Today’s good news comes from the Good News Network.

It’s not referring to a tropical disease to say that someone has an EGOT. It means they’ve got a mantlepiece at home where stand an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony—the four major pop culture awards in America.

Only 18 entertainers have achieved this quadruple, and now Elton John stands among them as the 19th, having recently won an Emmy for his concert film, Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium.

John was not able to attend the ceremony because of needed recovery from knee surgery, “which isn’t surprising if you think of the number of pianos he’s jumped off from in platform heels,” said John’s husband, David Furnish.

John has collected two Oscars: one for The Lion King’s Can You Feel The Love Tonight? and another for Rocketman’s (I’m Gonna) Love Me Again. 

For the ‘T’ in EGOT, he won a Tony for scoring the musical version of the opera Aida. 

For the ‘G’—the Grammy, it’s a case of take your pick, with John having collected quite a few over his decades as a musician.

“I am incredibly humbled to be joining the unbelievably talented group of EGOT winners tonight,” said John in a statement. “The journey to this moment has been filled with passion, dedication, and the unwavering support of my fans all around the world. Tonight is a testament to the power of the arts and the joy that it brings to all our lives. Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout my career; I am incredibly grateful.”

According to Smithsonian Magazine, the term EGOT was first used on Miami Vice. Its imaginary alumni include Richard Rogers, Hellen Hayes, Rita Moreno, Whoopi Goldberg, Viola Davis, John Legend, Alan Menken, Mell Brooks, Audrey Hepburn, John Gielgud, Marvin Hamlisch, Johnathan Tunic, Mike Nichols, Scott Rudin, Robert Lobez, Andrew Lloyd Weber, Tim Rice, and Jennifer Hudson.

It seems appropriate that the acronym would be finished on Elton’s final show ever on tour in North America, the curtain call of all curtain calls, and a tremendous achievement to mark the end of a long chapter in a tremendous career.

WATCH Tiny Fey and Amy Pohler present the award along with peers…

The good news in this story is that a man who has invested his life and energy into entertainment has been recognized for his achievement and hard work. Today’s JohnKu talks about recognition. I hope you have a wonderful week.

Others by John W. Howell © 2023

When something is great,

And is done by someone else . . .

Do you offer praise?

Today’s good news story comes from the Good News Network.

Long-Lost ‘Legend’–Leopard Barbel Fish Found Again in Turkey’s Dammed-up Rivers

A team of ichthyologists (zoologists who study fishes) in Türkiye (Turkey) has rediscovered a “legend” in the form of a carp-like, spotted fish called the leopard barbel (Luciobarbus subquincunciatus) in the Turkish section of the Tigris River.

The leopard barbel was once abundant, ranging from Eastern Türkiye, Eastern Syria, Iran, and Iraq in the Tigris-Euphrates river system. Over the last three decades, however, fishing, pollution, habitat destruction, and dam construction have pushed the species to the edge of extinction and was last scientifically documented in 2011.

However, anecdotal evidence from local fishers suggested that the fish may have still been out there, so Associate Professor Cüneyt Kaya and Assistant Professor Münevver Oral at Recep Tayyip Erdogan University enlisted their help to find one.

“There is nothing quite like the feeling of finding that a species that has been pushed to the brink of extinction is still hanging on, despite the odds,” said Kaya upon their success. “It is even more thrilling than discovering a new species because it means that we can give a rare species a second chance.

The team started by looking at the scientific literature about where the species had been previously found. However, those data were collected before nine dams were built in the Turkish portion of the Tigris River.

The dams alter water flow regimes, and cold water accumulating at the reservoirs’ bottom is sometimes released downstream. The release of cold water drives many freshwater fish toward warmer waters, so the team had to adjust its strategy to look further downstream from the dams.

Just days after the second of two expeditions, Kaya and Oral got a video call from local fisherman Mehmet Ülkü. He had caught a 20-inch (50 centimeter), 4.4-pound (2-kilogram) fish with conspicuous black spots and the telltale fleshy filament that dangles from the mouths of this type of freshwater fish.

Ülkü kept the fish alive overnight in a tank with a constant oxygen supply. At the same time, Kaya took a direct flight to the region and then drove nearly six hours to Cizre in the far southeastern reaches of Turkish Kurdistan, where the species was found, while Oral drove more than 11 hours through the night to see the fish and confirm its identity.

By the time they arrived, Ülkü had caught a second leopard barbel safely in his nets, and they were able to help him release the first one as well.

“We dropped everything and would have gone to the ends of the Earth to see this fish, this legend, alive in the wild,” Oral said. “I have never seen a fish as beautiful as this. It was the realization not only of our dream to find this lost species but of the hope that not all is lost—we still have a chance to protect the leopard barbel and all of the other incredible freshwater species it shares its home with.”

After Kaya and Oral took photos and measured the size and shape of the two fish, they were joined by the local Cizre fisheries aquaculture department to release the fish safely, which they described as a joyous event.

“We all have a role to play in protecting our incredible natural heritage, and I am proud to have used my skills to help rediscover the leopard barbel,” Ülkü, the fisherman, said. “Safeguarding this species into the future will require educating other fishers and bringing scientific knowledge and local expertise together.”

Kaya and Oral plan to conduct a series of seminars for fishers and teachers to help build pride in their riverways and wildlife, using the rediscovery as a case study to protect the Tigris River and its rich biodiversity. They are also hoping to better understand how many leopard barbel might still exist and where they are still found across their historic range.

The expedition to confirm the leopard barbel still exists was co-funded by Re:wild, the world leaders rediscovering and protecting lost species. The fish is the second on Re:wild and SHOAL’s Most Wanted Lost Fishes list to be rediscovered. The first, the Batman River loach, was found by the same intrepid team in Southeastern Türkiye in late 2021.

The good news in this situation is that in spite of human negligence, a species fights hard and survives. Today’s JohnKu talks about the ability of animals to survive. I hope you have a beautiful weekend.

Nature by John W. Howell © 2023

In spite of humans,

Species fight hard to survive . . .

Nature can be tough.

Today’s Good News comes from the Good News Network. Here it is in its entirety.

A collaborative study involving experts in Europe and the US found the treatment of stem cells appears to protect the brains of MS patients from further damage.

In the first-ever clinical trials in humans, the researchers found patients injected with the stem cells exhibited no increase in disability or worsening of symptoms.

The promising study, published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, is hoped to lead to further clinical trials that could provide treatment for progressive MS.

More than two million people live with MS across the globe, and while some treatments currently available can reduce the severity and frequency of relapses, two-thirds of patients still transition into a debilitating secondary progressive phase of the disease within 25 to 30 years of diagnosis.

An autoimmune disorder like Lupus, ALS, and Crohn’s, MS is characterized by the body’s immune system attacking and damaging myelin—the protective sheath of tissue around nerve fibers, disrupting messages sent around the brain and spinal cord.

An immune cell called a microglial can attack the central nervous system in progressive forms of MS, causing chronic inflammation and damage to nerve cells.

Recent scientific advances involving the transplantation of stem cells have raised expectations that therapies could be developed to help ameliorate this damage.

Previous experiments in mice from the Cambridge University unit of the new study team have shown that skin cells reprogrammed to be brain stem cells and transplanted into the nervous system can help to reduce inflammation and may even be able to help repair damage caused by MS.

The research team behind the latest study, incorporating experts from the UK, US, Switzerland, and Italy, completed a world-first early-stage clinical trial in which neural stem cells were injected into the brains of 15 patients with secondary MS recruited from two Italian hospitals.

Along with the Cambridge unit, teams performed the trials at the University of Milano-Bicocca, the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza and Santa Maria Terni hospitals in Italy, the Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale hospital in Lugano, Switzerland, and the University of Colorado in the United States.

The transplant patients were followed for 12 months. No deaths or serious adverse events related to the treatment were observed throughout the year. Side effects were mild, transient, and reversible.

All patients had a high degree of disability at the start of the clinical trial—for example, they were wheelchair-bound—but during the 12-month observation period, they showed no increase in disability or worsening of symptoms. None of the patients showed symptoms that would indicate a relapse or signs of clinical progression, suggesting substantial stability of the pathology.

A subgroup of patients was also assessed for changes in the volume of brain tissue associated with disease progression, which found that the larger the dose of injected stem cells, the smaller the reduction in this brain volume over time.

The researchers speculate that this may be down to the stem cell transplant dampening inflammation.

Professor Stefano Pluchino, a co-leader of the study from the University of Cambridge, admitted that though the research had limitations, the findings were extremely promising.

“We desperately need to develop new treatments for secondary progressive MS, and I am cautiously very excited about our findings, which are a step towards developing a cell therapy for treating MS,” he said.

“We recognize that our study has limitations: it was only a small study, and there may have been confounding effects from the immunosuppressant drugs, for example, but the fact that our treatment was safe and that its effects lasted over the 12 months of the trial means that we can proceed to the next stage of clinical trials.”

Professor Angelo Vescovi, another co-leader of the study from the University of Milano-Bicocca, added that it has taken nearly three decades to translate the discovery of brain stem cells into this experiment, which he said will “pave the way” to broader studies “soon to come.”

The Good News is that the scientific community is still working on improving life. Today’s JohnKu talks about perspective in a bad news world. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Good News by John W. Howell © 2023

The media thinks,

All we want is the horrific . . .

How wrong can they be?

Today’s good news story comes from the Good News Network. Here it is in its entirety. Also, for those concerned about Twiggy. The operation was a success, and she is home and resting comfortably. She had a torn meniscus as well as a ligament, so the surgery was a must-do. Twiggy will see you all next Thursday. Thanks for all your messages and well wishes.

Top 30 Most Delightful Things That Happen Unexpectedly–Like Finding Cash in Jeans or Compliments from Strangers

A new poll compiled the top 30 most unexpectedly delightful things to happen, including pulling cash from the pocket of an old pair of jeans, getting a surprise refund, and receiving a compliment from a stranger.

The survey of 2,000 adults found 36 percent love it when someone lets them jump the line in a supermarket and when they find a treasured item that had been lost.

Driving through a run of green lights, catching a whiff of a familiar smell from your childhood, and hearing your favorite song pop up on the radio, also feature in the top 30 list.

(Imagine feeling double the joy if you run into all green lights while your favorite track begins to play!)

Commissioned by Alpen Delight (UK snack brand manufacturer), a spokesperson for the snack brand said: “The nicest things are those which are totally unexpected, and they don’t have to be big things—sometimes little moments lead to big smiles.

Respondents guessed that unexpectedly delightful things happen to them an average of twice per week, and it automatically puts them in a good mood.

But it’s not just being on the receiving end of these unplanned surprises that brings the most joy. 77 percent of those polled find making others happy improves their mood, too—which is why 36 percent try to do this as often as they can.

Such acts include smiling as they walk past another person (52%), just being there to listen to a friend (50%), and telling someone they’re proud of them (38%).

Nearly four in ten have cheered up others by making the effort to cook someone a meal or by letting another driver into their lane while on the road.

And a generous 19% find joy in paying for the meal while out for dinner.

84 percent of those surveyed by market research firm OnePoll, said these moments in life restore a little hope in humanity. And half say they’re more inclined to pay such moments forward if they’ve been on the receiving end themselves.

“It’s good to see how people enjoy delivering, and not just receiving, lovely surprises,” said the Alpen Delight spokesman.

TOP 30 UNEXPECTED MOMENTS OF DELIGHT:

1. Finding money in a coat or jeans pocket
2. Getting a surprise refund
3. A compliment from a stranger
4. Someone letting you go ahead of them in line at a store
5. When the radio plays your favorite song
6. Receiving a bonus at work
7. Constant green lights on the road
8. Hearing your baby’s first word
9. Your partner randomly showing affection
10. When someone actually understands what you’re talking about
11. A familiar smell from your childhood
12. A loved one randomly telling you they’re proud of you
13. Finding a treasured lost item
14. Waking up before your alarm and getting to sleep for longer
15. Getting upgraded – on an airplane or at a hotel
16. Thinking it’s Thursday, but it’s actually Friday
17. When a child starts a conversation with you
18. Receiving a postcard
19. Hitting the exact number when getting gasoline
20. Getting home from work and finding someone else has cooked dinner
21. A work meeting getting canceled last minute because the boss isn’t in
22. Seeing a funny car license plate
23. Getting asked for ID when you’re way over 21
24. When you’re brought breakfast in bed
25. When you and your friend say the same thing at the same moment
26. When your teenager wants to spend quality time with you
27. Your neighbor bringing over a baked good
28. Bumping into an old schoolteacher – and they recognize you
29. Catching the eye of your favorite artist during their performance
30. Witnessing a proposal in public

The good news here is that if we recognize these things that delight others, we can easily do just that. Today’s JohnKu talks about doing unto others. I hope you have a fabulous weekend.

Pay it Forward by John W. Howell © 2023

A list of thirty,

Things that delight other folks . . .

Pick one, go for it.