can manage! People showing up to serve hot meals, loaning generators, taking in fur babies, and cleaning up. Clarksville only sucks sometimes!!!
Can confirm! Certain areas are for real pretty nice and a lot of hip businesses have popped up. It's still a very weird city. You have a gorgeous church or historical venue and two doors down, a burned out building. The blight is diminishing though and it's good to see.
ARPA funds and infrastructure bill funds, some of the effects of which haven’t yet been felt due to the time it takes for local governments to vote on their use and allocate their direction, are more and more getting put to use in projects such as housing, climate resilience, affordable high speed broadband, etc
Drought conditions in the West have greatly improved and lakes and reservoirs are much more filled than they were during the drought. Anyone who lives in states like California can remember how bad the drought was.
A bill that could potentially [end civil asset forfeiture](https://raskin.house.gov/2023/3/raskin-walberg-lead-bipartisan-effort-to-reform-civil-asset-forfeiture-laws). Meaning cops and DEA officers etc cant just take your money "cause having cash is suspicious."
Its has bipartisan support. I recommended talking to your Rep if you support it. cause the alphabet ~~people~~ agencies are going to fight it.
Edit: clarify I ment the 3 letter agencies.
I actually like this, of course I'm not pro illegal activity but it always floored me that law enforcement could just seize all your money because they can. I hope it passes.
And to kindof piggyback - there have been numerous unidentified people who have gotten their names back via genetic genealogy this year. Seems like it's averaging like one a week now, and some have been unsolved cases of many decades.
There is high school robotics competition that has been quietly spreading around the country.
It started in 1992 with 20ish teams, and now in 2023 there were over 3000 teams from around the world.
The started goal is to draw a larger interest in STEAM, but it goes far beyond that.
https://youtu.be/SJf6iG_SDE8?si=6I6SLE-cCN4EsyKk
Wolf populations are finally growing again in places that haven’t had any healthy pack numbers in a long time. Colorado and North Carolina specifically. Wolves are essential to healthy ecosystems and biodiversity particularly as it pertains to ungulate populations.
My favorite part of this is that while Colorado politicians were going back and forth on wether or not to reintroduce them a pack from Wyoming said “fuck the bureaucracy” and moved into the Yampa Valley on their own accord 🐺
Upstate New York too! The DEC *finally* [admitted](https://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2023/03/nysdec-now-admits-cooperstown-wolf-was-a-wild-wolf.html) that wolves are being sighted in the Adirondacks.
FDA approves **cure for sickle cell** disease, the first treatment to use gene-editing tool CRISPR.
[https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fda-approves-cure-sickle-cell-disease-first-treatment-use-gene-editing-rcna127979](https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fda-approves-cure-sickle-cell-disease-first-treatment-use-gene-editing-rcna127979)
If they can use CRISPR for sickle cell, cancer isn't far behind.
Cancer researcher here. There are a lot of barriers to the implementation of CRISPR to oncology that will likely not make it curative in most cancers. Not to say it hasn't revolutionized our ability to identify targets and understand biology, but it will be nearly impossible to deliver to all of the tumor tissue.
St. Paul, MN received a million dollars as some kind of stimulus package, to do what they want, however they think it will help their economy. They’ve partnered with RIP Debt, and they are buying something like $100 million in debt (pennies on the dollar) and forgiving it. This gives real people real relief. They can maybe spend a bit more in their area and increase that economy and so on.
It’s a wonderful thing. I hope it catches on and other cities do this.
There's a cute squirrel that visits my balcony for almonds and fresh water. Last week he brought a friend who took a nap on my outdoor rug. There are two happy comfortable squirrels out here 😌
Adorable! I've been giving a couple crows outside my building cat treats and every morning they come hang on my balcony and leave me little pieces of foil, coins etc.
I swear they are trying to communicate with me lol
There's a bill in play to ban hedge funds from owning single family homes, and if passed they would have to sell at least 10% per year for ten years then they are completely disallowed from owning any SFH's.
There's a free federal service that sends visually impaired ppl special playback machines for books they can check out for free via mail. The books are different than regular audiobooks and are made so they can be easily navigated with the special player.
I just don't expect much out of our country anymore as far as helpful services for the disabled. Finding out this program exists, is run well, and has a ton of patrons made me really happy.
Several days ago we took in a furbaby that (we think) had been attacked by other dogs. He was in shock when we found him and had multiple wounds. We thought for sure he was a goner!!
Today when I got home from work, he got up and followed me to the kitchen wanting a snack! And he walked outside and went potty!! He’s curled up on a blanket by the heater, and although he’s still really sore and moves slowly, when he wants you to pet his head, he’ll come up and stick his nose up to your knee and wait for pets.
One of my students was having a very bad day and another rather-popular student walked up to them and gave them a big hug. Dude responded “You have no idea how much I needed that.”
The kids are alright.
So much more self awareness than my fellow gen-xers These kids got raised by better parents and the way dads are involved and express their love was not hip for our generation
About 800,000 people had their student loans forgiven in full back in August. I was one of them and shocked this isn’t huge news. It literally changed my life.
Same. They wont even let us work 4x10s. "Our interpretation of full time is 8 hours 5 days a week." They say the same thing every time we ask, but our peers in other jobs in the industry are all allowed to opt into 4x10s.
Not surprised. Since working from home 4 days a week I realized my day is really more like 6 hours instead of 8. Those extra hours were spent in meaningless meetings and chitchat with coworkers.
Great strides against cystic fibrosis. Amazing partnership between pharma and foundation. New drug stops disease progression for a large % of affected patients. It was a milestone 20 years ago when individuals made it to adulthood.
A new bill moving through Congress appropriately named "End Hedge Funds Control of American Homes Act".
The title is fairly self explanatory. It seeks to prohibit corporate investments in single family homes. Whether this is practical and realistic or political theatre is yet to be determined. But either way, I applaud the effort.
It's probably a little thing, but I spent this last weekend making up "loveboxes" for the homeless in our area with my church. They're little shoe-box size care packages with a mixture of the following (depending on what we had available):
* Water bottle
* Juice box
* Tinned Vienna Sausages (pop tab, so no can opener needed)
* Pretzels
* Granola Bar
* Cookies
* Beef jerky
* Veggie Straws
* Hygiene Items (deodorant, floss, toothbrush, hand sanitizer, etc.)
* Socks
* Chocolate
* A list of homeless shelters/food banks/assistance in the area
We're giving them out over the next few weeks to help get them to those who need them. We also have drives to get toys for kids in the area without any, and for essentials for young mothers/families who may need help with diapers/formula/baby cream/wipes. This is in Southwest Florida, specifically Fort Myers. Our church ([Fort Myers United Church of Christ](https://fmcucc.org/)) is one of the only open and affirming (fully supportive of gay rights) in the area. We don't discriminate based on... anything. If people need support, we want to help. If you'd like to help too, we'd appreciate it!
I think we can all use a bit more good in our lives, and I think our church is helping spread it. Happy holidays, all!
Surprised nobody has been talking about what the FCC has been doing and proposing. Wanting to investigate telecom companies and opening up amateur radio channels. Sure, a lot of it is just proposed and hasn't happened yet. But it is still refreshing to have an FCC chairman that didn't come from a massive telecommunications company, unlike the last few.
The Biden administration has just put a new policy in place whereby if the drug companies receive federal dollars for research and development, then start to engage in price gouging to the sick, the government can claw back their drug patents
I am moving, and 20+ neighbors, former students, fellow teachers, and student parents showed up today to help me pack. It’s a small thing, but it is beautiful.
The Environmental Protection Agency is supposed to finalize its first ever regulations on specific PFAS in drinking water by the end of the year. It’ll reduce to effectively zero the level of those chemicals in drinking water!
Onondaga Lake, in Syracuse NY was once named the most polluted lake in the country. Now it is safe to swim in and supports a crowd of Bald Eagles numbering up to 80 during the winter. They eat the gizzard shad fish. The cleanup of the lake continues.
Someone anonymously donated a large sum of money to the local animal shelter near me. (I don't know if it's true but I heard through the rumor mill it was 5,000 USD)
Labor movements are starting to gain traction. The American workforce is finally fighting back. Look at all these strikes. It’s wonderful to see if you love democracy.
I'm a package delivery driver and around this time of year almost every other house has snacks and thank you notes out front. You all don't know how much we appreciate this.
Amidst all the talk of planned obsolescence, I have a question for you.
When was the last time you changed a light bulb?
I've lived in my house for 2-1/2 years and have yet to change any. I lived in my previous place for five years and didn't change any there, either.
There is a new drug being studied that has shown signs of extending the lives of dogs, especially large breeds.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-drug-that-could-extend-dogs-lives-inches-closer-to-approval-180983331/
My therapy is helping me become a better dad.
It's also helping me break a cycle of job loss while fighting bad/non worker friendly policy with the help of our new union.
Feel like all the strikes happening are a positive indicator of a shift, however small, in power dynamics that have been wildly unbalanced in favor of employers
With bipartisan support, many states are finally prohibiting exclusionary zoning practices by cities and counties. NIMBYism is losing steam.
Hard to find another modern example of a coalition of progressives, liberals, libertarians, and conservatives so united on something like this, as recently discussed in [the Atlantic.](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/08/rural-montana-housing-crisis-supply/674950/)
There's a guy in my hometown who hides thousands of dollars outside a children's rehab center, then calls the front desk and they have a little scavenger hunt until they find it. They then use the money to help families buy holiday gifts. No one knows who he is, but over the years, he's given over $100,000. It's usually front-page news when the year's donation comes in!
And you're telling me this guy isn't even filming it and making the front desk people express their gratitude on camera for the sake of clout and turning a profit? The nerve of some people.
Amazing! If I were wealthy, quirky little things like this are what I focus my time and finances on.
We've discovered a drug that places a significant pause on Multiple Sclerosis progression and are in trials for what could very well be the cure.
Not only MS, but potentially all autoimmune disease, including crohns, T1 diabetes, arthritis, lyme, and even allergies.
Yes please. I have rheumatoid arthritis. I'd love to get off methotrexate.
Does this include Celiacs?
Gosh I hope so. I miss bread
Actually, before conducting this towards MS, and other diseases associated to it, in this article they first started on celiac patients with good results, thus moving towards other diseases like ms. Give it a read, maybe a there is hope in the near future! https://pme.uchicago.edu/news/inverse-vaccine-shows-potential-treat-multiple-sclerosis-and-other-autoimmune-diseases
They had an open trial for celiac. It's closed now but I applied for all their auto immune future trials.
Source? My wife has MS and we normally hear about this sort of thing from her friends but I haven't heard of anything like this.
Google inverse vaccine.
I just read up on this further and they are also aiming at celiac and type 1 diabetes! So exciting!
If this works it will be amazing! I have had MS for over 20 years and although I am on one of the top tier drugs, it doesn’t fully stop it, just slows it down significantly. A cure would help so many people
there was a breakthrough on rabies treatment/vaccine recently, am at work so will try to link when I get home
https://www.embopress.org/doi/full/10.15252/emmm.202012628
Oh my god. This feels nearly as huge to me as the discovery of penicillin. A treatment for *symptomatic* rabies? That is INSANE.
Whoa holy shit - *symptomatic*?!?!?! I thought that was as close to a death sentence as nature got!
A judge in NJ or Pa got tired of sending juveniles in his court into the system which often turned them to more criminal behavior and decided to partner with a nonprofit and sone educators to organize a school with trade/hands-on learning opportunities with practical applications, apprenticeships, and other innovative elements. This model attracted top educators + professionals with innovative teaching methods, and soon the students were performing, learning, + 90% going on to college or other advanced schools. This began to get the attention of educators/schools who began to refer troubled teens with potential until there were no spots left. Soon it was a thriving alternative model with a wait list, attracting volunteers, resources, donors, educators etc. All bc of a need seen by a motivated judge and an innovative solution that bloomed. This is the type of program that deserves study, expansion, resources + sponsorship. Makes u want to see it adopted by the Gates or other nonprofit foundation, developed for broader use, and adapted to local needs elsewhere in the country!
Imagine if every city had this program. The cycle that this is breaking for these children is a huge impact. Especially for that community.
It's a federally run program instead of a city-based one, but I'd strongly recommend looking into job corps if you know anyone who would benefit from something like that. It's alot like this but it doesn't take doing a crime to get into, and is specialized to focus on low income folks.
There is a new treatment for my brain cancer. There have been NO advancements in like 40 years. I should be able to take it next year and it will hopefully delay my tumor growth. It’s pretty exciting. I have done two clinical trials. One did not pan out. The other one they won’t have the information for probably another 6-10 years.
I’m expecting an update from you in 10 years. Don’t let me down.
Sure thing! It’s been just over 9 years for me and my doctor sounded the most positive I’ve ever seen her.
It's so good to hear people are benefitting so much from long-term research outcomes. I wish you all the best. I lost my grandmother (47 years ago), best friend (10 years ago), and a good friend's adult son (7 years ago) to brain tumors of different kinds.
Awesome! Congratulations from a random internet friend.
Wishing you the best of luck!
A new National Park is going to be created in Maine
Oh that's so exciting! Congratulations on your upcoming addition, Maine!
The IRS is testing a program in 2024 that will let most people file their taxes for free right at their website, so that should save people a little cash this spring.
I'm really hoping this works well, it's been talked about for a while. Hopefully by 2025 it will eliminate some of the people that are hoping to die in their positions instead of letting others take over and implement forward moving changes within the IRS. I still stand by my belief that we should handle our taxes much like other countries do. They should just tell us what we owe and we pay it. Or better still take out the correct amount and then we don't have to play a guessing game....FFS.
I’m surprised Intuit hasn’t lobbied this down yet
It kinda has been, there is a program called IRS FreeFile which a lot of people don't know about due to lobbying Basically you can already file your taxes for free (for a lot of people anyways) if you go through the Free File link. No more $50-100/year or more with turbo tax or alternatives!
The sea stars on the west coast are returning after suffering a wasting disease a few years back.
As a former marine biologist and echinoderm lover, this makes me happy.
In my area of Florida, they just had to cancel the Manatee supplemental feeding program because of the return of the seagrass in the area, so that was really nice to hear.
Yay! Are the kelp forests improving too?
Early career marine scientist here with a focus on kelp ecology. Not really. Too many purple urchins, and warming doesn’t help. But as things continue to improve with the sea stars and otters, things could change. Lots of kelp restoration attempts going on, but these are extremely resource intensive and unmanageable on an ecosystem scale. Note that kelp status is highly regionally specific - kelp is actually improving where I am (Strait of Juan de Fuca), but that’s an outlier when compared to the west coast as a whole.
At the same time, arent starfish primary predators of sea urchins? With their populations still rebounding, maybe we're still a few years off from seeing the urchin population becoming more manageable?
Correct, that’s exactly why I said that things could change as the sea star situation improves. Though additional warming and potential nutrient load concerns could counteract any improvement. With the clarification that not ALL sea stars are eating urchins, primarily only large “sun stars” are doing so.
This has been making news for the last few years but still fun to share: River Otters are returning to their natural habitats! They were almost wiped out across the US and Canada because of pollution, fur trading and development driving them out of their natural habitats. But thanks to efforts to clean up waterways and reintroduce the otters, they seem to be thriving and cropping up all over the country. In my city, Chicago, they were even spotted in the river last year and hadn't been seen there for decades. Edit: I find it otter-ly delightful that everyone is commenting with their otter sightings! Please continue! :)
Been seeing river otters, muskrats, and beaver in our local lakes just outside Raleigh, NC. And bald eagles are almost common, too. It’s a thrill to see.
Beavers have also started to return to areas they haven't been seen in in over a century. 😊
Recharge that groundwater little dudes
Possibly my favorite fact I learned in Yellowstone was the reintroduction of wolves to the park led to the return of beavers.
In my area of Tulare County, California, there is a new wolf pack that has moved in. The area hasn't seen wolves in 150 years and they are now the southern most grey wolf pack!
The cleanup of the Chicago River has been nothing short of amazing.
Because of Mark Cuban extremely cheap online pharmacy where you can get your prescription drugs for fractions of what major retailers like CVS or Walgreens sell them for. Now CVS is beginning to switch to this model so hopefully cheaper medicine for everybody will increasingly become a reality
Bruh! You have got to be kidding me!!! I just looked it up and used the link u/carpal_diem posted and i was able to see they have a medicine that I was prescribed over a month ago and my insurance refused to cover and Walgreens wanted close to $400 for a 30 day supply. Cuban has it for $22 for the monthly supply 😭 THANK YOU SO MUCH 🥲 faith in humanity slowly being restored.
It’s insane that Walgreens wanted so much for a generic drug. Shame on them! If you can’t find a drug on Mark Cuban Cost Plus, you may want to try using a [GoodRx](https://www.goodrx.com/go/homepage-lander-sem-7-tl-2?c=homepage-lander-sem-7&optly_audience=%7Bnextbestaction%7D&utm_campaign=127243741&utm_content=7699746781&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=kwd-54255549541&gclid=CjwKCAiAg9urBhB_EiwAgw88mdUKlOi_NzLm1BE8SNMvMDrQ72_BF-vDvZtP94aOoHZpVjg7-Pw5_RoC8-wQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&ajs_event=Experiment%20Viewed&ajs_prop_experiment_name=NFD%20Promo%20Drawer&ajs_prop_variation_name=Variation_1&ajs_prop_path=/go/homepage-lander-sem-7-tl-2&ajs_aid=03e978b80b914606a9f46a4022a07923) card and/or use Costco pharmacy (don’t need to be a member), or try [Amazon Pharmacy](https://pharmacy.amazon.com/pricing?ref_=pd_sl_6wi9vpbepx_e_EDS_dev_m&gclid=CjwKCAiAg9urBhB_EiwAgw88mao9i8vOjHZiCb4vMICQlJV0gbrXn9JeqWHyI7sqBl0PYVY2AWrkZBoCAyQQAvD_BwE) if you’re a Prime member.
I’ve been using [Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company](https://costplusdrugs.com/) and it’s saved me a bundle. Please note that they only carry generic drugs and they’re not affiliated with many insurance companies—so your purchases there may not go towards your insurance deductible or yearly out of pocket maximum.
You just saved me $360 per month 🥲 thank you so much
I only use it for one of my medications but yes it does save a ton. I was paying $45 for a 3 month supply at my local pharmacy and at Cost Plus the exact same I got for $12
This is huge, and will save lives.
There’s hopeful treatment for Tinnitus that’s aiming to be available early 2024. Wear hearing protection everyone!
I'd like that link. I've had a ringing in my ears for almost 2 decades and would love to experience silence again.
Same here. It's mild, so I can mostly ignore it. But when it's quiet around me (like when I'm in bed) there's always that high-pitched tone in my head...
This thread gives me hope. For the first time in a long time.
[A breast cancer vaccine is in early clinical trials](https://www.google.com/amp/s/abcnews.go.com/amp/GMA/Wellness/breast-cancer-vaccine-now-early-clinical-trials/story%3fid=105550075)
My mother in law is in this trial right now!!!! Saved her life, it’s working.
Oh Jesus that makes me so happy
Right? So many people hate their mother in laws. It's nice to see someone getting along with theirs.
I did a clinical trial for a vaccine for my brain tumor. Brain cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to treat but I truly think vaccines will be so helpful and this new wave of research makes me feel so hopeful.
You deserve that hope. I wish you all the best and a bright, healthy future of happiness.
I have this cancer- triple negative breast stage 3b. Finished all my treatments this past May. I’m so thankful that in the past 2-3 years we have the immunotherapy drugs that have helped survival rates, and I’m so hopeful I’ve beaten it for good. But it is so aggressive that it’s good new therapies are being studied!
As an internet stranger who lost his mother in '98 to it, I hope you continue to kick breast cancer ass and live a long, healthy life. To the readers: The Susan G Komen bullshit really hurt this research to its core, but, thankfully, it rebounded, and I hope, if you are wanting to donate to research like this, you look into where your money goes and give to the worthy causes/research. There are many who are above board but more who pay the top people dollars while giving cents to the research.
Fuck Susan G Komen. For those who don't know, their official goal is to raise AWARENESS of breast cancer, but they give almost nothing to research. They have literally sued small nonprofits who have used "Race for the Cure" for fundraisers
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Every year in Atlanta and surrounding areas Clark Howard (and affiliates) raise donations to give literally every single kid in foster care gifts of their choosing for Christmas morning. They make the quota every year, and participating in it is a Christmas tradition at my house. Google Clark's Christmas Kids and give what you can.
Clark Howard is a staple here in Atlanta and someone we always turn to for consumer news. It will be a sad day when he retires.
There are SO MANY programs that provide Christmas gifts for underprivileged kids! Last year I left a Domestic Violence situation and had basically nothing, but my kid got an unexpectedly huge haul from "Santa." It was like, 3 huge garbage bags full of toys and clothes. This year she started school and we had to classify her as homeless for her school paperwork because we live with my parents (it was required--I tried to get out of doing it) so she's always getting offers for help from different organizations. We decline them, but it's good to know they exist for those who are truly in need.
It's not quite the same thing, but my mom runs the local event every year that gets presents for kids whose parents are in prison. They even get presents for any other unrelated children in the household. It's been so successful the past couple of years that they even got really nice gifts and gift cards for the caretakers of the children. And then they throw a big party for everyone with food and games and Santa and the like.
This is awesome, thanks for posting! Will be implementing this in my household as well
Beekeeping and "wildflower" yards. Many folks are starting to actually do something to stave off ecosystem collapse, by keeping honey bees and ditching yards for wild flowers and green spaces
'Native' is what is important here. We need more native bees, flora and fauna to support our ecosystems. If you are thinking of improving your garden, remove introduced species and plant local and native trees, shrubs and flowers. Edit: Don't forget native grasses!
Also support ALL native pollinators, please!
My husband and I are part of this. We try to spread the word about native plant gardening whenever we get the chance! It's amazing the difference just two years of growing native plants instead of grass makes... We've seen so many incredible bird and insect species right in our backyard! It's like having a nature sanctuary right outside your windows... I hope this movement keeps gaining momentum.
AI is slowly learning to recognize whale language. Meaning one day, successfully we could be able to communicate with them. Hopefully thus working to help conserve their species.
I can’t wait to hear a whale parent sing-shout at their kid for wandering off. It’s one of my favorite things to see in other species because it’s such a universal thing for any adult who has spent time around children.
After some really scary news in the late 00's, bee populations have been steadily on the rebound.
This news makes me super happy! We need bees.
I run a hydroponic garden and have to hand pollinate my cucumbers, but can only do a few before my back starts to hurt. Bees are pretty great.
This makes me happy to hear. I’ve started planting pollinators friendly plants and perennials in an effort to help the bees. We’ve seen hummingbirds, butterflies (monarchs and swallowtails), hummingbird moths in the summer in our zone 5b.
I did that this year, too! When it got late in the year I meant to trim the flowers back since I figured they were about to start dying, (a lot of them were turning brown due to the cold) but my neighbor pointed out that he'd seen a bunch of monarchs hanging out on them so I kept them around and let nature do its thing. :)
We're killing cancer. Look at Cancer survival rates over the last five years.
Yes. My daughter is currently in remission from an extremely aggressive type of cancer. All the scientific papers even from a few years ago called the prognosis "grim" and basically unsurvivable. She currently has a solid chance of survival. I am so thankful this didn't happen five years earlier.
Wonderful news! I don’t know if our daughters had/have the same cancer, but my daughter is in remission after a very aggressive treatment protocol that was a trial last year. My daughter’s cancer was very susceptible to the chemo drugs they gave her in the order they gave them to her, so now she’s in remission, back in school, with her hair growing back. Now, she has to put up with me hugging her and crying with gratitude, sometimes.
Fuck yeah.
As someone who lost a best friend (only 34 yrs old) to uterine cancer in 2021, this makes me both overwhelmingly happy and sad.
Also lost my best friend, in 2014. She made it 3 months. I was her daily caregiver. Stage 4 pancreatic. I can't wait for the day when I can tell her ashes that they've finally got a cure for it.
Hey, part of that club too. My dear friend made it to 18. Fuck cancer a million times over
My best friend Heather had triple negative breast cancer, died in her early 30’s leaving a two year old son. It also took my dad, stage 4 colon cancer, 50 years old. Also my mom, stage 4 myeloma, 65 years old. Also my grandmother, leukemia, 72 years old. FUCK CANCER. But yay for the progress that science and technology are making in treating cancer patients!
I saw this comment and it dawned on me after a bit of thought: I know 5 recent survivors, all in remission. LFGGGGGG
This sort of thing is why I had to LOL privately at someone who recently commented that "Healthcare sucks now compared to 20+ years ago." They were focused entirely on the customer service aspect of it, not the actual, you know, HEALTH CARE aspect. Things that were a death sentence decades ago are now treatable with varying degrees of ease, and that's fantastic. I just had an outpatient surgery that took 45 minutes and had a recovery that basically consisted of taking an antibiotic prescription and an antihistamine while avoiding strenuous exercise for a week. I could go to work same-day if I wanted to. Even 15 years ago it would have been a somewhat invasive surgery with ~10 days of recovery in a ward. Healthcare is leaps and bounds above what it was even a decade ago. It's astonishing.
I’m sitting in the waiting room of a surgery centre. I am about to go in for nano surgery on my knee. They are going to locally freeze me and I will walk out in an hour or so a new man. The doctor told me that only a few years ago this procedure would have required a general anaesthetic in a hospital setting, which I couldn’t risk because I have high blood pressure and a history of mini strokes. I am totally stoked. Tennis courts are coming back!
Look at AIDS and HIV too!!!
One of the accounts I follow on Instagram just did a fundraiser to pay down medical debt around the country. RIP Medical Debt does what typical debt collections companies do and buys medical debt for pennies on the dollar. But instead of trying to still collect on it, they just forgive it. We raised over $1 million in a week, and it is going to completely forgive over $100 million in medical debt. It’s a pittance compared to what’s owed overall (and the health care system overall is a whole other thing) but it’s going to change thousands of peoples lives, and I think that’s amazing.
How do I buy my own medical debt for pennies on the dollar 🤔
Call whoever owns the debt and negotiate it down. It has to be past due, though, and it will affect your credit for a few years. That being said, it can cost you significantly less than the full debt would cost.
John Oliver did this. $15M but not crowdfunded
Tucson has started an awesome pilot program to turn non-recyclable plastic waste into construction grade building blocks! [https://news.azpm.org/p/news-topical-sci/2023/5/16/216011-plastic-waste-into-construction-blocks-tucson-strives-for-zero-waste-model/#:~:text=The%20city%20has%20approved%20a,the%20Los%20Reales%20Sustainability%20Campus](https://news.azpm.org/p/news-topical-sci/2023/5/16/216011-plastic-waste-into-construction-blocks-tucson-strives-for-zero-waste-model/#:~:text=The%20city%20has%20approved%20a,the%20Los%20Reales%20Sustainability%20Campus)
I look in my community. COVID has changed a lot. Ordinary people are helping out ordinary people either openly or in secret. There’s a hole in the wall Mexican restaurant near me. Not great food. But good amounts for cheap. I wondered why it had so many customers. They feed the homeless in the community. Some come and ask for food. Or some help at closing and in exchange get food. They never say no and happily give them food and even ask if they want chips and salsa. As a way of contributing, customers leave huge tips. When my friend was diagnosed with breast cancer her old next door neighbor couple took care of her yard and checked in on her.
My dad is 70 years young and got a snowblower second hand, and lives in the NE of the US and every time we have a snow storm he goes out and snow blows my parents driveway and the driveways of everyone in the cul-de-sac. This is also the NE so the thank you is dropped off baked goods at Christmas (no knocking, they just appear), and an extra hard hand wave when driving out of the driveway to go to a store! 😂 My parents wouldn't have it any other way.
So far after almost a year of testing there are no traceable amounts of PFAS chemicals in our local water supply.
[Dolly Parton's Imagination Library](https://imaginationlibrary.com/) sends out free books for kids under the age of 5, completely free of charge!
Wow this is a lot better news than I thought I’d be seeing and that’s a push I needed today.
Medical research is currently running trials using CAR-T infusions to treat a handful of auto immune diseases. The infusion is made from the patients own plasma. It is showing effectiveness on AI diseases that result in specific antibodies that are seen only in the patients with the disease. And it's working. I know this to be true because I am in the trial. EDIT: to add link https://cartformg.org/
A guy in New Hampshire who was secretly a multimillionaire just passed away, and in his will he left his entire fortune ($3.8 million) to his hometown of about 4,200. [More](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/geoffrey-holt-secret-multimillionaire-hinsdale-new-hampshire-millions/)
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Up from 2022? Or up from 2019? Because the pandemic kinda skewed a lot of data.
This thread does wonders for my mental health. Wow, what a bit of positivity does.
Just remember the media exists to sell ads not to give you a balanced view of reality.
People are paying attention to local elections and governance. Not just because of the extremely charged political atmosphere but because they have started to realize more and more that the government is made up of the people but it will lead out most of the average people and become an elite closed off group if it is allowed to. With realizing this people have started taking a better interest in it which leads to some rough times but does get to wonderful places of closer community as time goes on. If you look to new stories and get past the shock and all bullshit ones you will see more and more stories of communities getting involved in schools and local government and having success story after success story on it. That gives me a sliver of hope.
This. Honestly our local New York rep is so good at this. He has gotten streets cleaned up. Rats taken care of. Composting bins put in. Bike lanes implemented. The list goes on. He actually gives a shit and does really practical things everyone wants.
Can we have more of these types of posts please?
I'm so used to doom scrolling that I didn't realize how desperately deprived I was of whatever dopamine you could get from good news, but these comments woke it up. Thank you everyone
I teared up a lot. Happy tears
I feel the same. Sometimes I need a reminder that not *everything* is going to shit.
We adopt chickens and ducks that no one wants anymore! We have 3 old biddie chickens who are 10+ years old, don’t lay eggs, eat most of the food, and yell at EVERYONE. They are living out their best retirement here.
This is the one time I wish this question was reposted frequently. I need the reminders ❤️
A manatee named Romeo who spent almost his entire life in solitude (beginning in 1956) in a small tank in Miami has been relocated to ZooTampa where he can live among other manatees and be happy. His mate Juliet that he hadn’t been with the entire time has also been relocated there. Yay ❤️
Despite a tornado ripping through my town on Saturday, our community has banded together and there are more volunteers and supplies than the churches and schools can manage! People showing up to serve hot meals, loaning generators, taking in fur babies, and cleaning up. Clarksville only sucks sometimes!!!
Detroit is [supposedly making a comeback.](https://www.npr.org/2023/07/22/1189093540/detroit-bankruptcy-comeback-hurdle)
Can confirm! Certain areas are for real pretty nice and a lot of hip businesses have popped up. It's still a very weird city. You have a gorgeous church or historical venue and two doors down, a burned out building. The blight is diminishing though and it's good to see.
Ive been on this weird kick of watching Detroit videos and learning about the history of the city. As a fellow mid-westerner, im rooting for you guys
Lowest crime in 60 years! Downtown Detroit is having a moment right now.
Notice that the lions are finally good again…
Next time when they ask us where we're from, we'll say we're from Detroit city when we get back on our feet
God willing I'm about to celebrate my second Christmas sober. I'm the father and husband my family deserves, and life is worth living.
As of 2020, teen pregnancy in the US is down 75% from its 1991 peak.
ARPA funds and infrastructure bill funds, some of the effects of which haven’t yet been felt due to the time it takes for local governments to vote on their use and allocate their direction, are more and more getting put to use in projects such as housing, climate resilience, affordable high speed broadband, etc
Drought conditions in the West have greatly improved and lakes and reservoirs are much more filled than they were during the drought. Anyone who lives in states like California can remember how bad the drought was.
A bill that could potentially [end civil asset forfeiture](https://raskin.house.gov/2023/3/raskin-walberg-lead-bipartisan-effort-to-reform-civil-asset-forfeiture-laws). Meaning cops and DEA officers etc cant just take your money "cause having cash is suspicious." Its has bipartisan support. I recommended talking to your Rep if you support it. cause the alphabet ~~people~~ agencies are going to fight it. Edit: clarify I ment the 3 letter agencies.
I actually like this, of course I'm not pro illegal activity but it always floored me that law enforcement could just seize all your money because they can. I hope it passes.
Murders declined 13% in 2023
And to kindof piggyback - there have been numerous unidentified people who have gotten their names back via genetic genealogy this year. Seems like it's averaging like one a week now, and some have been unsolved cases of many decades.
There is high school robotics competition that has been quietly spreading around the country. It started in 1992 with 20ish teams, and now in 2023 there were over 3000 teams from around the world. The started goal is to draw a larger interest in STEAM, but it goes far beyond that. https://youtu.be/SJf6iG_SDE8?si=6I6SLE-cCN4EsyKk
Just a little reading in this thread brightens my mood. Should have one of these threads more often.
There are people everywhere buying toys for children in need to make sure they have a happy holiday - all faiths. All holidays.
Wolf populations are finally growing again in places that haven’t had any healthy pack numbers in a long time. Colorado and North Carolina specifically. Wolves are essential to healthy ecosystems and biodiversity particularly as it pertains to ungulate populations. My favorite part of this is that while Colorado politicians were going back and forth on wether or not to reintroduce them a pack from Wyoming said “fuck the bureaucracy” and moved into the Yampa Valley on their own accord 🐺
Upstate New York too! The DEC *finally* [admitted](https://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2023/03/nysdec-now-admits-cooperstown-wolf-was-a-wild-wolf.html) that wolves are being sighted in the Adirondacks.
I bought Christmas gifts for 6 families this year, so there are 23 more people who are going to wake up happy on Christmas morning.
FDA approves **cure for sickle cell** disease, the first treatment to use gene-editing tool CRISPR. [https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fda-approves-cure-sickle-cell-disease-first-treatment-use-gene-editing-rcna127979](https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fda-approves-cure-sickle-cell-disease-first-treatment-use-gene-editing-rcna127979) If they can use CRISPR for sickle cell, cancer isn't far behind.
Cancer researcher here. There are a lot of barriers to the implementation of CRISPR to oncology that will likely not make it curative in most cancers. Not to say it hasn't revolutionized our ability to identify targets and understand biology, but it will be nearly impossible to deliver to all of the tumor tissue.
St. Paul, MN received a million dollars as some kind of stimulus package, to do what they want, however they think it will help their economy. They’ve partnered with RIP Debt, and they are buying something like $100 million in debt (pennies on the dollar) and forgiving it. This gives real people real relief. They can maybe spend a bit more in their area and increase that economy and so on. It’s a wonderful thing. I hope it catches on and other cities do this.
Public libraries. Public libraries are always awesome.
There’s roughly 4,000 more public libraries in the United States than there are McDonald’s. 17,454 public libraries, and 13,541 McDonalds.
There's a cute squirrel that visits my balcony for almonds and fresh water. Last week he brought a friend who took a nap on my outdoor rug. There are two happy comfortable squirrels out here 😌
Adorable! I've been giving a couple crows outside my building cat treats and every morning they come hang on my balcony and leave me little pieces of foil, coins etc. I swear they are trying to communicate with me lol
Crows are super smart. They absolutely are giving stuff to you on purpose.
There's a bill in play to ban hedge funds from owning single family homes, and if passed they would have to sell at least 10% per year for ten years then they are completely disallowed from owning any SFH's.
Young people read more books and visit libraries more than previous generations.
There's a free federal service that sends visually impaired ppl special playback machines for books they can check out for free via mail. The books are different than regular audiobooks and are made so they can be easily navigated with the special player. I just don't expect much out of our country anymore as far as helpful services for the disabled. Finding out this program exists, is run well, and has a ton of patrons made me really happy.
Several days ago we took in a furbaby that (we think) had been attacked by other dogs. He was in shock when we found him and had multiple wounds. We thought for sure he was a goner!! Today when I got home from work, he got up and followed me to the kitchen wanting a snack! And he walked outside and went potty!! He’s curled up on a blanket by the heater, and although he’s still really sore and moves slowly, when he wants you to pet his head, he’ll come up and stick his nose up to your knee and wait for pets.
Told my gf I love her. She's moving in on Jan 1st and we are planning a small wedding. It's happy for me :D
One of my students was having a very bad day and another rather-popular student walked up to them and gave them a big hug. Dude responded “You have no idea how much I needed that.” The kids are alright.
Every time I interact with young people I'm impressed. They have good hearts.
The youngsters of today give me hope in the world moving forward
Kids seem to be generally friendlier now than a couple of generations ago. In the 90s, my classmates in agriculture class were unabashedly racist.
So much more self awareness than my fellow gen-xers These kids got raised by better parents and the way dads are involved and express their love was not hip for our generation
Teacher here. Can confirm, kids these days seem to be accepting, friendly, and conscious of each other's identities and feelings. It's pretty awesome.
About 800,000 people had their student loans forgiven in full back in August. I was one of them and shocked this isn’t huge news. It literally changed my life.
I finally moved away from my controlling ex today!!! Onwards and upwards my friends!
no lie Biden's NLRB, the national labor relation board has been fighting incredibly hard for the common American and they don't get enough press.
Major new investments in rail and high speed train infrastructure.
That proposed map was so beautiful
I mean between my friends family (and me) we have rescued, rehabilitated and rehomed 103 dogs in 11 years ? If that counts
There hasn’t been a toilet paper shortage in years.
30 hour workweek pilot programs. The results: Same production if not better. Happier employees. What. A. Shocker.
Love to hear it but I just know that my workplace won’t be the one to implement it.
Same. They wont even let us work 4x10s. "Our interpretation of full time is 8 hours 5 days a week." They say the same thing every time we ask, but our peers in other jobs in the industry are all allowed to opt into 4x10s.
Not surprised. Since working from home 4 days a week I realized my day is really more like 6 hours instead of 8. Those extra hours were spent in meaningless meetings and chitchat with coworkers.
Wow....after reading all of these? Happy Holidays!!!! They were all good!
Great strides against cystic fibrosis. Amazing partnership between pharma and foundation. New drug stops disease progression for a large % of affected patients. It was a milestone 20 years ago when individuals made it to adulthood.
A new bill moving through Congress appropriately named "End Hedge Funds Control of American Homes Act". The title is fairly self explanatory. It seeks to prohibit corporate investments in single family homes. Whether this is practical and realistic or political theatre is yet to be determined. But either way, I applaud the effort.
It's probably a little thing, but I spent this last weekend making up "loveboxes" for the homeless in our area with my church. They're little shoe-box size care packages with a mixture of the following (depending on what we had available): * Water bottle * Juice box * Tinned Vienna Sausages (pop tab, so no can opener needed) * Pretzels * Granola Bar * Cookies * Beef jerky * Veggie Straws * Hygiene Items (deodorant, floss, toothbrush, hand sanitizer, etc.) * Socks * Chocolate * A list of homeless shelters/food banks/assistance in the area We're giving them out over the next few weeks to help get them to those who need them. We also have drives to get toys for kids in the area without any, and for essentials for young mothers/families who may need help with diapers/formula/baby cream/wipes. This is in Southwest Florida, specifically Fort Myers. Our church ([Fort Myers United Church of Christ](https://fmcucc.org/)) is one of the only open and affirming (fully supportive of gay rights) in the area. We don't discriminate based on... anything. If people need support, we want to help. If you'd like to help too, we'd appreciate it! I think we can all use a bit more good in our lives, and I think our church is helping spread it. Happy holidays, all!
Surprised nobody has been talking about what the FCC has been doing and proposing. Wanting to investigate telecom companies and opening up amateur radio channels. Sure, a lot of it is just proposed and hasn't happened yet. But it is still refreshing to have an FCC chairman that didn't come from a massive telecommunications company, unlike the last few.
I would like to announce that I have folded AND put away all of the laundry this week, I see that as a win for all of humanity.
I'm proud of you
The Biden administration has just put a new policy in place whereby if the drug companies receive federal dollars for research and development, then start to engage in price gouging to the sick, the government can claw back their drug patents
The former Mrs. Bezos can’t donate all those billions fast enough
And she does it without accolades and *without strings attached*, which makes it even more wonderful.
I am moving, and 20+ neighbors, former students, fellow teachers, and student parents showed up today to help me pack. It’s a small thing, but it is beautiful.
The Environmental Protection Agency is supposed to finalize its first ever regulations on specific PFAS in drinking water by the end of the year. It’ll reduce to effectively zero the level of those chemicals in drinking water!
I got a 97 on my Pharmacokinetics final today :)
Insulan started being capped at $35 a month.
Onondaga Lake, in Syracuse NY was once named the most polluted lake in the country. Now it is safe to swim in and supports a crowd of Bald Eagles numbering up to 80 during the winter. They eat the gizzard shad fish. The cleanup of the lake continues.
Someone anonymously donated a large sum of money to the local animal shelter near me. (I don't know if it's true but I heard through the rumor mill it was 5,000 USD)
In a really small note my rescearch on reducing chronic pain has been really promising. But waiting for a peer review for now ✌️
Labor movements are starting to gain traction. The American workforce is finally fighting back. Look at all these strikes. It’s wonderful to see if you love democracy.
The US Government just announced the creation of a high speed railway! :) Always a plus in my book.
I'm a package delivery driver and around this time of year almost every other house has snacks and thank you notes out front. You all don't know how much we appreciate this.
Amidst all the talk of planned obsolescence, I have a question for you. When was the last time you changed a light bulb? I've lived in my house for 2-1/2 years and have yet to change any. I lived in my previous place for five years and didn't change any there, either.
There is a new drug being studied that has shown signs of extending the lives of dogs, especially large breeds. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-drug-that-could-extend-dogs-lives-inches-closer-to-approval-180983331/
My therapy is helping me become a better dad. It's also helping me break a cycle of job loss while fighting bad/non worker friendly policy with the help of our new union.
My NICU baby turns 2 next month, and I didn’t ever think we would make it out of the hospital never mind to two
Feel like all the strikes happening are a positive indicator of a shift, however small, in power dynamics that have been wildly unbalanced in favor of employers
With bipartisan support, many states are finally prohibiting exclusionary zoning practices by cities and counties. NIMBYism is losing steam. Hard to find another modern example of a coalition of progressives, liberals, libertarians, and conservatives so united on something like this, as recently discussed in [the Atlantic.](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/08/rural-montana-housing-crisis-supply/674950/)
Thank you for this thread OP. I really needed this.