Buzz
A new week is coming, and we’re here to help you kick it off with positivity. This collection features some of the most uplifting and motivating stories that have taken place recently. If you're in the mood for something more unusual and quirky, be sure to check out these offbeat stories.
This week brings heartwarming stories of people doing kind acts for others. From a man offering a ride to a doctor with a transplant organ, to a child sharing his peanut butter, and a barber who specializes in customers with dementia. There's also a touching reunion, a man who can communicate with octopuses, and a gator acting as an emotional support animal.
10. Farewell, Wally the Gator
Joie Henney’s recent visit to the Glatfelter Community Center in York, Pennsylvania, gained widespread attention when he arrived with his loyal companion, an emotional support animal named Wally. The twist? Wally happens to be a 1.4-meter-long (4.5 ft) alligator.
Henney rescued Wally around three years ago when he was still a young gator. Since then, Wally has been raised more like a dog than a reptile. Initially fearful of everything, Wally gradually became more domesticated over time.
Wally enjoys following people around the house, rummaging through the kitchen cupboards, and watching television. Henney shares that Wally’s favorite movie is The Lion King. He watches it from start to finish and refuses to eat while it’s playing.
Wally has been a key figure in helping Henney manage his depression, which led him to believe that the “big teddy bear” could be a great support companion. Henney brings the gator to schools and senior centers, where both kids and adults ask plenty of questions and take lots of pictures.
9. Write A Letter, Win A House
A woman from Canada is offering her million-dollar home to the winner of a writing competition.
Alla Wagner owns a stunning mansion located about 65 kilometers (40 mi) south of Calgary, Alberta. She describes the property as a “writer’s or artist’s dream” with breathtaking, sweeping views of the Rocky Mountains. However, due to her poor health, she has been confined to the upper floor and unable to fully enjoy the home. After trying to sell it for C$1.7 million without success, Wagner decided to give it away through a contest instead.
The competition will run for at least three months. To participate, entrants must submit an essay on the topic, “How would moving to this lakeside dream home change your life?” along with a C$25 entry fee. Five hundred finalists will be chosen through public voting, and an independent panel of judges will select the winner.
Wagner says she was inspired by similar contests in recent years, though these raffles don’t always go as planned. Some have faced investigations to determine whether they were illegal or rigged, while others were canceled due to insufficient entries.
This contest could also be extended or even canceled if it does not attract 60,000 entries, which is the minimum number needed to cover the house’s listing price.
8. Indiana Jones and the Garden Décor
A few months ago, we mentioned Arthur Brand, the Dutch art detective dubbed the “Indiana Jones of the art world.” At the time, he successfully recovered a sixth-century Byzantine mosaic. Brand is making headlines again after locating a pair of seventh-century Visigoth reliefs that had been sitting unnoticed in someone’s garden for 15 years.
The reliefs were stolen in 2004 from the Santa Maria de Lara church, located near Burgos in northern Spain. This church is one of the last surviving Visigoth structures on the Iberian Peninsula, and the reliefs themselves were over 1,000 years old. The artifacts ended up in the possession of a French dealer who sold them as garden ornaments, each valued at £50,000, to an English noble family in North London.
After nine years of searching, Brand received a tip from an informant regarding the artworks. He confronted the anonymous owners, who were astonished to learn the true history of their garden ornaments.
The nobleman handed over the reliefs to Brand without hesitation. In return, Brand delivered them to Spanish officials at their embassy in London during a private ceremony on Monday.
7. Transplant Taxi
Somewhere in Pennsylvania, a person got a second shot at life because Brad Dostlik enjoys listening to his police radio and felt compelled to do something kind.
Dostlik heard an urgent call over the radio— a doctor’s car had broken down while transporting sensitive cargo. The cargo was an organ, which needed to be transplanted into 63-year-old Tom Loree at the UPMC Hamot Medical Center in Erie just hours later. Knowing he was nearby, Dostlik quickly jumped into his car to help the stranded doctor.
Dr. Martin Wijkstrom appreciated the assistance, as the hospital’s emergency team was too far to reach on time. Fortunately, Dostlik, with a full tank of gas, volunteered to drive the doctor 177 kilometers (110 miles) to Loree, who was battling kidney failure.
At 1:45 AM, Dostlik received a message informing him that Loree had successfully emerged from surgery and the transplant had been a triumph.
6. New Diagnostic Test For Alzheimer’s
A team of researchers from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Tubingen has developed a blood test that might detect Alzheimer’s disease up to ten years before symptoms emerge.
The test measures the levels of a protein called neurofilament light chain (NfL) found in the blood and spinal fluid. Previous research has suggested that higher NfL levels are linked to brain damage and that this protein may serve as an early marker for the progression of neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s.
In a study involving over 400 participants, the German research team discovered that the genetic differences between individuals predisposed to Alzheimer’s and those without a relevant mutation could be detected up to 16 years before symptoms appear.
Professor Mathias Jucker, a coauthor of the study, believes the test will be invaluable not only for diagnosing patients as early as possible but also for assessing the effectiveness of future Alzheimer’s treatments.
Dr. James Pickett, the head of research at the Alzheimer’s Society, acknowledged the significance of the new development but also pointed out its limitations. The study focused solely on individuals with a genetic predisposition for Alzheimer’s and did not consider other health conditions, like multiple sclerosis, which could also elevate NfL levels.
5. Peanut Butter Giveaway
A 15-year-old boy with autism from Virginia has decided to share his lifetime supply of peanut butter with government employees impacted by the shutdown.
On December 22, 2018, the United States federal government shut down, leaving hundreds of thousands of workers without pay while others were furloughed. During this time, numerous individuals and organizations stepped up to offer help in various forms. The shutdown officially ended on January 25, 2019.
One such helper is Eric McKay from Woodbridge, Virginia, affectionately known as “Bean.” McKay, a huge peanut butter fan, eats it every day, so when his mom, Tracy, spotted a sale at Lidl, she bought 72 jars to stock up.
Naturally, Bean eventually consumed all 72 jars. He even numbered each jar, snapped a picture with them, and tweeted the photo to Lidl. Impressed by his enthusiasm for their product, the company not only sent him another 72 jars but also promised him a lifetime supply of peanut butter if he could achieve 72,000 retweets.
Last week, Eric reached his target, thanks in part to author Neil Gaiman, who shared the tweet with his 2.5 million followers. Eric also announced that he would be giving away his peanut butter to federal workers affected by the shutdown, including his own father. These workers can pick up up to three jars for free at the Lidl in Dumfries, Virginia, with a government ID.
4. The Octopus Whisperer
An 84-year-old man has dedicated over 7,800 hours of his time volunteering at the New England Aquarium in Boston, earning the nickname of the 'octopus whisperer.'
Wilson Menashi, who retired from his chemical engineering career 25 years ago, started visiting the aquarium to keep himself occupied. There, he developed a special bond with the octopuses, discovering that he had a unique ability to connect with them.
Even after all these years, Menashi struggles to explain the depth of his connection with the octopuses. Senior aquarist Bill Murphy suggests that Menashi's secret lies in his understanding that each octopus is an individual, using patience and trial and error to earn their trust.
Currently, Menashi spends his time with two cephalopods—a three-year-old female named Freya and a younger male known as Professor Ludwig Von Drake. While Menashi often leaves the aquarium with suction cup marks, he never suffers any serious injuries. He refers to his time with the octopuses as 'a lifesaver,' as it has provided him with a sense of purpose after retiring.
3. Life Beneath The Ice
For the first time ever, scientists have ventured into Lake Mercer, a subglacial body of water in Antarctica, which is covered by an ice sheet more than 1,100 meters (3,500 feet) thick. They expected to find microbes, but instead uncovered the ancient remains of tiny animals like crustaceans and tardigrades.
Lake Mercer is part of a vast network of subglacial lakes hidden beneath Antarctica's ice. This particular lake has remained undisturbed for millennia, possibly even hundreds of thousands of years, depending on when the glaciers last retreated during warmer periods.
The Subglacial Antarctic Lakes Scientific Access (SALSA) expedition, which unites researchers from more than a dozen universities, is dedicated to studying these pristine environments. Lake Whillans was the first lake explored in 2013, and now Mercer is the second to be studied.
To the researchers' astonishment, Whillans Lake was found to be teeming with far more microbes than they anticipated, despite its remote location far from the Sun's energy. However, the findings from Lake Mercer were so unexpected that project leader John Priscu believed the equipment had been contaminated, leading him to have it cleaned and reused.
The team recovered shells and remnants of crustaceans, a tardigrade, and fungal fragments, some of which still had tiny hairs attached. These discoveries were in addition to the numerous microbes thriving in the lake. While it seems improbable, the SALSA scientists have not entirely dismissed the possibility of small animals still being alive in the lake, possibly feeding on bacteria. Priscu thinks this would be a truly remarkable discovery.
There is still much to be uncovered in Lake Mercer in the coming weeks and months. Scientists also view the lake as an analogous environment for subglacial biospheres on other planets, such as Mars or Europa. They hope to gain insights into what forms of life might be capable of surviving under such extreme conditions.
2. The Medic Meets Baby George
A former Navy medic had an emotional reunion with the baby he saved more than six decades ago during the Korean War.
Norm Van Sloun, hailing from Chaska, Minnesota, enlisted at the age of 21. In 1953, he served aboard the USS Point Cruz as one of only two hospital corpsmen responsible for the care of 1,000 soldiers. The crew became 1,001 after sailors discovered a baby abandoned in an ash can in Seoul. The infant, a half-Korean, half-Caucasian child with blue eyes and blonde hair, was rejected by orphanages.
The baby was brought aboard the ship and placed under the care of Van Sloun and his fellow medic. They named him George Ascom Cruz. The story of Baby George was first reported by a Japanese newspaper and eventually reached the United States. A famous photograph of Van Sloun feeding the baby was featured on front pages around the world and used in morale-boosting campaigns.
Norm cared for George for three months but lost track of him afterward, not knowing what had become of him until recently. His daughters began a social media search to find George, and after 66 years, the two were finally reunited.
Vice President Richard Nixon personally arranged a visa for Baby George. The infant was adopted by a Navy surgeon from Spokane, Washington, and became known as Dan Keenen.
1. Barber Services For Dementia Patients
Lenny White has earned a reputation as a barber who specializes in dementia care, offering his clients the classic hot towel shave and haircut, along with 'a bit of dignity.'
White began his career after his divorce. He fondly remembered his time at 17 when he worked at a care facility and discovered his natural ability to connect with dementia patients.
He completed a barbering course and began volunteering at a senior care home in his hometown of Bangor, Northern Ireland. Lenny carefully created the perfect environment, complete with a classic barber pole, an apron, lemon-scented cologne, and soothing music from Dean Martin and Elvis Presley playing softly in the background.
The staff noticed a remarkable change in their patients, with even the most agitated men becoming calmer and more relaxed. Word of Lenny’s work quickly spread, and he now travels across the United Kingdom, cutting the hair of men with dementia. He even made a trip to New Jersey to offer his services.
Lenny has enhanced his setup by adding a portable jukebox and a robotic dog, and he continues to hone his skills in engaging in ‘man-banter’ with his clients. Groups of men visit to relive the camaraderie they shared in their younger days while waiting in line at the barbershop.
Research indicates that what Lenny provides is not just a mood booster but also serves as a therapeutic experience for individuals with dementia, as they respond positively to familiar stimuli that remind them of their earlier years.
