Category: INSPIRATIONAL

INSPIRATIONAL: What the police od right is seldom recognized

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11867551/Officers-relief-battled-save-boy-3-trapped-seat-underwater.html

Best cry I’ve ever heard’: Cops describe relief after saving unconscious boy, 3, trapped in his car seat, completely submerged – and reviving him with CPR

  •     Boy was trapped in seat after car had plunged into canal following a car crash 
  •     Rescuing officer had to pull car seat ‘as hard as he could’ to break child free
  •     Another officer gave the boy CPR and kept telling him ‘you’re going to be fine’

By Miriam Kuepper
Published: 08:54 EDT, 16 March 2023 | Updated: 09:01 EDT, 16 March 2023

*** begin quote ***

Officers have described the utter relief after they battled to save an unconscious three-year-old boy who was trapped in his car seat and completely submerged by water for three minutes before he was rescued and revived with CPR by the police.

The child was trapped in his seat after the car had plunged into a canal following a car crash, according to the Miami-Dade Police Department in Florida, which was called to the rescue.

Despite ‘heroic efforts’, the driver was unable to get the boy out of the car, even after good Samaritans saw the accident and tried to help.

*** end quote ***

Not sure if I would have the huevos muchos grande to dive into a murky Florida canal.  I’d be thinking aligator.  But evidently this man proved his courage and saved a life.  “Whoever Saves a Life Saves the World” is well know in both Jewish and Islamic writings. 

“Men are expendable; women and children are not. A tribe or a nation can lose a high percentage of its men and still pick up the pieces and go on … as long as the women and children are saved. But if you fail to save the women and children, you’ve had it, you’re done, you’re through! You join Tyrannosaurus Rex, one more breed that bilged its final test.”  — The Pragmatics of Patriotism (1973) from Heinlein’s address at the U.S. Naval Academy (5 April 1973)

—30—

INSPIRATIONAL: A doctor’s curiosity leads to a new approach; can we learn from it?

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/cna-insider/alcoholics-returning-emergency-department-ktph-hospital-cold-turkey-addiction-3285241

CNA Insider
Christy Yip @ChristyYipCNA
Jinee Chen
19 Feb 2023 06:15AM (Updated: 19 Feb 2023 06:26AM)

*** begin quote ***

  • Alcoholics kept returning to A&E in this hospital. So a medical team chose to help them at home
  • Is going cold turkey the way to tackle alcoholism? For some patients, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital advocates a different approach by, for example, encouraging them to reduce their intake rather than harp on abstinence.
  • Alcoholics kept returning to A&E in this hospital. So a medical team chose to help them at home
  • The KTPH team helps patients achieve their personal goals, rather than focusing on their addiction.
  • One patient used to drink nine cans of beer a day. The team helped her drop to three — through a badminton game with her family.
  • Visits to the emergency department from these patients have dropped by more than half since the programme began in 2020.

SINGAPORE: Emergency physician Desmond Mao has encountered many a drunkard. At work, the protocol was to treat their physical ailments and send them home with a referral to an addictions specialist.

Outside of work, he used to give them a wide berth. Like most people, perhaps, he “didn’t want any trouble”, he said.

But these days, his nonchalance has turned to curiosity. It was propelled by a nagging problem in Khoo Teck Puat Hospital’s (KTPH)’s emergency department, where he has been practising for some 12 years: The same patients with alcohol misuse kept returning.

These patients could come in with chest or leg pains — symptoms of overdrinking — or could be brought in by paramedics because they were on the streets, flat-out drunk. Sometimes they were “rowdy” and caused the department “a bit of grief”.

After discharge, some would “come back straight away,” said Mao. “Some of them even come back two to three times a day.”

In 2017, he was tasked to look into the issue.

Indeed, a study published in the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs found that between 2007 and 2016, the rate of alcohol-related emergency department visits across Singapore’s hospitals had increased by 62.4 per cent.

*** end quote ***

Human beings are incredibly complex and twisted walking and talking “problems”.

Here’s fellow, who curiosity, leads to “gold”  —  a new approach.

I hope that we can learn from this and get a new strategy and some tactics to solve “homelessness”, drug addiction, and substance abuse.

—30— 

INSPIRATIONAL: Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt “I’ve got too much to do.”

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://apnews.com/article/sports-parasports-jean-dolores-schmidt-chicago-06b8d438408e8e6abe08b395e3cd13d7

At 103, Sister Jean publishes memoir of faith and basketball
By LUIS ANDRES HENAO

  • Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the Loyola University men’s basketball chaplain and school celebrity, sits for a portrait in The Joseph J. Gentile Arena, on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, in Chicago. The beloved Catholic nun captured the world’s imagination and became something of a folk hero while supporting the Ramblers at the NCAA Final Four in 2018. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)

*** begin quote ***

CHICAGO (AP) — At age 103, Sister Jean awakes daily at 5 a.m. She sits up quickly to avoid going to sleep again — “I’ve got too much to do,” she says. After prayers for the day ahead, she reads the Gospel on her tablet.

“I guess there aren’t too many 103-year-old nuns using iPads these days – there aren’t too many 103-year-olds, period,” she writes in her memoir that will be published Feb. 28. “But I’m pretty comfortable with modern technology. I’ve always said, ‘If you’re not moving forward, you’re going to get left behind real quick.’ Adaptability is my superpower.”

In “Wake Up with Purpose: What I’ve Learned in My First Hundred Years,” Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt tells her life story, offers spiritual guidance and shares some of the lessons she’s learned.

The beloved Catholic nun captured the sports world’s imagination and became something of a folk hero as the chaplain for the Loyola Chicago men’s basketball team that reached the NCAA Final Four in 2018. 

*** end quote ***

While I’m feeling my age, she inspires me to get moving. 

‘If you’re not moving forward, you’re going to get left behind real quick.’

Should be on a motivational poster.

—30—

INSPIRATIONAL: The law of Karma?

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/5-year-old-who-emptied-piggybank-for-earthquake-relief-now-wins-48mil-lottery-jackpot-at-18/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=10-02-2023

5-Year-old Who Emptied Piggybank for Earthquake Relief Now Wins $48Mil Lottery Jackpot at 18
By Andy Corbley – Feb 8, 2023 

*** begin quote ***

A delightful story from northern Ontario saw a 5-year-old girl’s good Karma wait 13 years to reward her.

Juliette Lamour won the state’s second-largest lottery jackpot in history, CAD$48 million, on her first-ever try. Local news from her home city of Sault Saint Marie revealed a touching side of the story—that at 5 years old Lamour made a very big act of charity, and the suggestion that her generosity has been rewarded is impossible to resist making.

It was 2010 and the island nation of Haiti had just been ravaged by an earthquake. Aid organizations from across the world rushed to help the people of the obliterated country stabilize and recover.

At the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds hockey team ice rink a branch of the Canadian Red Cross had set up a table to help raise money for Haiti, and Juliette and her sister Sophie were determined to help.

They upturned their big pink sharing piggy bank that day, out of which came $61.38.

*** end quote ***

We deal with a lotta “laws” in our lifetimes.  I differentiate between man-made “laws” that I call diktats and the natural “laws” of the universe like gravity.

Here we have an example of a “weak” natural law, the Law of Karma.  The wheel goes around and what you send out come around.  Sometimes if you send out “bad”, it comes around to bite you in the butt.  But, like this example, it comes back around a bestows a 782013.685239 * 61.38 reward.  

“Cast Your Bread Upon the Waters “meaningtto do something kind or good without expecting anything in return.  If you cast your bread upon the waters, you do good deeds for others without expecting anything in return.

Here is a reminder.

—30—

INSPIRATIONAL: Man Finally Meets Family That Hid Him During Nazi Holocaust

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/man-finally-meets-family-that-hid-him-during-nazi-holocaust-80-years-ago-and-visits-the-house/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=10-02-2023

Man Finally Meets Family That Hid Him During Nazi Holocaust 80 Years Ago–And Visits the House
By Andy Corbley – Feb 7, 202

*** begin quote ***

An elderly Belgian man was able to meet the descendants of a neighbor who saved him from the Holocaust after his perseverant son and a helpful geneticist managed to track down his grandchildren.

The meeting was organized in the same house where a 5-year-old David Rossler was hidden along with his mother. Now 85, Rossler had a chance to thank the grandchildren for what their grandfather, Georges Bourlet, had done.

Mr. Bourlet lived in Auderghem, Brussels with his four adolescent children, Paul, Jacques, Anne-Marie, and Christiane. Together they gave shelter to Rossler and his mother towards the end of the war in 1944 after Rossler’s uncle and grandfather had already been seized and sent to Auschwitz.

*** and ***

“In Jewish tradition, there is a saying that ‘he who saves one life saves all of humanity’ – Georges Bourlet saved humanity nine times over We are submitting our testimony to Yad Vashem in hopes that he will be recognized for his heroism and granted the title of ‘Righteous Among the Nations,’” said Lionel, referencing the Israeli civilian honor for those who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.

*** end quote ***

I’m not sure I’d have the courage to hide Jews from the Nazis.  Not only did Georges Bourlet risk his own life but also that of his family to do a brave thing.  He knew the risks and did it.  That’s “stones”.  

We don’t know how many took the same gamble and were killed for it.

As I said, I’m not sure I could handle a big challenge like that.  May all my temptations be small enough for my limited abilities. 

—30—

 

    

    ,

INSPIRATIONAL: The infamous Navier-Stokes equations

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://bigthink.com/hard-science/bubble-mystery-da-vinci-solved/

Hard Science — February 8, 2023
Solved: 500-year-old mystery about bubbles that puzzled Leonardo da Vinci

  • The solution involves the infamous Navier-Stokes equations, which are so difficult, there is a $1-million prize for solving them.
  • Small bubbles shoot straight up in water, but larger bubbles dance and zigzag.
  • This effect has intrigued scientists, beginning with Leonardo da Vinci.
  • A new study finds a solution that we can understand intuitively. 

Tom Hartsfield

*** begin quote ***

Pour water — or another tasty, bubbly liquid — into a clear glass. Carefully watch bubbles as they nucleate and then float up in the glass: You’ll notice that some of them rise differently than others. The tiniest ones shoot straight up, while bigger bubbles rhythmically bounce back and forth, slowing their trip. If you’ve ever wondered why this occurs, you’re not alone. No less a natural philosopher than Leonardo da Vinci was confounded by it.

*** end quote ***

I guess we can say Leonardo da Vinci’s genius had its limits.  Took 500 years, modern math, advance computers, and some fudging to get close to an answer.  So we can forgive poor old da Vinci for flubbing it.

Found it fascinating that a bubble can become an oval.

Wonder what other mysteries are out there?  We know so little.

—30—

INSPIRATIONAL: Remember the bravery of ‘The Angel of Warsaw’

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11661539/LORD-ASHCROFT-recalls-forgotten-heroine-Holocaust.html

As the world marks liberation of the Nazi concentration camps… LORD ASHCROFT recalls the forgotten heroine of the Holocaust who smuggled 2,500 ghetto children to safety in coffins, suitcases… and even a toolbox

  •     Irena is all but forgotten despite the fact that she saved around 2,500 children 
  •     She died in 2008 with brief tributes to the bravery of ‘The Angel of Warsaw’

By Lord Ashcroft For The Mail On Sunday

Published: 17:00 EST, 21 January 2023 | Updated: 17:00 EST, 21 January 2023

*** begin quote ***

The pretty, dark-haired young woman in a nurse’s uniform felt her heart thump inside her chest as she presented her identity papers to the Nazi soldiers guarding one of the few entrances to the Warsaw Ghetto.

It was the summer of 1942 and the truth about the Germans’ brutal genocide of the Jews was becoming horrifyingly clear. The knot in her stomach shifted slightly as the guard gruffly waved her inside. Agonisingly, she knew that if the truth of her secret mission was revealed, she would be tortured by the ruthless, sadistic SS and then shot.

She sighed with relief, but knew an even more heart-rending task lay inside the walls of the ghetto, where up to 500,000 Polish Jews had been corralled ten-to-a-room in a warren of buildings and streets in an area little larger than a square mile. There, the stench of death and disease was appalling. Thousands of half-starved people wandered around with just rags to protect them from the bitter cold.

*** end quote ***

On the anniversary of the Nazi concentration camp’s liberation, we would all take the time to read and reflect upon this human tragedy.  And the heroes and heroines, who risked everything, to save babies.  It’s hard to imagine having that much physical courage.  Not sure if I could do it; hope I would but until you have to act will you really know.

All those, who deny that the Holocaust happened, must be repudiated and reviled as mentally ill.

I can’t imagine their mental workings that can ignore all the evidence and personal testimony.

Argh!

—30—

INSPIRATIONAL: Meditation to defeat a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) world

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://bigthink.com/the-well/attention-span/

The Well
How to unlock your “peak mind”

  • “What you pay attention to, is your life.” Where do you place precious brain resources?

Amishi Jha

*** begin quote ***

There’s a shorthand that we can use to think about this. The term is VUCA: Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous. The world today feels like it’s a constant VUCA environment, but there’s another challenge that our attention faces, and why many of us feel like we’re in an attentional crisis. Frankly, the brain was designed to be lured by, for our evolutionary success and survival, certain kinds of information; threatening information novel information, self-related information, and even things that are fun and enticing. I’m talking about the ‘Attention Economy.’ Everything is being done by teams of engineers to actually capture your attention and keep it there; your attention is the product. Finally, the mind can be hijacked away by something called ‘Mental Time Travel.’ That means that our attention is not in the present moment, so when we’re thinking about the past, our attention is fully in the past, same thing with the future. About 50% of our waking moments, we aren’t in the present moment.

*** end quote ***

When I first learned about “meditation” in Comparative Non-Christian Religions  — yes, I got another D  — I thought it was a lot of “Barbara Streisand” <synonym for excrement>.  Later, when I was in USAF survival school, we were encouraged to practice it for when we became a POW  — luckily I never left Maryland.  But, the lessons kept being repeated to me.  “Lessons in life will be repeated until they are learned.”  — ― Frank Sonnenberg, Soul Food: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life Not sure when I began to take “mindfulness” seriously; I do now.

YMMV

—30—

 

― Frank Sonnenberg

INSPIRATIONAL: IS the Star of Bethlehem a sign?

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://bigthink.com/13-8/star-of-bethlehem/

13.8 — December 21, 2022
What was the Star of Bethlehem?
Never stop looking at the skies in wonder.
Marcelo Gleiser

*** begin quote ***

On the nature of the astronomical phenomenon that took place (or not), there were three disparate reactions: Complete agreement with Molnar, qualified agreement, and radical disagreement. On the chronology of the events, most agreed that Jesus’s birth took place between 7-5 BCE. On the relation between astronomy and astrology, there was mostly disagreement on the intentions and the interpretations of astrologers from different regions in the Middle East. One major difficulty was to justify the visit of only three men, given the alleged power of the celestial portent. Why not a multitude of the devout? As for the “why,” Matthew was the one evangelist who considered celestial portents seriously, using them plentifully in his narrative.

*** end quote ***

It seems that the Biblical story is just that, a story.

The “stories” of all the various religions seem to be the “fake news” of ill-remembered past events.

When you try to recount relatively recent events without written records, it’s impossible to make sense or even sort “fact” from the fiction of “false memories”.

In short, everything is suspect the further back you go in time.

Nice “stories”, but not “historical certainty”.

—30—

 

INSPIRATIONAL: Amazing how the ecology adapts to change; it’s not all doom ‘n’ gloom

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/once-devastated-pacific-reefs-see-amazing-rebirth-recovering-with-shocking-speed/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=09-12-2022

Once Devastated Pacific Reefs See Amazing Rebirth, Recovering With ‘Shocking Speed’
By Andy Corbley – Dec 7, 2022

*** begin quote ***

“The corals that were resistant to the phenomenal 2015-16 El Niño provided the reefs’ resilience,” wrote Sala. “The Southern Line Islands lie in one of the hottest hot spots of warming in the Pacific Ocean, so the corals apparently have adapted to heat.”

*** end quote ***

Remember when “everyone” was in “the sky is falling” mode about the reefs and oceans.

It’s like the Creator put in a a feedback loop called “adaption” into “his/her” “Creation”.

Guess that the Earth will survive for another bullion years regardless of what us puny humans do!

—30—

INSPIRATIONAL: Listen for the chance to do good in life!

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

Icon for Good Vibes ツ
Good Vibes ツ
Posted by
Elliana Bowers

Oct 15

“I missed my first flight to LA yesterday and had to catch another. I was so upset, but now I know why! When I finally got to LAX baggage claim, I went to the bathroom to check my little makeup and I heard a woman crying so hard. I was wondering if I should say something like, ‘It’s gonna be okay,’ but I was nervous and she was speaking Spanish so I didn’t know if she’d even understand me. I left and came back to the bathroom like four times while I was waiting for my bags to come down (full flight), and I heard her say, ‘But the bus doesn’t come until tomorrow.’ My heart dropped, so I asked her if she had Zelle or CashApp. She said no. So I asked her if I could pay for a hotel until tomorrow and she stopped crying and opened the stall door AND I SAW THE SLEEPING KIDS. I felt so happy to help her, knowing I’d just be spending my little money on bullsh*t. She rode with me to the Marriott and I got her a room. I wanted to share this because I kept thinking, ‘HOW MANY PEOPLE CAME INTO THE BATHROOM, HEARD HER CRYING FOR HOURS, DIDN’T KNOW THERE WERE KIDS, AND KEPT GOING?’ I’m glad I said something because she was super sweet and appreciative and she had babies with her.”

Credit: Cyn Symoné

# – # – # – # – #

No idea if this is authentic or not, but it suonds like it could be.

Reminds me to be alert for opportunities for me to “save my soul”.

YMMV

—30—

INSPIRATIONAL: A negative example should trigger positive responses?

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

On Oct 2, 2022, at 9:15 AM, Ferdinand Reinke\ wrote:

Greg Schiano, Ryan Day have words after Ohio State’s fake punt

https://nypost.com/2022/10/01/greg-schiano-ryan-day-have-words-after-ohio-states-fake-punt/

# – # – # – # – #  

On Sun, Oct 2, 2022 at 9:54 AM my Old Luddite friend wrote:

Arrogant Ohio State, and they wonder why they are hated

# – # – # – # – #

Agree.  But “hated” is imho to strong a word; “not admired” would be my word.  I “admire” true sportsmanship.  Special Olympics, big pros who try to help and inspire little kids, Roberto Clementi, Sadio Mane with his broken iphone11 are the ones who exemplify the essence of humanity I hope I can emulate.

Crazy Old Ferd

# – # – # – # – #

Hope more MP4B = “Millionaires Playing For Billionaires” can emulate good sportsmanship and remember that we are all brothers.

Isn’t there a saying “to whom much is give, much is expected”?

—30—

INSPIRATIONAL: All it takes is one hero to push back — who will it be?

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2022/09/all_it_takes_is_one_hero.html

americanthinker.com
All It Takes Is One Hero
By J.B. Shurk

*** begin quote ***

No matter how dark things get, all it takes is one hero to push back. Heroes, after all, are not remembered for following the crowd; they emerge because they run in the opposite direction, often into known danger, and spur others to stop, turn around, and act. It is always the lone voice that inspires a people to rise against the injustices of any age. It is the stubborn persistence of the few who marshal real change. It is the resolute among us who peer at the raging inferno without fear. It is the wise who remember that every waterfall begins with just one drop of rain. It is the hopeful who can look around at today’s chaos and see clearly the opportunity for great change.

*** end quote ***

Who will it be?  

Where are our Patrick Henry’s, Nathan Hales’, or John Paul Jones?

Joe Rogan?  Dave Smith?  Michael Malice?

We certainly need one.

—30—

INSPIRATIONAL: Is a fetus a ‘person’? — Yes!

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/is-a-fetus-a-person-a-fringe-idea-could-be-the-next-post-roe-v-wade-chapter-editorial/ar-AA11G36N

Is a fetus a ‘person’? A fringe idea could be the next post-Roe v. Wade chapter | Editorial
Opinion by the Miami Herald Editorial Board, Miami Herald – Yesterday 11:56 AM

*** begin quote ***

A pregnant woman walks into an emergency room experiencing a miscarriage, or she gives birth to a stillborn. Someone becomes suspicious and notifies police. They want to know: Is the woman at fault? Everything she’s done during her pregnancy comes under scrutiny. Did she take any drugs or medication? Did she research abortions on the internet?

A “pro-life” prosecutor decides to make her a pariah. She might face criminal charges, child endangerment or, worst-case scenario, manslaughter or murder if prosecutors believe she intended to end her pregnancy.

This is a dystopian scenario — what could happen if anti-abortion zealots take their positions to an extreme. And it’s not out of the realm of possibility.

Abortion-rights groups fear the next frontier in the fight to take away reproductive rights is to grant fetuses “personhood” status. Anti-abortion groups such as Americans United for Life are pushing for a federal executive order that would recognize “preborn persons as constitutional ‘persons’ ” entitled to equal protection under the U.S. Constitution. Florida’s U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio recently introduced the ‘‘Unborn Child Support Act,” which would grant child-support payments to women “at any stage of development” of a pregnancy. The legislation appears to be a way to make fetal personhood more palatable to Americans.

*** end quote ***

The Bible goes even further to explain that the unborn life is valuable because he or she has been uniquely created by God. Paul declares, “He himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else” (Acts 17:25).

There is evidence of the “remarkable “flash” at the moment of fertilization”.

A Completely New Organism

However, from a scientific standpoint, at the moment of fertilization of the egg by the sperm, a completely new organism is present. The organism is not a part of the mother’s body although he or she is located within the mother’s body. Half of the time, the organism is a boy. The genetic complement of the new human being is unique and different from that of the mother.

The argument that this unique human being present in the mother’s womb from the moment of fertilization is a part of the mother’s body until sometime later in gestation is, from a scientific viewpoint, bizarre. What this argument would imply is that human beings reproduce by a process of budding, which is a process by which a new individual organism forms from a part of the mother’s body. This is the means of reproduction of some species of worms but it is most certainly not a means of reproduction by human beings.

So, then the question becomes when does a human being deserve the rights that we believe every human being has?

It really doesn’t matter what milestone that society designates.  The only one that is “logical” is conception, imho.

—30—

 

INSPIRATIONAL: Shannon Bream overcomes obstacles to host Fox News Sunday

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://nypost.com/2022/08/15/shannon-bream-fired-from-first-job-i-was-worst-person-hed-seen-on-tv/

Shannon Bream fired from first job by ‘man who said I was worst person he’d seen on TV’
By Ariel Zilber
August 15, 2022 10:48am Updated

*** begin quote ***

Shannon Bream, who has been tapped by the Fox News Channel to moderate its flagship Sunday morning political talk show, said that she was fired from her first job in television by a man “who told me I was the worst person he’d ever seen on TV.”

*** and ***

There is always room for improvement, and believe me I needed it.”

Bream, a devout Christian and graduate of the evangelical Liberty University, tweeted: “I got a healthy serving of humility, and learned that God often allows us to walk through valleys – for our own good.”

“That was also true when I spent years in chronic pain and was ultimately diagnosed with a genetic condition that has no cure.”

In 2018, Bream revealed that she suffers from excruciating eye pain caused by epithelial basement membrane dystrophy, which is an incurable genetic disorder of the eye.

The painful condition causes the surface cells of the eye to adhere to the eyelids.

Bream says that her career obstacles and health challenges have only served to better her.

*** end quote ***

I think this says volumes about this woman’s achievements

—30—

INSPIRATIONAL: Wife uses all her abilities to find a treatment for her dying husband

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/she-found-phage-enemy-of-bacteria-to-save-husbands-life/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=27-07-2022

When Antibiotics Failed, She Found a Natural Enemy of Superbug Bacteria to Save Husband’s Life
By Judy Cole – Jul 23, 2022

*** begin quote ***

Tom Patterson was dying in a U.S. hospital from a massive bacterial infection he’d contracted while traveling in Egypt. Doctors gave him a prognosis of days.

Fortunately, his wife, Steffanie Strathdee, happened to be an infectious disease epidemiologist, who was not going to give up searching for the needle in a haystack required to cure him.

*** and ***

However, with more than 10 million-trillion-trillion unique phages on the planet, identifying a handful that specifically fed on the Acinetobacter baumannii afflicting Tom was a task akin to finding one tiny star in a huge galaxy.

The deadly superbug is nicknamed Iraqibacter because wounded combat troops sometimes contracted it in Iraq—and it ranks No. 1 on the World Health Organization’s list of dangerous pathogens. Undaunted, Strathdee quickly began networking to get Tom the treatment he so desperately needed to survive.

*** and ***

Help from Texas A&M, the FDA, and the U.S. Navy

Her first task was appealing to scientists to track down and purify samples of phages that fed on the specific strain of bacteria that was killing Tom. Texas A&M University biochemist Ryland Young, who’s been tracking phages for more than four and a half decades, was eager to help. Researchers from the U.S. Navy soon signed up for the mission as well.

Strathdee’s plea to the FDA to fast-track a “compassionate use” order allowing doctors to implement an experimental treatment was granted in record time. A scant three weeks later, Tom was injected with his first intravenous dose of a purified “phage cocktail” from the team at Texas A&M. Seeing no negative effects, he received his second IV dose, courtesy of the U.S. Navy, two days later.

*** end quote ***

Very impressive effortt by this woman.

And I often don’t have good things to say about the Gooferment, its politicians and bureaucrats, or bureaucracies in general.  Here the stars aligned and everyone perform far above expectations to save the man’s life.

From the movie “Master & Commader”, “an extra ration of rum for these men” and women.

The effort be all was nothing less that “heroic” and I don’t apply that adjective often if at all.

God Bless All of them.

—30—

INSPIRATIONAL: Second Graders Wrote Adorable Letters On Behalf Of Shelter Animals

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://www.boredpanda.com/wholesome-second-graders-wrote-letters-adoption-pet-shelter-racc-shelter/

Second Graders Wrote Adorable Letters On Behalf Of Shelter Animals To Get Them Adopted, And It Worked Interview

*** begin quote ***

Kensey Jones, a volunteer at RACC (Richmond Animal Care & Control) and a second grade teacher, decided to combine her wholesome activities together. Despite their lack of language skills, children can be very persuasive. The second-graders at St. Michael’s Episcopal School in Richmond, Virginia, practiced their persuasive writing under a very peculiar set of circumstances.

What did they do, exactly? They tried writing from a shelter animal’s perspective to persuade potential adopters to, well, adopt. They wrote cute texts and drew portraits of the animals all by themselves. Scroll down to read the whole story, and see how it turned out! Spoilers: the mission was successful.

*** end quote ***

Give that teacher a raise.  And, extend the idea across the nation.

I thought the idea was great and the results were even better.

—30—

INSPIRATIONAL: A breakthrough discovery about lupus

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://bigthink.com/health/lupus-gene-mutation/

A Spanish teen’s genome may hold the secret to lupus
Researchers believe they have found a single point mutation in an infection-sensing gene that causes the autoimmune disorder.
B. David Zarley — 2022-05May-15

*** begin quote ***
 
Researchers may have finally discovered a genetic cause of lupus, the autoimmune disorder (and elusive enemy of Dr. Gregory House).

Their study, published in Nature, points to a mutation in a gene that senses viral RNA. 

Previous studies have implicated the gene, called TLR7, in lupus before, El Pais reports, but this new study identified a previously unknown variant of the gene in a Spanish teenager who was diagnosed with lupus as a child.

*** end quote ***

Thanks to a little Spanish girl’s suffering, humanity might benefit in several ways — identification, mitigation, and perhaps even a cure.

We know so little about everything.

““We know nothing at all. All our knowledge is but the knowledge of schoolchildren. The real nature of things we shall never know.” – Albert Einstein” https://buff.ly/3MgGDyH

—30—

INSPIRATIONAL: The value of time

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://palexander.substack.com/p/the-last-wishes-of-alexander-the?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo0MTQyNTAzMCwicG9zdF9pZCI6NTQ4NDMyMzUsIl8iOiI4Wkx4aCIsImlhdCI6MTY1MjU0MjE1MSwiZXhwIjoxNjUyNTQ1NzUxLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItNTc5MzU2Iiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.ZJGAnfu5Bt83VIBS_AjP9GF2nPJBx6I-5NZuQn_U07Q&s=r

“The last wishes of Alexander the Great”; I am seeking to verify this by some fast extensive reading, but if so, this is stunning and I wanted to share…so light reading 
Dr. Paul Alexander

*** begin quote ***
 
The Greatest Military General in History,, who only lived to be 32 Years old

“My first desire is that”, said Alexander, “My physicians alone must” carry my coffin.”

2) After a pause, he continued, “Secondly, I desire that when my coffin is being carried to the grave, the path leading to the graveyard be strewn with gold, silver and precious stones which I have collected in my treasury”.

3) “My third and last wish is that both my hands be kept dangling out of my coffin”.

The people who had gathered there wondered at the king’s strange wishes.

One of his generals who was surprised by these unusual requests asked Alexander to explain.

*** end quote ***

Read further for the logic.

And, I really don’t care if it’s true or apocryphal.

“I fear all we have done is awakened a sleeping giant.” — apocryphal quote attributed to Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto played by Mako in the movie ‘Pearl Harbor’

It’s so true.  And, I wish I had GROKKED it as a young lad.  I did become a little L libertarian due to Robert A. Heinlein; maybe I should have absorbed the value of my time at that time. Not seven decades later.

Tempus fugit

https://youtu.be/0Zo0zN8ug-M

—30—

 

INSPIRATIONAL: Who is allowed to control when and how I end my suffering?

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://www.boredpanda.com/legalizing-euthanasia-holly-warland/

Social Issues
My Journey Of Fighting For The Right To Pass Away Voluntarily 
Holly Warland
Community member  

*** begin quote ***
 
My name is Holly Warland, I’m 30 years old, I have Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, and I have won the right to die. In 2021, my home state of
Queensland (Australia) legalized Voluntary Assisted Dying – a process formerly known as euthanasia – for people suffering from terminal
illnesses. I advocated and fought for this law so that I could control when and how I end my suffering.

*** end quote ***

It’s a very sad story of what this woman is afflicted with.

I hope she finds peace.

With all the furor of Roe v Wade, this is a picture from the other end of life’s spectrum.

As a pro-life pro-choice little L libertarian, I think that the Gooferment, with it’s one size fits all diktats, is the worst way to “regulate” anything.  Life and death included.

With the proper safeguards, those in impossible situations should be allowed to “own their own body”.

Sadly, all I can do is empathize and send some good thoughts in her direction.

Dona Nobis Pacem

—30—

INSPIRATIONAL: Some of what is screamed out in public is truly “ABSURD”

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://www.dailysignal.com/2022/05/03/the-age-of-the-absurd/?utm_source=TDS_Email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MorningBell&mkt_tok=ODI0LU1IVC0zMDQAAAGEN6lkVYy7Qeh_Yxo1_IRnzTZh9sNXe5H5seFIcbQsvr7Z8zogCtsbhx1d46UtUYZHC-dVZwkTtAGTcWtkcbm8GlmtJe0Y2Rk5gQ5FDRojrJBTbwp5

The Age of the Absurd
Dennis Prager / @DennisPrager / May 03, 2022

*** begin quote ***

No. 11: America is systemically racist.

The manifest absurdity of this claim is easily demonstrated. In the past decades, more than 3 million black people have immigrated to America from Africa and the Caribbean. And probably tens of millions more would like to. Are all these people fools—choosing to move to a systemically racist country? Are they ignorant—unaware that America is systemically racist?

The non-absurd know the answers: All these blacks are neither fools nor ignorant. They know how lucky they are to move to America—because this country is so tolerant and so overwhelmingly nonracist. People don’t move to countries that hate them. No Jews moved to Germany in the 1930s.

We live in the Age of the Absurd. The only question is, why? I think I know the answer and will discuss it in a future column. In the meantime, share these 11 absurdities with friends and relatives, especially with those who actually think they make sense.

*** end quote ***

I remember a news clip from the corporate media doing a story about how the “evil Republicans” were slowing immigration and that there were long lines at out embassies seeking permission.  One fellow in the line, who had been waiting for days, when asked why, replied: “America has fat poor people.”  To me, that was the best answer I’d ever heard.  

I see immigrants from India opening all sorts of businesses because it’s easy compared to the corruption in India.  I see Oriental immigrants whose children seem to succeed in Gooferment Skrules against the odds.  I see Mexican immigrants working their butts off at hard labor jobs and proudly showing off their new work truck for their efforts.

“Systematically racist” is something I don’t see.  Pockets of idiots who either can’t or won’t try — of all races — seem to seek to blame “society”.

I will stipulate that the Gooferment “welfare” is designed to keep people poor and it is hard to break the cycle.  But many do.

Let’s get the Gooferment out of the way.

—30—

INSPIRATIONAL: What a “rivalry” should be!

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://nypost.com/2022/05/03/aaron-judge-homer-leads-to-fans-wholesome-moment/

Aaron Judge homer leads to fans’ wholesome moment
By Michael Blinn
May 3, 202210:13pm

*** begin quote ***

What it’s all about 💙 pic.twitter.com/LGt2zkty5J

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 4, 2022
 
This Aaron Judge home run turned into one very uplifting moment.

Judge’s sixth-inning long-ball in the traveled 427 feet into the upper deck at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Tuesday night during the Yankees’ 9-1 win over the Blue Jays. It was quickly picked up by a fan wearing Blue Jays gear — who almost immediately turned around and offered it to a youngster seated behind him wearing a Judge T-shirt.

*** end quote ***

Take that Philly fans.  This is what a “rivalry” is all about.  We’re all people.  And, this fan certainly racked up a whole lot of “karma points” imho.

It’s really what is it all about.

GBA

—30—

INSPIRATIONAL: Give Umbrellas to people caught in the rain?

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/watch-the-moment-a-guy-jumps-out-of-his-car-to-give-umbrella-to-couple-stuck-in-d-c-downpour/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=25-04-2022

Watch the Moment a Guy Jumps Out of His Car to Give Umbrella to Couple Stuck in D.C. Downpour
By Good News Network-Apr 23, 2022

*** begin quote ***

Recently, a random act of kindness in the Nation’s Capital inspired a driver to share the video of a Good Samaritan.

Thousands were inspired by the moment that happened on April 14th, after it was shared on Reddit.

It may look like the woman, who was being drenched on the sidewalk, began holding the umbrella over a covered baby stroller, but upon closer inspection, you can see it was someone in a wheelchair holding a newspaper to cover their head.

Not only did the driver go out of his way, the woman used the umbrella to shelter the person in the wheelchair instead of herself.

*** end quote ***

I never really thought about this but I must have some old umbrellas to hand out.

How about you?

—30—

INSPIRATIONAL: Strollers at the border

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/strangers-are-leaving-strollers-diapers-and-toys-at-the-border-for-ukrainian-refugee-moms-look/

Strangers are Leaving Strollers, Diapers, and Toys at the Border for Ukrainian Refugee Moms (LOOK)
By  Andy Corbley – Mar 18, 2022

*** begin quote ***

An image recently shared around social media of empty strollers on a Polish rail border crossing has inspired a mountain of donations for Ukrainian refugees.

Now at Przemyśl Station, women, children, and infants fleeing the war are being greeted by mountains of clothes, stuffed animals, strollers, diapers, and more after they step off the train.

ABC reports that the number of spare carriers and strollers from Polish mothers have been particularly inspiring, with many donators leaving handwritten notes behind, with words of support.

“We see on the television and hear on the radio what happened, and we say ‘okay we can help,’” one Polish mother and volunteer told ABC.

*** end quote ***

The beauty of the charitable spirit brings one to tears.

—30—

INSPIRATIONAL: Somewhere In Heaven There’s A Black And White Dog Taking Care Of Seven Golden Lab Puppies

Published on by reinkefjLeave a comment

https://www.boredpanda.com/wholesome-animals-uplifting-pics/?utm_source=3587019_0_0_0&utm_medium=push&utm_campaign=WebPush

Feel good positive stories 37 5bcec4ff28186 700 61f963d1cf5d4 700

# – # – # – # – #

Something in the picture touched my heart.

—30—