Buzz
With so much negativity in the headlines, it's easy to feel down. This list offers the perfect antidote, filled with stories that motivate, encourage, and entertain. For something a bit different, we also have an unexpected list to intrigue and puzzle you.
This week’s stories feature the extraordinary actions of young children. From a group of students bidding farewell to a cherished neighbor, to a play that grabbed Hollywood’s attention. One brave child rescued his sister from danger, while another, the youngest of all, fought tirelessly against a severe condition from birth.
10. The Final Wave of Farewell
In Comox, British Columbia, hundreds of students gathered in front of Tinney Davidson’s home to bid a heartfelt farewell to the elderly woman who spent the last 12 years greeting them with waves as they made their way to school.
In 2007, Tinney Davidson and her late husband, Ken, settled near Highland Secondary School. This gave them a front-row seat to the daily parade of students passing by their window. To spread some cheer, the couple began waving at the students each morning, and it didn’t take long for the students to return the gesture.
For 12 years, Tinney continued her daily ritual. Now, at the age of 88, she is moving into assisted living, but the students couldn’t let her leave without a proper farewell. More than 400 students gathered on her front lawn with flowers and signs, all eager to give her one last wave.
9. Alien: The Play Returns
A month ago, we shared the story of a small, underfunded drama club at a New Jersey high school that staged a remarkable play inspired by the movie Alien. Its success earned accolades, including a $5,000 donation from director Ridley Scott to fund an encore performance.
That encore performance took place last Friday, perfectly timed for the 40th anniversary of the movie. The students were delighted not only with scholarships but also with a surprise appearance from Sigourney Weaver herself.
Alien: The Play drew significant attention for its impressive sets and costumes, created on a shoestring budget. This time, the audience was graced by Ellen Ripley herself. After the show, she visited backstage to praise the awe-struck students for their outstanding performances.
The evening’s surprises didn’t end there. The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts gifted each cast and crew member a $1,000 scholarship to its summer camp, while all graduating seniors received a generous $10,000 college scholarship.
8. You Can't Keep a Brave Parrot Down
A parrot named Freddy Krueger has returned safely to a zoo in the Brazilian city of Cascavel after experiencing a series of thrilling adventures that would make John McClane proud.
Freddy arrived at the zoo four years ago. His previous owner, a gangster, had been involved in a shootout between police and criminals at his drug den. During the chaos, the Amazona aestiva bird was injured, with a gunshot wound to the beak, blindness, and burns to his head feathers. It was these scars that earned him the name 'Freddy Krueger.'
About a month ago, Freddy was attacked by a snake. Thankfully, the reptile was nonvenomous. While Freddy bled heavily, he survived the ordeal. A few days later, however, armed thieves stole him from the zoo.
Freddy’s time in captivity was brief. Just two days after being stolen, he made his way back home. Zookeepers discovered him by a tree near his cage. While they’re unsure how Freddy managed to escape, the blood found nearby suggests that he fought to free himself.
Zoo veterinarian Ilair Dettoni believes this is plausible, as Freddy has always been “a bit of a wild one.” However, it’s also possible that Freddy’s disfigured face worked in his favor—his appearance may have made it difficult for the thieves to sell him, leading them to release him instead.
7. The Young Hero
A young boy’s courage and quick thinking saved both his sister and himself from a would-be kidnapping.
Nita Coburn from Middletown, Ohio, was taking her daughter to the Atrium Medical Center when the unexpected occurred. With her two great-grandchildren, Skyler and Chance, in the backseat, Coburn stepped out to assist her daughter into a wheelchair. At that moment, a man jumped into the driver’s seat and sped off with the children still in the car.
The great-grandmother struggled to open the door, but the driver slammed it shut. From the window, she saw that the man had seized 10-year-old Skyler. Despite being dragged several meters as the car accelerated, she refused to let go of the handle before eventually losing her grip.
The commotion gave Chance the chance to act. The eight-year-old managed to break free from the kidnapper’s grasp, grab his sister, and open the door. The two children tumbled out of the car together. The entire dramatic scene was caught on surveillance footage from a camera outside the hospital.
The criminal didn’t get far. Officers apprehended 24-year-old Dalvir Singh just a few blocks away.
6. A Surprising Reunion
A serendipitous meeting united the family of an organ donor with the recipient of his heart.
In 2016, 21-year-old Donovan Bulger from Belleville, Illinois, tragically passed away due to an accident. As an organ donor, his organs gave new life to several people.
Last Sunday, Donovan’s siblings attended the St. Louis Cardinals game for Transplant Awareness Day. In memory of their brother, they wore neon green T-shirts with his face printed on them.
While they were posing for a group photo, a woman approached them, asking if they were Donovan’s family. She was at the game with her own family, including her father, John Sueme. His life had been saved when he received Bulger’s heart.
What followed was an emotional ‘hug fest and cry fest.’ Although the two families had exchanged letters before, the guidelines prevented them from sharing any personal details.
The Bulgers had brought along some photos of Donovan. Sueme’s daughter, Catherine, recognized one of them from the T-shirts the Bulgers were wearing. Each of them took a turn hugging John Sueme and pressing their ears to his chest to listen to Donovan’s heart beat one final time.
5. A Cure for the Box Jellyfish Sting
A study published in Nature Communications reveals that researchers from the Charles Perkins Center at the University of Sydney have discovered a potential antidote for the venom of the Australian box jellyfish, often considered the most venomous marine creature on Earth.
A sting from this creature causes agonizing pain and severe skin damage. If the venom is potent enough, it can lead to cardiac arrest and death within minutes. This breakthrough antidote may be able to block these symptoms if applied within 15 minutes of the sting.
The treatment was developed using the gene-editing tool CRISPR. The researchers took human cells, systematically deactivated one gene at a time, and then introduced venom from the box jellyfish to observe how the cells reacted.
This trial and error revealed to researchers that the toxin inflicts most of its damage when it interacts with cholesterol. As a result, their antidote is based on cyclodextrins, a class of drugs that absorb the lipid. With fewer cells to attack, the venom causes significantly less pain.
The good news is that these drugs are already available and have been deemed safe for humans. They've been tested on human cells and live mice. Scientists are now working on creating a topical version for humans. The downside is that it's still unknown how effective it would be against a severe sting or if it could prevent a heart attack.
4. The World’s Largest Teddy Bear
A 4.4-ton teddy bear named Xonita has officially been recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest teddy bear on the planet.
The residents of Xonacatlan, Mexico, spent over three months stitching together the enormous, 20-meter-long (65 ft) stuffed bear. It was displayed inside a football stadium as part of the town’s Children’s Day celebrations.
A Guinness adjudicator was present to verify the record. It took them over five hours to measure the teddy bear and ensure it was indeed the new record holder. With this achievement, Xonita has surpassed the former champion, which measured a modest 16.7 meters (55 ft) and was created by Dana Warren from Kansas.
3. How to Harness the Power of ‘Baby Shark’
A pediatrician from St. Petersburg, Florida, utilized the incredibly popular children’s song “Baby Shark” to motivate her two-year-old patient to take her first steps.
Harper has severe spina bifida, which restricted her mobility to the point where she couldn’t walk. Despite her young age of two, numerous surgeries have made her nervous about every new hospital visit. Dr. Michelle Schultz knew gaining Harper’s trust would be a challenge.
Dr. Schultz believes that improvisation plays a key role in successful rehabilitation, as every child is unique. Luckily, she found the perfect tool to connect with Harper and get her to engage in her exercises: “Baby Shark,” the children’s song that holds the title of one of YouTube’s most viewed videos, with over 2.7 billion views.
This innovative treatment method has proven to be very effective. Whenever Dr. Schultz starts singing, Harper knows it's time to step onto the treadmill. Now, she can walk and enjoy playing with her older brother. Her newfound skills have also boosted her social confidence, and she’s become more outgoing. Her parents say that Harper now loves approaching strangers just to say “hi.”
2. The Best Way To See America
This week, Mikah Meyer completed his three-year journey to visit every National Park Service (NPS) site across the United States in honor of his late father.
During the past few years, Meyer has traveled by car, foot, plane, and boat across the country. He visited 419 sites managed by the NPS, which included parks, monuments, memorials, battlefields, preserves, lakeshores, and rivers deemed to have cultural or historical importance.
Meyer was motivated to embark on this journey by his father, who passed away when Meyer was just 19. His father had always dreamed of making this road trip after his retirement, but sadly, he never had the opportunity.
Meyer concluded his epic journey on Monday with a visit to the Lincoln Memorial, where he was joined by friends, family, and even complete strangers who had been following his journey on social media.
At 33, Meyer holds the distinction of being the youngest individual, out of about three dozen people recognized by the National Park Travelers Club, to have visited every NPS site. Many fellow travelers were there to meet him at the Lincoln Memorial, eager to congratulate him and share their own stories from their visits.
1. Saved From The Drink
An Irishman found himself at the perfect moment to rescue two elderly American tourists who had accidentally driven their rental car into the sea off Valentia Island.
On Monday afternoon, Mike Moriarty was relaxing with a pint at the Royal Hotel pub in Knightstown when a woman approached him. She mentioned that she thought she saw something falling into the water from a nearby slipway. When Moriarty went to investigate, he saw a small silver car sinking nose-first with two people trapped inside.
As fate would have it, Moriarty, who works on a yacht in Malta, was perfectly suited for the task. The 21-year-old immediately jumped into the water and attempted to open the driver’s door. However, the door was submerged, and the pressure differential made it impossible to open.
Instead, he opened the back door to allow water to flood the car, which shifted its position and equalized the pressure. With the pressure balanced, Moriarty was able to open the front door and rescue the two passengers. Though shaken, the tourists were unharmed.
