HEALTHCARE: AI App That Quickly Appeals Denials

Wednesday, August 13, 2025

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/big-insurance-uses-ai-to-quickly-deny-claims-physican-fights-back-with-ai-app-that-quickly-appeals/?utm_source=newsletter.goodnewsnetwork.org&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=your-5-min-dose-of-good-news-ducks-take-over-town-center&_bhlid=9ae55e2f638cb4ac2fda40c6fc7c6f7bac698b74

Big Insurance Uses AI to Quickly Deny Claims, One Man Fights Back with AI App That Quickly Appeals
By Andy Corbley – Aug 5, 2025 

*** begin quote ***

The idea that American health insurance companies are using AI to analyze and adjudicate claims for approval or denial sounds terrifying, but one North Carolinian is using AI to fight back.

When Raleigh resident Neal Shah had a claim denied for his wife’s chemotherapy drugs, he thought it was rare, that he was the only one, that it was just bad luck.

Litigating his case on phone calls that lasted for hours changed the husband and father, and he set about creating a sophisticated app that uses artificial intelligence to compare claims denial forms against health insurance contracts, before automatically drafting an appeal letter.

*** and ***

they’ve built Counterforce to the point where it boasts a 70% success rate in appealing claims.

*** end quote ***

https://www.counterforcehealth.org/

# – # – # – # – # 

I like the “fight fire with fire” approach.

Completely free?  Astonishing. Wish I had a claim to arbitrate!

(Surprised that Big Insurance hasn’t bought them out or engaged in “lawfare” against them.)

To me, “health” and “healthcare” is not just about “the care you get or don’t get for your health”, but also all the “systems” adjacent to it.

Wonder if this will inspire other efforts to enlist AI against other “insurance” abuses (i.e., raising premiums; denial of coverage; use alf drones and AI against ordinary folks; credit card appeals)?

One could apply the concept to all sorts of adversarial interactions like “eminent domain”, intrusive Gooferment actions like regulations, or “cash confiscations”.

What a great time to be a programmer with today’s opportunities.

How about AI to lobby politicians and bureaucrats to “do the right thing”?

Any other uses?  Leave a comment.

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ENCOURAGING: A local champion and educator for proper childhood nutrition overcomes challenges

Thursday, June 5, 2025

Nurse Swaps Medicine for Mangos After Epiphany: Patients Were Malnourished While Fruit Rots All Around

Nurse Swaps Medicine for Mangos After Epiphany: Patients Were Malnourished While Fruit Rots All Around

By Andy Corbley – May 23, 2025 

*** begin quote ***

In Uganda, a nurse was excited to start practicing medicine, but realized only afterwards that his patients didn’t so much need pharmaceuticals as proper nutrition.

14 years ago in northern Uganda’s Yumbe district, Francis Asiku was riding home from that nursing job having witnessed a four-year-old suffering from acute malnutrition. It was a disturbing experience he admits, but while passing by some mango trees in the village of Midigo, he saw birds feasting on mangos that were rotting on the ground.

A question stopped his pedals and his mind: why were the birds eating that nutritious fruit? Why was it left to rot? The epiphany which followed gave rise to the Mango Project, a local-led initiative to preserve mangoes from the two harvests per years, and get them into the mouths of the least-fortunate children.

*** and ***

“Should we wait for the government to come to our rescue, and yet the situation keeps getting worse?” he remembers asking his earliest colleagues on the Mango Project.

*** and ***

Asiku has become a local champion and educator for proper childhood nutrition, armed with an orchard of 310 hybrid mango trees bred to resist fruit flies and erratic weather. He knows that mangos alone can’t resolve the problem: for example they contain virtually no protein or iron, vitamin B2, B1, choline, or zinc.

So in response to the interest in the project from donations, Asiku managed to squirrel away enough money to afford a solar-powered drier, with which he dries okra and eggplant, adding sources of vitamin K, B1, magnesium, and calcium.

He hopes to obtain a government license to distribute his foods further afield.

*** end quote ***

Amazing what one human can accomplish from a simple observation and follow thru.

I was shocked at his realization that Gooferments really don’t help and often frustrate solutions.

If the fellow had a GOFUNDME, then I’d have chipped in.  A few dollars may translate into saved lives.

Never underestimate the power of one motivated individual.

“Everything is theoretically impossible, until it is done.” — Robert A. Heinlein

“Give me the place to stand, and I shall move the earth.” Attributed to Archimedes of Syracuse (c. 287 BC – c. 212 BC) was a Greek mathematician, philosopher, scientist and engineer. 

This fellow found his lever, his place, and moved the world!

—30—

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ENCOURAGING: Bicycle Refurbishers Pedal Good to the World for 26 years

Tuesday, May 6, 2025

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/chicago-bicycle-refurbishers-pedal-good-to-the-world-for-26-years-with-150000-bikes-saved-from-landfills/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=29-04-2025

Chicago Bicycle Refurbishers Pedal Good to the World for 26 Years With 150,000 Bikes Saved from Landfills
By Andy Corbley – Apr 24, 2025 

*** begin quote ***

Working Bikes, located at 2434 S. Western Ave in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, has seen an awful lot of bikes pass through its doors; pulling them from landfills, picking them up off the curbside, or accepting them from community members. Over 150,000 have been repaired since the registered 501(c)3 got its wheels turning in 1999.

12% of all the bikes they restored are sold in the Working Bikes storefront. 15% meanwhile are donated right back to the people of Chicago through local program partners that will ensure they arrive in the hands of people in need of transportation.

The whole operation is volunteer-supported: anyone can come in and fix a bike or learn how. A few dedicated employees ensure that salable models are in excellent condition, or boast unique designs and features.

*** end quote ***

I love the international economic chain that they have created.  Micro-loans to buyers and training local talent  — here and overseas  — in repair and maintenance.

That’s America in action!

—30— 

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HEROIC: Child Born with Heart Outside Chest … …

Sunday, May 4, 2025

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/child-born-with-heart-outside-chest-becomes-solitary-survivor-thanks-to-surgical-procedure-invented-for-her/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=01-05-2025

Child Born with Heart Outside Chest Becomes Solitary Survivor Thanks to Surgical Procedure Invented for Her
By Andy Corbley – Apr 28, 2025

*** begin quote ***

Their patient was Vanellope Wilkins, the solitary survivor known to British medicine of ectopia cordis, a condition where a fetus develops with its heart outside its body.

Over a period of 9 hours, the team which included visiting surgeons from London would form a protective cage around Vanellope’s heart by reforming her ribs, and though her team included some of the best pediatric surgeons in the country, the procedure had never been done before, and was invented specifically for Vanellope’s case.

*** end quote ***

Team of 50 are all heroes in my book.  Saving a life, creating a unique approach, and following thru for 7 years is heroic in my book.

Compared to all the abortions performed for “convenience” makes this effort a statement about the value of human life.

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ENCOURAGING: Demonstration project shows improved yields, diversified crops, and boosted incomes

Friday, March 14, 2025

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/degraded-lands-transformed-into-productive-farms-with-science-we-can-create-wonders/

Degraded Lands Transformed into Productive Farms: With Science, We Can Create Wonders
By Andy Corbley – Mar 3, 202

*** begin quote ***

In a degraded and semi-arid farming area in India, simple science-driven changes to the landscape have colored the horizon, and a village’s fortunes, with green.

In the Latur district in the central western state of Maharashtra, 40 years of erratic rainfall, groundwater depletion, soil erosion, and crop failures have impoverished the local people.

In the village of Matephal, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) launched a project in 2023 that aimed at addressing these challenges through integrated landscape management and climate-smart farming practices.

*** and ***

“This ICRISAT project improved yields, diversified crops, and boosted incomes. It also spared women from walking over a kilometer for drinking water, now available in the village for people and animals,” said Mr. Govind Hinge of Matephal village.

*** end quote ***

Pretty amazing results.  Went from “dirt poor” with no water to abundant water and good soil.  

Unfortunately, the author doesn’t itemize the capital investment that went into creating this miracle.  While obviously significant, far beyond what a poor village could afford, one wonders what the ROI would be?  For example, the 30 tons of fish harvested might be a source of capital.  A 13 foot rise in the water table might be economically exploitable.  The extra acreage that become productive might be a source of capital to be used.

I wonder if the world’s engineering schools could be an educational resource?  Imagine instead of funding football teams with expansive coaches, Universities could complete for whose intervention produces the most results.  Funny?  No fill the stadium with two equally sized plots and see which produced the best tomatoes.  Yeah, now that is exciting. 

Listen to the 4 minute video and see if you’re not as impressed as I am. 

Interesting to me is that this intervention made a permanent positive change in peoples’ lives.

# – # – # – # – # 

Note: I learned that a hectare (symbol: ha) is a unit of area that is accepted in the International System of Units (SI). It is primarily used to measure land area. One hectare is equal to 10,000 square meters and is equivalent to approximately 2.471 acres.

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ENCOURAGING: Baltimore Ravens fans make a positive gesture in a sport plagued by poor sportsmenship

Saturday, February 8, 2025

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/classy-ravens-fans-return-the-favor-for-foes-after-bills-player-drops-ball-in-heartbreaking-playoff-loss/

Classy Ravens Fans Return the Favor for Foes–After Bills Player Drops Ball in Heartbreaking Playoff Loss

By Andy Corbley – Jan 29, 2025 

*** begin quote ***

The quality among Baltimore Ravens fans have donated to a GoFundMe to raise money for an autism charity supported by Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid, who just dropped a key pass that could have taken the franchise to the Super Bowl.

In a bizarre reversal of circumstances, the fundraiser mirrors what happened last week: when Bills fans set up a GoFundMe to raise money for a diabetes charity supported by Ravens tight end, Mark Andrews, who also dropped a key pass that may have taken his franchise to the Super Bowl.

*** end quote ***

This is a tremendous counterweight to all the bad stories we read about out-of-control fans and players.

I’m proud to put my money where my mouth is and donate to Dalton Kincaid’s gofundme.

https://gofund.me/84651e43

While good works should be done in secret, this needs to be encouraged.

(Ever heard that old Irish adage about “good works only count if done in secret”. Funny, I learned that from my maternal English Protestant grandmother who wanted to teach me about my maternal grandfather’s “heathen Irish culture that has a few good points”. ROFL!)

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CRYPTO: It may have been fraud, but savers did NOT diversify

Sunday, November 17, 2024

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/life-savings-of-an-entire-small-town-recovered-from-the-depths-of-a-cryto-scam-by-fbi/

Life Savings of an Entire Small Town Recovered from the Depths of Cryto-Scam, Thanks to FBI
By Andy Corbley – Nov 7, 2024

*** begin quote ***

A Wichita courtroom rang out with sobs and cheers when over two dozen people learned that their life savings had been recovered after being lost by a local bank.

Over $8 million in children’s university funds, retirement accounts, funds for eldercare, and bequeathments to children and grandchildren were returned after the FBI located and seized a cryptocurrency wallet linked to an account in the Cayman Islands.

The bank’s founder Shan Hanes, claims he had unintentionally lost it all by investing in a sophisticated cryptocurrency scam, though he ultimately lost his defense and received 24 years in prison for defrauding depositors and investors.

In August, Heartland Tri-State Bank was put into receivership by federal regulators after being drained of cash. The FDIC paid out $47 million to everyday depositors and other investors, but the rural, community-owned bank had 30 shareholders who had carefully planned long-term accounts that were not insured.

*** end quote ***

While I am happy that the insured depositors were made whole, they should have diversified their deposits.

One lady had 250k$ in one IRA account.  That far exceeds the risk she should be taking.  Four partial roll over accounts of 50k$ each would have mitigated her losses.  She was lucky to get it back.  Yeah, it makes for more paperwork, but look at the alternative,

There are accounts available with private insurance up to ¼ million last time I looked.

In short, having large sums of money requires you to take a modicum of care.

Don’t trust anyone.  (Even me!)  Verify!  Lawyers and accountants may seem expensive, but are cheap in the long run.

YMMV but I know what I do and preach.  

—30—

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ENCOURAGING: I thought only Batman fought crime sinsle handedly?

Friday, September 13, 2024

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/after-police-didnt-take-it-seriously-he-exposed-an-international-bike-theft-ring-on-his-own/

After Police Didn’t Take it Seriously He Exposed an International Bike Theft Ring on His Own
By Andy Corbley – Aug 30, 202

*** begin quote ***

As one might imagine, the police in counties like Sonoma, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz didn’t listen to him. “We’re not Interpol” they would say.

*** and ***

Hance had been clued into the Colorado bike smuggling ring with a Modus Operandi extremely similar to that of the one he believed was behind the thefts all over California, but was even more bold—bike thieves at one point smashed through the front of a bike shop with a van, loaded up the van with a dozen bikes, and drove off.

As to the California smugglers, Hance believes the man at the end of the trail is operating out of Jalisco, and Hance’s sleuthing turned up perhaps the chief fence on this side of the border. Victoriano Romero—who was then subsequently raided by police and found to be in possession of bikes similar to ones reported stolen on Bike Index, along with $200,000 cash in a strongbox in his San Jose auto shop.

The arrest of Romero hasn’t disrupted the network, and Hance still sees that the Jalisco seller routinely offers high-end bikes for sale on his social media pages: accessible only because Hance uses a VPN to funnel his connection through Mexico.

*** end quote ***

Maybe the politicians and bureaucrats of Sonoma, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz should put Brian Hance in as their Police Commissioner?  

I can’t imagine a bigger slap in the face than a private individual cracking international crime rings.

Argh!

—30—

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GOVEROTRAGEOUS: Why is this a problem that is NOT quickly permitted?

Thursday, September 12, 2024

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/elon-musks-starlink-to-provide-free-emergency-phone-coverage-in-wilderness-areas/

Elon Musk’s Starlink Offers Free Emergency Phone Coverage in Wilderness Areas Worldwide
By Andy Corbley – Sep 2, 2024 

*** begin quote ***

The satellite internet service Starlink is seeking approval to facilitate 911 calls from wilderness areas to help improve search and rescue efforts and reduce deaths.

Elon Musk’s satellite constellation has served a variety of publicized uses, like giving Ukrainians the ability to communicate during wartime. The most recent is a partnership between Starlink and T-Mobile seeking FCC regulatory approval for a direct-to-cellular service that would allow those deep in the mountains and forests to reach emergency services.

“SpaceX Starlink will provide emergency services access for mobile phones for people in distress for free,” Musk wrote on his social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

“This applies worldwide, subject to approval by country governments. Can’t have a situation where someone dies because they forgot, or were unable to pay for it.”

Direct-to-cellular functions would have a greater scope than just emergencies. Speaking about their application to the FCC, the chairwoman of the regulatory agency referred to it as the beginning of the “Single-network future” which she described as one in which the user “won’t need to think about what network, where, and what services are available; connections will just work everywhere, all the time.”

*** end quote ***

Excuse me, but in stead of the the FCC chairwoman “speaking”, why hasn’t this been “approved” without further “Barbara streisand”?

Sorry, but I don’t understand.

Musk made an offer.  The response should be: “Go ahead with all due haste”!

Argh!

Argh!

—30—

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GOLD: Pot of Gold found; testament to its eternal value

Saturday, August 24, 2024

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/archaeologists-find-literal-pot-of-gold-but-its-not-in-ireland/

Archaeologists Find Literal Pot of Gold, but it’s Not in Ireland
By Andy Corbley – Aug 8, 202

*** begin quote ***

It’s one of the best things an archaeologist can hope to find: a hoard of gold coins. One was dug up recently in a terracotta pot, meaning that, if one sustains the pun, they found a pot of gold.

They didn’t find it at the end of a rainbow, however, but it was at the ‘end’ of something—Asia—as the Ancient Greeks would have considered it.

Excavations among the ruins of Notion, an ancient city-state in modern-day Turkey, turned up the foundations of a house dating to the Achaemenid Persian Empire buried under another house built from the Hellenistic Period, or about 180 years later.

“The coins were buried in a corner of the older building,” Dr. Christopher Ratté, lead archaeologist on the project, told the New York Times. “We weren’t actually looking for a pot of gold.”

The coins are known as darics, which stems from the name of the Emperor Darius I, or from ‘dari-‘ the root word for gold in the Persian language. Dating to the 5th century BCE, it was a time of great upheaval as Greek city-states fought against each other, against Persia, and sometimes on behalf of Persia against other Greeks, when mercenary soldiers made up key components of many major armies in Asia Minor.

The running hypothesis as to the coins’ provenance is that they were buried with the full intention of recovering them later. They probably represented savings, as each daric would be around one month’s pay. However, the fact that they were never dug up from their little hole in the corner of the house suggests the worst.

*** end quote ***

For a number of reasons, I loved this story.  Sad for the original owner who never was able to retrieve his stash.  Wondering about any reward for the discoverers.  Curious how much they are worth.

Mine aren’t buried, but could be if need arises. 

There is something practical about having stashes and caches in turbulent times.

As usual, the politicians and bureaucrats of the Gooferment want everything they can steal so stash and cache are two prudent strategies for dealing with the modern day equivalent of pirates.

Argh!

—30—

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INTERESTING: New use for K9 — reverse tracking

Sunday, August 4, 2024

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/after-rescuing-non-verbal-child-k9-officer-follows-the-boys-scent-in-reserve-to-find-his-home/

K9 Officer Rescues Lost Non-Verbal Child by Following the Boy’s Scent in Reverse to Find His Home
By Andy Corbley –  Jul 25, 202

*** begin quote ***

In North Carolina, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office received a call that a child was wandering alone on the road on July 7th.

Dispatching an officer to the Waxhaw Indian Trail Road, the child was located and secured, but being autistic and non-verbal, the officer had no idea where the boy had wandered away from.

Being that the responder was a K-9 Unit, and was working alongside his trusty 1-year-old bloodhound Remi, Deputy B. Belk utilized the dog’s incredible sense of smell to “reverse” the normal scent tracking process to find the boy’s home.

“Normally, [scent dogs] track from where a person left to try to find where that person is currently. This time we were doing it reverse,” said Lieutenant Public Information Officer James Maye to CNN.

*** and ***

Lieutenet Maye explained the technique of reverse tracking would now be implemented in the training curriculum for K-9 officers.

*** end quote ***

Excellent work.

I can almost hear the dog’s thoughts now  — “Yeah, I smell the scent and the person is right over there now.  What exactly do you want me to find?  Him?  He’s over there.”

I don’t know how they communicated to the dog they wanted him to back track.

As a fellow with a six year old, I can COMPLETELY understand how a child can “disappear” in a heartbeat.  Just recently I had mine “disappear” into the basement.  Argh!  

I can recommend Angel Sense tracking device as a service to make sure you know where the child is.

https://www.angelsense.com/

—30—

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ECONOMICS: Despite “carbon credits”, imagine how liberty would work

Sunday, June 9, 2024

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/new-tool-to-mitigate-algal-blooms-is-making-breakthrough-results-in-utah-scientists-say/

New Tool to Mitigate Algae Blooms Shows Breakthrough Results in Utah, Scientists Say
By Andy Corbley – May 31, 2024 

*** begin quote ***

The restoration process was undertaken by the Utah Waterbodies Restoration Program, which in turn was carried out in partnership with Brigham City, Utah, at no cost to the city because of the 12,913 tonnes of carbon credits that were sold to fund the clean-up of Mantua Reservoir.

*** end quote ***

Well, imagine if the Mantua Reservoir was privately owned.  An entrepreneur would look at it as an untapped resource.  Not hard to imagine the reservoir owner investing in clean up to sell fishing and boating licenses.  As well as all the other economic activity that would “spring up” like bait shops, fast food, boat sales, boat storage, and things we can’t even imagine.

So instead of “worshiping at the false god of climate change” and Gooferment bureaucrats preventing economic activity, let’s unleash the creativity for a truly free market economy.

Argh!

—30—

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INTERESTING: COuld AI “solve” a backlog of unread cuneiform scripts

Friday, May 31, 2024

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/expert-believes-he-has-solved-archaeological-mystery-surrounding-ancient-assyrian-symbol/

Expert Believes He Has Solved Archaeological Mystery Surrounding Ancient Assyrian Symbols
By Andy Corbley – May 16, 2024 

*** begin quote ***

Most of the time, Assyriologists, or people who study the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, are working on transcribing the various cuneiform scripts of tablets found during excavations in the 19th and 20th centuries, of which there are tens of thousands in museum collections that haven’t ever been read.

*** end quote ***

Here’s an unsolved trove of dikw (i.e., data, information, knowledge, wisdom) from the ancient world that’s ripe for study.  We’d probably learn more that ever comes for Tik Tok.

Hopefully someone turns AI loose on all the backlog.

—30—

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INSPIRATIONAL: This seems to be a big step forward to a real solution

Tuesday, January 16, 2024

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/texas-tiny-house-community-for-the-homeless-nears-2000-neighbors-easing-homeless-in-austin/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=10-01-2024

Texas Tiny Home Community Thrives With 2,000 Neighbors: Easing Homelessness in Austin
By Andy Corbley – Jan 9, 2024 

*** begin quote ***

“…No one’s ever done what they’re about to do,” Mark Hilbelink, the director of Austin’s largest homeless-services provider, told the New York Times.

In a big feature for the Times, Lucy Tompkins documents the stories of hope and recovery that some of the residents have lived through since moving to Community First!, which is run with a Christian ethic of “Neighborhoods of Knowingness.”

*** end quote ***

For all the politicians and bureaucrats slavering about the issue, little gets done.  In this day and age, one would think that if the Gooferment would just get out of the way with all its diktats and “regulations”, private charity could “solve” the problem.  Like the lessons from the Great Chicago Fire, intelligent help can do wonders. All Gooferment did was close down the mental asylums to “save money” and never deliver the local mental health resources that were promised.

Argh!

—30—

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INSPIRATIONAL: Even “casual caring’ can be enough to help in a terrible situtation

Saturday, September 30, 2023

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/she-was-about-to-end-it-all-until-a-stranger-shed-never-meet-again-told-her-dont-jump/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=21-09-2023

She Was About to End it All, Until a Stranger She’d Never Meet Told Her ‘Don’t Jump’
By Andy Corbley – Sep 18, 2023 

*** begin quote ***

“I was sobbing and crying and working up the courage to just go through with it, because I knew at that moment that it was going to make everyone’s lives better.”

At that moment, a driver, whose face Belmont didn’t see, and whose hand she would never shake, passed over the bridge and hollered out of the window.

“Don’t jump,” they said.

It immediately clicked a lightbulb on in her head; that if a stranger could care enough to speak up, then suicide was not the answer.

*** end quote ***

Help is available call or text 988.

I’d have preferred if the driver stopped and talked her “down”.  But, maybe that would have had a worse effect?

I always thought that suicide for a young healthy persons was just FEAR (i.e., False Evidence Appearing Real).  And, the Bible tells us, as one Christian Brother to my class, that “leaving the game early is against the rules.  That’s why football has the ‘Hail Mary Pass.  There’s always hope.  Or in the case of the opponents of Notre Dame, the next game!”.  Maybe a little sacrilegious, but in a funny memorable way.  We all have to just put one foot in from to the other, day by day, until we reach the finish line.

I wrote in my Magnus Opus: “My love, were it in my power, I would sadly grant thee this boon. But, we have to continue to follow His Plan for us. Let’s go forth and speak no more of this. Who ever is last will be last. It will be His choice; not ours. We’re but humble custodians of His temple on earth. It’s not our place to trump His plan. Whatever that plan be, know that I will be with you to my last breath.” — character “John” in CHURCH 10●19●62 Volume 2 Page 399

And, I really believe that to be true.

—30—

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INSPIRATIONAL: One man’s effort leads to reestablishing a species

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/to-halt-ibis-extinction-austrian-man-shows-beloved-birds-a-new-migration-route-with-his-ultralight-and-its-working/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=24-08-2023

To Halt Ibis Extinction Austrian Man Shows Birds a New Migration Route With His UltraLight–And it’s Working

By Andy Corbley – Aug 21, 2023

*** begin quote ***

An Austrian ornithologist has pioneered an incredible way of wildlife rehabilitation by fostering chicks of an endangered species before re-instituting their migratory practice by leading them along their natural migration route with an ultralight aircraft.

The method was developed to help reconnect the northern bald ibis, a bird that was extirpated in Europe 400 years ago, with its summer-winter migration pattern from northern Europe to its sunny southern climes.

*** and ***

Fritz came to the rescue again, hand-rearing chicks on ground mice and beef heart 8 times a day, while letting the inquisitive, gregarious chicks investigate his ears and nose for curiosity’s sake.

This was all a part of getting them to the age of flight when he would lead them again in his ultralight aircraft along a 2,500-mile circumnavigation of the Alps to a new wintering site on the sunny Spanish south near Cadiz

*** end quote ***

A heroic effort.

And just goes to show when one committed “crazy” person can accomplish.

That’s conserving nature for future generations.

—30—

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ENCOURAGING: Demonstrating how little we really know challenges us as a speciaes to “wise up”

Friday, August 25, 2023

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/scientists-find-a-whole-new-ecosystem-hiding-beneath-earths-seafloor/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=17-08-2023

Scientists Find A Whole New Ecosystem Hiding Beneath Earth’s Seafloor
By Andy Corbley – Aug 15, 2023 

*** begin quote ***

“The discoveries made on each Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition reinforce the urgency of fully exploring our ocean so we know what exists in the deep sea,” said Wendy Schmidt, president and co-founder of Schmidt Ocean Institute. “The discovery of new creatures, landscapes, and now, an entirely new ecosystem underscores just how much we have yet to discover about our Ocean–and how important it is to protect what we don’t yet know or understand.”

*** end quote ***

I’m continually amazed at all the fundamental scientific discoveries we keep making.  The Johari window http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johari_window seems have a huge quadrant 4 (I can’t see; you can’t see) content.

Fascinating.  And, encouraging that there is so much left to discover.

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HEROIC: Carnegie Medal is awarded to civilians who put their lives in danger in attempt to save another

Wednesday, July 19, 2023

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/all-his-training-pays-off-slackliner-wins-carnegie-medal-for-ski-lift-rescue-over-cables/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=17-07-2023

All His Training Pays Off: Slackliner Wins Carnegie Medal for Ski Lift Rescue Over Cables

By Andy Corbley – Jul 14, 202

*** begin quote ***

Hard part done, the backpack was so far extended under the chairlift that Wilson couldn’t even reach it. That’s when a ski patrol tossed him a knife which he caught first time (wearing ski gloves? who knows) and cut the man free, who was rushed to the hospital and made a full recovery.

The Carnegie Medal is awarded to civilians who put their lives in danger in attempt to save another. Wilson was recently announced as the winner among other heroes, despite his rescue taking place 6 years ago.

*** end quote ***

Read some of the other stories of the “non-winners”.  I never heard of ANY of these heroic acts being reported in the “Lame Street Media”. 

Stunning.

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INSPIRATIONAL: 8th Grader Walks himself into a college scholarship

Sunday, June 11, 2023

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/after-8th-grader-walked-to-graduation-a-missouri-university-and-nfl-star-team-up-to-give-him-a-ride-to-college/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=07-06-2023

After 8th Grader Walked to Graduation, an NFL Star and University Team Up to Give Him a Ride to College
By Andy Corbley – Jun 5, 2023 

*** begin quote ***

A Missouri middle schooler was so determined to make it to his graduation, he ended up walking 6 miles.

Losing out on an opportunity for a ride there, 8th-grader Xavier Jones asked his friend and brother to walk along with him, remembering something a mentor at Yeatman Middle School had told him.

“‘If I want it, I got to go get it,’” Jones told Fox News, remembering the advice. Together, the young men walked over 10,000 steps and two-and-a-half hours through St. Louis to arrive at the school.

*** and ***

“She said, ‘You got a full ride,’ and I said [to Xavier], ‘Do you know what that means,’ and he said, ‘They’re going to give me a ride to school?’” Seals said. “I was like, ‘No, you’re getting a ride to college. He said, ‘Wait a minute, I don’t have to pay for college. Then it started hitting him.”

*** and ***

Miami Dolphins NFL player Terron Armstead, who grew up in a similar part of town to Xavier, had bought his family a minivan, and an electric bike to ensure transportation options are no longer a problem.

*** end quote ***

An impressive young MAN! We hear a lot of bad things that “juvenile delinquents” do, but not enough stories like this one.

Very impressive actions by the college president and the NFL player.

I’m sure KARMA will reward them.

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INTERESTING: Stop the presses on history books; time just got pushed back by a few thousand years

Monday, May 22, 2023

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/7000-year-old-road-uncovered-in-croatia-paved-in-stone-a-sensational-find/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=16-05-2023

7,000-year-old Road Uncovered in Croatia is Paved in Stone–A ‘Sensational Find’
By Andy Corbley – May 12, 2023 

*** begin quote ***

But Korcula road, featuring sophisticated stone-stacking and some sort of material to encase the stones in their positions, was made around 1,000 years before Ur and Eridu, to an epoch where agriculture and animal domestication were still developing or state-of-the-art technologies.

*** end quote ***

It really is amazing how little we “know” about “history”.  It is almost like routinely “we” find new evidence that proves just how wrong we were. 

What can you trust as “facts”?

The answer is “not much”.

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INSPIRATIONAL: The law of Karma?

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

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.

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

Thursday, February 16, 2023

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. 

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INTERESTING: Svingerudsteinen rune pushes known history backby hundreds of years

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/sensational-runestone-discovered-in-norway-with-mysterious-inscription-may-be-worlds-oldest/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=02-02-2023

‘Sensational’ Runestone Discovered in Norway With Mysterious Inscription–May Be World’s Oldest
By Andy Corbley – Jan 31, 2023 

*** begin quote ***

A runestone was discovered in Norway recently that jumps back the origin date of runic writing by hundreds of years to a time before the fall of Rome.

Based on carbon-dated organic remains, the reddish-brown sandstone block may have been carved as far back as 250 to 1 CE—making it the oldest ever found.

Most runestones are named based on the location they were discovered, and this one is called the “Svingerudsteinen,” or “the Svingerud Stone.”

*** and ***

Runologists like Zilmer don’t have a large body of reference, as only 30 or so stones have been found with inscriptions dating from the 6th century or earlier.

*** end quote ***

Amazing about how little we know about human history.  Here’s some messages from the past (obits) that are cryptic bits.

What all did these people know that is lost in “history”.

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POLITICAL: Yet another case for no death penalty and punishing police misconduct

Sunday, January 8, 2023

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/new-evidence-unearthed-by-podcasters-frees-2-men-wrongfully-imprisoned-for-25-years/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=02-01-2023

New Evidence Unearthed by Podcasters Frees 2 Men Wrongfully Imprisoned for 25 Years
By Andy Corbley – Dec 29, 2022 

*** begin quote ***

Two men wrongfully-imprisoned for more than two decades were able to spend Christmas with their families after a podcast and non-profit advanced evidence of their innocence.

Darrell Lee Clark and Cain Joshua Storey were just teenagers when they stood trial for a murder of their 15-year-old friend he died of gunshot wounds at a party in 1996.

Clack had all the charges against him dropped after a motion for a new trial was field on his behalf by attorneys from the Georgia Innocence Project. He was released Thursday along with Storey.

*** and ***

The details go like this. At a party, 15-year-old Brian Bowling shot himself in a game of Russian Roulette with a gun allegedly provided by Storey. Manslaughter was to be the original charge, but Bowling’s distraught family urged for the charge to be stiffened to murder, and charged Clark who had a corroborating alibi of his absence from the whole situation, in a conspiracy to murder.

The Proof podcast hosts interviewed the party hostess, who admitted that the police had coerced her into making false statements regarding Clark and Storey’s testimony. The second witness was a hearing-impaired man, and Simpson and Davis got him on record as not being able to separate the Bowling murder details with a very similar case from ten years later in 1976.

*** end quote ***

The “death penalty” eliminates any chance of rectifying an injustice.

The police coerced a false statement; they should be punished severely.

Qualified immunity is a joke.  I’m sure all involved are enjoying their pensions. 

Argh!

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

Friday, December 16, 2022

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!

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TECHNOLOGY: A great human skill found that leads to possible future important testing tool

Thursday, September 22, 2022

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/woman-who-can-smell-parkinsons-helps-scientists-develop-test/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=13-09-2022

Woman Who Can Smell Parkinson’s’ Helps Scientists Develop Test
By Andy Corbley – Sep 12, 2022

*** begin quote ***

In Scotland there’s a woman who can smell changes in body odor corresponding to the presence or onset of Parkinson’s disease.

Keeping with Scotland’s decorated history of medical discoveries, this “curse and a benefit” is now being used to develop a fast test for Parkinson’s that involves simply scraping a cotton ball over the back of the neck for examination.

More than 40 years ago, Joy Milne noticed an abrupt change in the natural odor of her husband, Les, when he was 33-years-old.

She knew herself to have a supersensitive nose, someone who couldn’t go into the cleaning section of a supermarket, but 12 years later, Les was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in an already progressive state, and it got her thinking it was the cause.

In 2012, Les, a former-doctor, went to find someone who could investigate further the connection between scent and Parkinson’s alongside Joy.

That initial inquiry led them to a professor at the University of Edinburgh who formed a team to put Joy’s sense of smell to the test.

*** end quote ***

What a great human adaption!  This could lead to a life changing test.

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