Today’s good news story comes from the Good News Network. Here it is in full.

In New Zealand, a young boy has become the world’s youngest recipient of the Mountbatten Award after saving his younger brother from a treacherous stretch of coastal water last year.

The hero was Kalya Gamage, 14, who must have paralyzed his mother with fear when he saw his brother Kithmi being pulled out to sea by 3-meter waves and said to her, “OK, Mum, I’m going out. I might not be back.’’

12-year-old Kithmi was a good swimmer in his own right but couldn’t resist being ripped off his feet by several large waves that broke ashore on Chrystalls Beach in South Otago. Quickly tiring himself out trying to fight his way back to land, he was out around 60 meters (180 feet) treading water in a “notoriously dangerous” patch of coastal ocean where the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) notes “no one survives.”

Kalya jumped into the frigid water and had little difficulty reaching his brother but became nervous about whether he could reach the shore.

But he was relieved that they did, cold and tired but alive.

“Undoubtedly, Kalya’s brave response saved his brother’s life that day,” said the RLSS.

Kalya wants to start a business or be an engineer when he grows up but has spent time specifically improving his swimming skills. Those skills and the rescue they afforded won Kalya the 2022 Mountbatten Award, given to a single member of the whole British Commonwealth per year—over 2 billion people in 56 countries.

While his high school and even the Kiwi government expressed their pride at Kalya’s bravery and presence of mind, the greatest reward will, of course, be having his brother around for many decades to come. The good news here is a boy was saved because his brother thought quickly. Today’s JohnKu talks about saving others. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Someone Else by John W. Howell © 2023

We protect ourselves,

But the question still remains . . .

Would we protect others?

Today’s good news story comes from the Good News Network. I have purposely left in several links since they show other photos taken from the Webb Telescope. If you have the time, they are spectacular. Here’s the story.

It’s been a long and successful year for the James Webb Space Telescope, and to mark the anniversary of its entry into service, NASA has shown off Webb’s vibrant picture of a small star-forming region in the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex.

“From our cosmic backyard in the solar system to distant galaxies near the dawn of time, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has delivered on its promise of revealing the universe like never before in its first year of science operations,” NASA stated.

The first-anniversary image displays star birth “like it’s never been seen before,” full of detailed, impressionistic texture. The subject is the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex, the closest star-forming region to Earth.

“It is a relatively small, quiet stellar nursery, but you’d never know it from Webb’s chaotic close-up,” boasts NASA. “Jets bursting from young stars crisscross the image, impacting the surrounding interstellar gas and lighting up molecular hydrogen, shown in red. Some stars display the telltale shadow of a circumstellar disk (dust and matter), the makings of future planetary systems.”

Two critical differences single out the JWST as such a remarkable machine: the first is that it sees into infrared light—a spectrum which the human eye cannot see, and the second is that it orbits the second LaGrange Point a million miles from Earth, removing any light pollution of our world from diluting its imagery.

It’s made some important discoveries and snapped some incredible photographs. From our own solar system, Webb has clarified details on Jupiter, such as the planet’s minuscule rings, as well as the Jovian aurorae, on Neptune, where the telescope was able to clearly image the planet’s rings and moons together for the first time, and from Saturn where it was able to gather exquisite data on the effect of methane clouds in Saturn’s atmosphere.

Webb has also been studying Saturn’s moons and managed to record a plume of water erupting from the surface of the ocean world Enceladus that was 6,000 miles long.

Outside the solar system, the JWST has taken amazing photos of the oldest galaxies ever found, created just 500 million years after the Big Bang, of an exploding star in the constellation Cassiopeia, and also lent a hand to a European effort to study X-ray light in the universe with a 4-panel mosaic of technological artwork. 

“In just one year, the James Webb Space Telescope has transformed humanity’s view of the cosmos, peering into dust clouds and seeing light from faraway corners of the universe for the very first time,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Every new image is a new discovery, empowering scientists around the globe to ask and answer questions they once could never dream of.”

“Thousands of engineers, scientists, and leaders poured their life’s passion into this mission, and their efforts will continue to improve our understanding of the origins of the universe—and our place in it.”

The good news here is the human quest for knowledge is being met. Today’s JohnKu talks about the value of learning new things. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Learning by John W. Howell © 2023

Like an ocean swell,

Lifts every boat the same way . . .

Learning lifts us all.