Category: TGIF

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – Fri Yay Good News

~ John W. Howell ~ 69 Comments

As many folks take to the airways this holiday, you can bet some will get a little overwhelmed, especially the kids. For those traveling through or to Denver, the good news is there is help.

More than 100 dogs (one cat) make up the Canine Airport Therapy Squad (CATS) at Denver International Airport. It’s the most extensive airport therapy animal program in the country and is entirely volunteers. The dogs, cat, and their volunteers walk around the airport in four-hour shifts, dispensing cuddles for anxious travelers (or anyone who wants to give a belly rub). While the program was suspended from March 2020 until May 2021, these days, they’re back patrolling the terminals, looking for humans who could use some stress relief.

Let’s meet some of the stress relievers. All photos courtesy of CATS

Here is Jackson the Goldendoodle. He likes dental treats and swimming.

Meet Blue. His favorite treat is Moist and Meaty, and his favorite activity is playing with his sister Amelia

.

Toby’s favorite treat is Bacon (you go, Toby). His favorite activity is hiking in the mountains.

Xeli’s favorite treat is catnip, and her favorite activity is making friends.

Matilda’s favorite treat is salmon, and being hugged is her favorite activity.

These are just five of the 100 at the airport this weekend. What good news indeed. Today’s JohnKu talks about help in times of need. I hope you all have a super weekend.

Caring by John W. Howell

When stress has you down,

No matter where it occurs . . .

An animal helps.

 

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF Friyay Good News

~ John W. Howell ~ 80 Comments

It is Friday again, which some of us believe to be Saturday eve. However, we all know Saturday represents an element of freedom, so we are happy to see you Friday.

Today’s good news stories are about humans and bees.

Story one is about the kindness of a Billings Montana Firefighter. Take a look at this photo.

Photo courtesy of Allie Marie Schmalz

Yes, that is Firefighter Ryan Benton reading a story to a little girl. The girl and family were involved in a car accident, so the firefighter took her to the side of the road and read her a story. This brought her mind off the trauma while he family dealt with the situation. It is the policy for the Billings fire crews to carry stuffed animals and books for such an occasion. Yet the goodness here is Ryan Benton saw a need and stepped in to help a small child without a moment of hesitation.

Our second story is about discovering honey bees in the UK that could mean the return of a subspecies there.

Photo courtesy of Filipe Salbany

800,000 native honeybees, which some thought extinct, were found in ancient oak woodland at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, England. Experts said they could be the last remaining descendants of the British isle’s original forest honeybee populations. Since these bees are thriving, it is thought that this is an excellent second chance for the subspecies.

A bee-keeping veteran with more than 40 years of experience, Filipe Salbany found 50 separate nests in the estate’s forest. The grounds have had no gardening activity, and the property isn’t open to the public, so this has been a ‘rewilding’ area. The good news is the bees seem to be immune to the varroa mite—a big killer of bees.

Today’s JohnKu talks about those news items that make us feel good. I hope you have a delightful weekend.

The news by John W. Howell © 2021

The stories we hear,

And read, make us happy when  . . .

We can’t help smiling.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – Friyay Good News

~ John W. Howell ~ 70 Comments

It is another glorious Friday pointing to the weekend. Today’s good news is about animals. As we know, animal stories tend to put a positive spin on our daily life. Hopefully, this will be the result of these two.

Our first story is about the rebound of the Monarch butterfly population in the Western United States.

photo courtesy of Steve Corey, CC license

The Thanksgiving count of Monarchs has not begun, but an early count on October 16th, 2021 of the overwintering sites on the California coast is encouraging. The Pacific Grove count of 1300 butterflies this year is compared to zero in 2020. The Pismo State Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove found about 8,000 monarchs compared to 300 last year. All in all, about 10,000 Monarchs have been counted this year which is a substantial increase. The good news here is that the signs are suitable for a Monarch recovery.

This is good news, but the Monarch is not out of the woods yet. How can you help? You can by planting nectar-bearing plants in the spring and the fall and buy not using insecticides.

Bear The Koala Dog – Instagram, USC/IFAW

In 2019 and 2020, six-year-old Australian Koole named Bear was instrumental in finding over 100 Koala bears who were injured and lost in the ashes due to the horrible bush fires there.

Bear has been named a hero, winning an award from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

Bear was trained in Australia at the University of the Sunshine Coast. Their Detection Dogs for Conservation team taught the former rescue dog to use his heightened sense of smell to hunt out the injured koalas among the ashes.

Bear is a rescue from an animal shelter after his former owners gave him up due to behavior issues caused by his “boundless energy and obsessive enthusiasm for play.”

The very reasons Bear was given up are the strengths he brings to his work which continues today.

Today’s JohnKu talks about Bear and his life. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Destiny by John W. Howell © 2021

Sent to a shelter,

By those not seeing his worth . . .

Destined to be great.

 

 

 

Friday JohnKu – AKA- TGIF – Friyay Good News

~ John W. Howell ~ 98 Comments

It is Friday again, and time to prepare ourselves for the weekend. What better way than to have some good news to get us in the mood for fun.

Our first story is about a boy who cares.

Photo courtesy of the ASPCA

Evan Bisnauth lives in the Bronx with a primary passion for helping socialize adoptable dogs by reading to them regularly.

His favorite story to read to the dogs is “Belly Rubbins for Bubbins,” written by Jason Kraus.

Evan says, “The story is about a dog placed into the shelter and got adopted. I like reading that to the dogs because when I’m done reading the book, I’m like, ‘You will get adopted. Now I have hope for you’.”

The ASPCA announced the recipients of the 2021 Humane Awards, an event to honor people and pets from across the nation who have made outstanding contributions to animal welfare. Evan was named Kid of the Year. The good news here is even the smallest acts of kindness have significant results.

Our second story is about an 80-year-old guy with grit.

Photo courtesy of Norman Ruff / Photo: Ontario Provincial Police

Norman Ruff lives in a cottage near Port Carling in Muskoka, Ontario. Norman, an 80-year-old, and his wife Lois were awakened by a Black bear breaking through the kitchen window. The bear spotted Norman and stood up, and roared.

There was a disagreement about house ownership, and Norman punched the bear several times in the nose. The bear, not content to be bullied, slapped Norman several times and grabbed his hand in his mouth.

Finally, Norman managed to open the front door, and the bear eventually found his way out.

Norman was taken to the hospital in Bracebridge, where he became a celebrity among the staff for fighting a bear with his fists. The bear did not require medical attention.

On October 26, 2021, Bracebridge Ontario Provincial Police detachment commander Inspector Burton and Superintendent Houliston presented Norman with an award for bravery. There are no reports on the bear receiving an award as well. The good news here is both the bear and the man lived to meet again.

Today’s John Ku talks about kindness. I hope you have a great weekend.

Kindness is a gift,

That if shared unselfishly . . .

Will come back bigger.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – Good News Friyay.

~ John W. Howell ~ 81 Comments

It is Friday again and not too far from the glorious weekend. Today we have two good news stories involving animals. They are not monumental but will hopefully bring a smile.

The first is about a lucky photo and a plucky squirrel. Let’s look at the photo first.

Photo courtesy of SWNS

This squirrel is showing his bodybuilding pose. The photo was snapped by David Roberts of Glasgow, Scotland. He just happened to have a camera when the squirrel nonchalantly hopped onto his windowsill and struck the pose. The photo has since gone viral for a good reason. There is no way to look at it and continue to frown, which is excellent news.

Photo courtesy of Dr. Robert Williams

Our second story is about a photo of a Shelley’s eagle owl in the wilds of Ghana. It is the first time one had been seen since the 1870s—and the first time ever a clear photograph of one of the world’s largest owls. Dr. Joseph Tobias and Dr. Robert Williams were stunned to see the giant bird fly over their heads. It came to roost in a tree, and Dr. Williams was able to get the clear shot. It is estimated that there are between 1700 and 7000 birds, but an exact number is impossible since the owl is so elusive. At least we know it is not extinct, which is excellent news.

I hope you all have a super weekend and today’s JohnKu talks about learning new things.

Discovery by John W. Howell © 2021

Isn’t it great when,

Something new is discovered . . .

Causing you to smile.

 

 

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF and Good News Friyay

~ John W. Howell ~ 92 Comments

It is Friday again, and we are so grateful that we didn’t miss it. Today is also Good News Friyay, and we have two stories.

The first story is about the preliminary test of the Boyan Slat ‘Jenny’ Ocean clean-up system.

Photo courtesy of The Ocean Cleanup

Boyan Slat’s team removed 20,000 pounds of plastic debris from one of the significant “plastic islands” in the Pacific on the first trial of his System 002 nicknamed “Jenny.” It is a system where two boats pull a  u-shaped collection device. (pictured) “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch can now be cleaned,” announced Dutch entrepreneur Boyan Slat, the wunderkind inventor who’s spent a decade inventing systems for waterborne litter collection. This means the 1.4 trillion pieces of plastic down to 1mm in size can be removed from the oceans by 2040.

Photo courtesy of the Ocean Cleanup

A shot of the plastic picked up. See any of your stuff in there?

Our second story is just plain good news for one person Randy Bachman of The Guess Who and Bauchman Turner Overdrive. Of course, we can all feel good about one guy who heard the story of Randy having his guitar stolen out of his hotel room and searched the world till he found it.

Photo courtesy of Randy Bachman

William Long is a fan of Bachman’s and he heard that Randy had worked long and hard as a kid to buy the $400.00 1957 Gretsch 6120 Chet Atkins model in Western Orange. The guitar was stolen in 1976 and Long did some internet work and found it in Tokoyo Japan. Long reached out to Bachman who in turn had his Japanese daughter-in-law contact the current owner. The owner was more than pleased to return the guitar to Bachman if a replacement could be found. Bachman went to work and found one that was made at the same time on the same bench. This was out of the 40 Gretsch’s known to exist. An exchange is being arranged. The good news of this story is someone cared enough to look for the guitar and another cared enough to return it to it’s original owner.

Today’s JohnKu talks about helping each other. I hope you have a grand weekend.

Help by John W. Howell © 2021

When we see someone,

Who needs help out of trouble. . .

Do we lend a hand?

 

 

Friday JohnKu – AKA TGIF – Good News

~ John W. Howell ~ 99 Comments

Hey, Friday, welcome back. It is so good to see you. We all could use a weekend, and I think you arrived just in time.

Today’s good news includes an animal story and an octogenarian story. Since I’m also an octogenarian, let’s do the animal story first, so at least we know we’ll get that one covered.

This is the story of a bull Elk and a couple of wildlife officers who cared.

About two years ago, a bull elk was spotted on a trail camera sporting a tire around its neck. It was evident that the tire posed no threat to the animal’s health, but since it could become entangled in the brush, it was decided to try and remove it. Four attempts were made over the period, and finally, last Saturday, officers Dawson Swanson and Scott Murdoch were successful in cornering the animal and removing the tire. Here is a video of the elk which led the officers to its location.

The other good news story is about an 81-year-old music teacher who is suffering from dementia. Paul Harvey had taught music for 20 years, and before that, he was a composer and classical pianist.  Five years ago, Paul began living in a memory care facility. Last September, he composed a two-minute piece using just four notes-F natural, A, D, and B natural. His son Nick posted Paul playing the composition on Twitter. The post went viral. Paul’s piece was recorded by the BBC Philharmonic orchestra and sold as a singe. The proceeds went to Alzheimer’s Society and Music for Dementia, which campaigns for music access for people with dementia.

Here is Paul playing his Four Notes piece. For the BBC Breakfast show. The first Twitter post by Nick Harvey will not play. Just skip to the second.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1320621712753524736

Paul was invited to conduct the BBC Philharmonic orchestra playing his Four Notes and an earlier composition named Where’s the Sunshine to mark the first anniversary of the recording. Here is a video with the whole story about Paul. His son reports that he is back with them while playing the piano.

Today’s JohnKu talks about hope and caring. I wish you all a beautiful weekend.

Four Lettered Words

A four-lettered word,

Can be more than disgusting . . .

Like hope and care can.

 

 

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

~ John W. Howell ~ 96 Comments
“What is that. Lucy?”
“I’m not sure. It might be a bear.”
“No it’s Dad.”
“Don’t tell him I said that about the bear.”
“Extra kibble causes me to lose my memory.”
“Come to my dish later.”

 

Look at that. it is Friday again and time for celebration. (hold it until after five, though). Having given a lot of thought to what I want this Friday post to be, I have decided that posting the news of the day only causes us a little angst. After all, there is very little we can do about the craziness going on in the world.

I have decided to concentrate on the good news side of life. So today, I’ll be posting two stories that have to do with animals. I hope you enjoy them. Yes, the JohnKu will still be here.

The first story is about a 101-year-old woman named Penny and a 19-year-old cat named Gus.

Penny and Gus
Photo courtesy of Humane Society of Catawba County (HSCC) in North Carolina

Gus came into the Humane Society of Catawba County shelter, and after a complete physical, his age was determined to be 19 years old (about 133 in human years). Typically, shelters have a problem placing cats at this age. “Gus’ age was exceptional, but we see older pets on a regular basis. We are still committed to these animals and working to find a new home for them, regardless of their age,” Jane Bower, executive director of the Humane Society of Catawba County, told Newsweek.

Penny had recently lost her cat, so her family was on the lookout for an older kitten. They visited the shelter, and so the rest is history. The shelter describes Penny and Gus as a match made in heaven. Penny reports Gus has made her place feel like a home and eats like a horse.

Our second story is about a manatee that has ventured into the canal area of my old stomping grounds in Port Aransas, TX. Manatees are very seldom seen on the West Coast of Texas, maybe once every other year. This one was observed lazing around. He also was photographed taking a freshwater drink from a hose near one of the private docks.

The Manatee is drinking from a hose.
Photo courtesy of the South Jetty in Port Aransas.

Greg Stunz is a professor of marine biology and endowed chair for Fisheries and Ocean Health at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. He reported the Manatee had some significant injuries but were not fresh. Capture and treatment were impossible since the 500-pound creature slipped away in the murky canal after about an hour. Looks like the Manatee knew what was best, which most animals do.

Today’s JohnKu talks about peace of mind. I hope you all have a peaceful weekend.

 

Good News by John W. Howell © 2021

In the whole picture,

Finding more good in the news . . .

Is way easier.

 

 

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

~ John W. Howell ~ 75 Comments
“You want to chase me, Lucy?”
“It is Friday, so take off.”
“Give me the count of three.”
“One…two, three, Hahaha.”

 

 

Well, Friday is here and inviting us all to the weekend. Thanks, Friday, I accept.

This has been the week of Washington.

Congress was successful and extended government funding until December 3rd. On the $1 Trillion infrastructure bill and the $3.4 Trillion climate, healthcare and education bill, there is trouble in paradise. Seems strange that the Dems who control the Senate and house can’t seem to get everyone in line. The progressives (to be read, socialists) want the bigger bill brought forward before approving the smaller. Good luck, Schumer and Pelosi. Of course, the saying is, “Never underestimate Pelosi.” She says she is bringing the infrastructure bill to a vote. As of this writing, I don’t know if she did.

The generals in charge of the military aspect of the Afghanistan withdrawal fiasco have been testifying in front of the Senate and House on Tuesday and Wednesday. Much was said about Biden not following the advice of the generals to have 2500 troops on the ground to cover the withdrawal. The only other big reveal was that the Taliban had offered the U.S. military the option to secure the entire city of Kabul while it was leaving. This would have required more troops which Biden turned down. Had the city been secure maybe, just maybe those 13 Americans might have been spared. Of course we’ll never know. Now that the generals have been grilled by the Senate and house maybe the whole thing will blow over. I’m sure Joe hopes so. I still feel badly for the Americans still left behind and for the families of those killed.

The issue at the border was cleaned up. All the Haitians were shipped out. Looks like 12,400 were let into the country on a temporary basis and about 2000 sent back to Haiti. I think the rush to the border paid off for those wanting to be here.

Right now 55% of all Americans are fully vaccinated. The Biden mandate has not been implemented since there is some guidance needed from the feds. When it does it is probable the numbers will go up.

Today’s JohnKu talks about having Washington in the news. I hope you have a great weekend.

Washington News by John W. Howell © 2021

You know it’s bad news,

When all you read about is. . .

Washington hijinks.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

~ John W. Howell ~ 70 Comments

It is always good to see a Friday roll around. Someone asked me not too long ago why Friday is particular since, as a retiree, all the days are like a day off. My response was something like, “I love Fridays since it marks the end of a workweek and heralds a time of relaxation. Even though I have retired from organized commerce, I still work at writing.” That all sounded good but between you and me. I like Fridays because I am one day closer to having a beer on Saturday. Okay, okay, call me simple, but you have to take pleasure where you can find it at my age.

Today I’m at a couple of places.

The first is with Rox Burkey. She is the co-author of the Techno-Thriller Enigma Series and other books. Rox has been involved in technology for several decades, working for various manufacturers and integrators. She enjoys working with all sorts of customers to make certain they are optimizing the customer experience with each interaction. She loves talking to people and learning about their issues, as well as helping them shape solutions. Rox invited me for a chat about writing, and you can go HERE to check it out. While you are there, drop in on her book pages. There is a ton of excitement on them.

The second is Story Empire. I found a list (Love them) of famous writers talking about writing. If you think you are alone in your angst this list may help. Come on over after your visit with Rox and me. Here is the link.

Today’s JohnKu talks about time. I hope you all have a glorious weekend.

Time by John W. Howell © 2021

Sometimes time drags on,

Suddenly there’s not enough . . .

WTF feeling.