“I suffer from an array of medical conditions, one of them being postual orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS),” Graham told The Dodo. “Bailey alerts to my rising heart rate prior to a fainting episode. This allows me enough time to sit and get in a safe position in case I do lose consciousness. Bailey will do what is called deep pressure therapy to help lower my heart rate and encourage blood flow. This helps keep me awake. He is able to retrieve medications, water, my phone, blanket, snacks, really anything you ask him to get. He seems to just know.”
Bailey loves helping his mom and makes sure he’s right by her side whenever she needs him. When she needs help, he does everything he’s trained to do depending on the situation — and sometimes even things he isn’t trained to do.
Recently, Graham was doing the dishes when Bailey sensed that her heart rate was rising and she might be in danger of fainting. He quickly encouraged her to sit down and grabbed her phone from the counter in case she needed to call for help. He then returned to the counter to grab her medicine, but it was too far back, and he couldn’t reach it.
That’s when Bailey did something unexpected and truly amazing. He jumped up onto the counter.
“I was surprised when he jumped on the counter, but I know in my heart he will do anything to ensure I get what I need to be okay,” Graham said. “He is very determined and does not give up. Jumping on the counter is not allowed in my house to prevent counter-surfing puppies. What Bailey did was intelligent disobedience. This means that he knows he is not allowed to jump on the counter, but he knew he absolutely had to in order to keep me safe and healthy.”
Bailey isn’t supposed to jump on the counter, but in that moment, he knew his mom needed her medicine, and that was more important than anything else. He did what he had to do in order to reach it and quickly brought it to her. Then, he opened up the fridge and got her a bottle of water to take it with.
Graham has a camera set up to catch Bailey in action and posted the footage of this incredible moment on TikTok. Everyone who has seen in is truly it awe of Bailey and the immense love he has for his mom.
“People are amazed at how Bailey is able to sense an episode and his determination to help me feel better,” Graham said.
When his mom needs him, Bailey is there no matter what, and he’ll never stop doing what he needs to do to make sure his mom can live her best life.
“By posting my medical journey, others are saying they do not feel as alone,” Graham said. “Bailey is my rock. He is always there for me, and I can count on him during my lowest times.”
The good news here is Katie has this wonderful dog to help her. Today’s JohnKu talks about those who help. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Our Good news comes from the Goodnews Network. I have reported on this ocean cleanup system before, and now there is more good news. Here’s the story in its entirety, with major typos corrected.
Boyan Slat, Founder of The Ocean Cleanup, and Joe Gebbia, Co-Founder of Airbnb – Released
Ocean Cleanup Nonprofit Gets $25Mil From Airbnb Co-Founder to Launch Massive Plastic Pollution Cleanup.
The co-founder of Airbnb.org has just donated $25 million to support the Dutch nonprofit The Ocean Cleanup as they prepare to assemble and deploy the largest plastic capture system ever developed for use in the ocean.
The Ocean Cleanup’s pilot-scale ocean cleaning system, System 002, has been deployed in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) located between Hawai’i and California since late 2021. It has so far removed close to 200,000 kilograms, or roughly 440,000 pounds, of plastic that otherwise would have remained trapped for decades or more.
This pilot system is now in the process of being scaled up to the largest, most cost-effective ocean cleaning system ever developed. It will feature a capture area of 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) across and a three-vessel team that will allow it to operate 24-7.
“I’m proud to partner with The Ocean Cleanup in their crucial work to remove harmful plastics from our oceans,” said Joe Gebbia, co-founder of Airbnb and Samara. “The Ocean Cleanup has created systems and technology that actually work at scale. In order for them to deploy across our oceans and rivers, they now need to scale their funding. It is my hope that this donation can inspire others to act.”
As the only group currently cleaning the trillions of plastic pieces in the GPGP, The Ocean Cleanup has streamlined its cleaning systems to be as cost-effective as possible, allowing their entirely not-for-profit income generation and any potential donations to go far.
Dutch wiz kid and Ocean Cleanup founder Boyan Slat has been developing the capture system for a decade and has gradually enlarged and improved it based on fieldwork harvesting plastic from the GPGP. System 03 cleans ten times faster than the previous system and could clean all the plastic patches of the world’s oceans with about 10-50 systems.
“Joe’s continued support of The Ocean Cleanup’s mission has a direct impact on our operations all over the world,” said Slat. “Thanks, in part, to his generous assistance, we are able to scale up our work in oceans and rivers, helping us reach our goal of ridding the world’s oceans of plastic. On behalf of the world’s largest ecosystem, we are immensely grateful for the support.”
Slat’s work in the GPGP will go down as one of the greatest accomplishments in the 21st century. In front of him was a true leviathan of a problem—a patch of plastic trash twice the size of Texas swirling in International Waters where even the loudest climate-hollering nation-state had no desire to even crack an idea about how to clean it.
Relying only on his team and his vision of basic scientific deduction and elegant engineering solutions, Slat proved that the most absurd problem was nevertheless solvable.
His vision attracted millions in private contributions from philanthropists like Gebbia, even while government scientists sneered at his use of fossil-fuel vessels to pull the nets to capture the plastic.
Here is a photo of the system.
Photo courtesy of The Ocean Cleanup
The good news here is that with additional funding, the oceans become closer to being cleaned. Today’s Johnku talks about this important project.
An aviation start-up just set a new world-first for the largest hydrogen-powered aircraft flight in history—a 19-seat aircraft called the Dornier 228.
Designed by ZeroAvia, the start-up is developing hydrogen-powered engines for regional flights and has taken off over the last 12 months.
This most recent flight was a 10-minute affair from the Cotswolds Airport in Gloucestershire, England, but was only the most recent manifestation of their success.
ZeroAvia counts American and United airlines as their investors, and by 2025, the firm has 1,500 pre-orders of their hydrogen-electric powertrains to fulfill. In addition, the prototype powertrains have received approval from the UK and US civil aviation authorities.
“This is a major moment, not just for ZeroAvia, but for the aviation industry as a whole, as it shows that true zero-emission commercial flight is only a few years away,” ZeroAvia founder and CEO Val Miftakhov said in a statement Thursday.
The flight comes after news in August that the company signed a memorandum of understanding with American Airlines for 100 of the powertrains being developed for 90-seat aircraft.
“Having support from [one of the] world’s largest airline is a strong indication of the progress we’re making on the development of hydrogen-electric, zero-emission flight,” added ZeroAvia Founder and CEO Val Miftakhov. “We are focused on delivering sustainable travel and are delighted that American, a visionary leader in the industry, sees ZeroAvia as a part of the future of aviation.”
Hydrogen as a fuel source is currently one of two more sustainable alternatives to powering aviation. Accounting for 2.8% of all global emissions, passenger aircraft need high-octane, energy-dense fuel sources because of the weight limitations that batteries can’t account for.
The ZA2000-RJ powertrain from ZeroAvia is predicted to have a 500-mile range on a full tank, which United Airlines said would restore the economic viability of smaller regional flights.
“A lot of small cities have lost service because of the cost, and we think that these technologies will allow United to bring back more frequent service and service to airports that don’t have any service today,” Michael Leskinen, president of United Airlines Ventures, told CBS.
For reference, 500-mile jumps could service distances such as Pittsburgh to Chicago, Amarillo to Austin, or Fort Myers to Savannah. In Europe, the benefits compound because of the size of the continent. ZeroAvia could easily service Milan to Naples, Munich to Hamburg, or Newcastle to Exeter.
The good news here is zero emissions are possible for air travel. Today’s JohnKu talks about innovation. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
A group of South Korean tourists narrowly avoided a ruined vacation, with good fortune swapping it for an unforgettable experience waiting out a blizzard and cooking with a New York family.
Traveling from Niagara Falls to Washington DC, a tour group of 10 South Koreans got stuck in a blizzard near Buffalo. Two of the group went to a local house to ask for a shovel to dislodge their vehicle.
It was Christmas Eve when Alex Campagna heard their frantic knocking on his door. Outside, he recounted on Facebook, was “the worst blizzard I’ve experienced,” and knowing the folly of trying to carry on, he invited them all inside, putting them up on couches, air mattresses, and sleeping bags.
“As a Buffalonian, this is on another level, the Darth Vader of storms,” he told the New York Times.
Eager to repay his kindness, the guests cooked several South Korean meals like jeyuk bokkeum, stir-fried pork, and dakdori tang, a spicy chicken stew. As it turns out, Campagna and his wife really like Korean food and actually happened to have some of the more extravagant ingredients on hand.
The Times reports they stayed Friday and Saturday. They swapped stories and even enjoyed some American football matches on Christmas Eve.
On Christmas day. Drivers came to pick up the tour group and took them to New York for some impromptu flights.
“We have enjoyed this so much,” said Choi Yoseob, a member of the group who described the experience as unforgettable and a “unique blessing.”
The Good News here is that someone had empathy for his fellow human beings who were in trouble. Today’s JohnKu talks about good deeds. I hope you have a very Happy New Year.
Every Christmas, Mike Witmer gets out his colored lights to weave a very specific message out into the night.
Witmer says passersby are sometimes confused by his lights, which read ‘Hi Kevin’ across his roof, but it’s to honor the memory of a young boy who passed away from cancer in 2010.
For the past two decades, he has featured a reference to Kevin in his light displays. Kevin was diagnosed with cancer in 2002 when he was just 11. That year Mike had written ‘Get Well Kevin’ in lights.
The pair had lived on neighboring roads, and Kevin had loved seeing Mike’s light displays each December.
He continued to reference the lad in his lights every year until his tragic death eight years later in June 2010.
Mike vowed to honor Kevin’s life by continuing their much-loved tradition of installing his largest display yet on his roof so that Kevin could still see the lights from above.
“Kevin was a cool kid in the neighborhood. He swam on the local swim team with my kids, and we all became friends,” said Witmer from Gaithersburg, Maryland.
“When I heard he had cancer and was going through chemo and radiotherapy, I wanted to support him. I had this idea to write ‘Get Well Kevin’ in my Christmas lights—what 11-year-old doesn’t want to see their name in lights?”
Witmer continued to do it every year, even after his cancer went into remission and Kevin went off to college.
“But he had just finished his first year of college when the cancer came back—and it took him,” he recalled. “I told everyone to come by that year, and the ‘Hi Kevin’ would be bigger so he can see it from up in heaven.”
“This is my 20th anniversary of the tribute to Kevin, and I’ll keep doing it every year as long as I’m able.”
Kevin’s mother told Witmer that Kevin loved the display so much that he had asked if it would be done every year.
“I thought, ‘how could I not?’ and the tradition was born,” he said.
Every year after that, Mike would find some way to display a tribute to Kevin in his lights display, placing it in a different spot for Kevin to find, like a game of Where’s Waldo.
He recently shared the sweet story of his and Kevin’s relationship in a Facebook post, which was shared widely and attracted thousands of likes and comments by people touched by his tribute.
The good news here is this man brought cheer to someone very much in need. Today’s JohnKu talks about those in need. I hope you have a Joyous Holiday.
End-of-year bonuses are always a welcomed sight, but these smiles bear witness to an extraordinary act of corporate generosity.
Ruppert Landscaping gave bonuses of between $7,000 to $200,000 to all employees with a tenure of over one year “as a thanks for the role they’ve played in the company’s growth and development.”
A total of 1,200 workers, excluding those in top leadership positions, received the enormous thank you presents which added up to be $28 million.
The company says normal end-of-year bonuses were not deducted or altered by the gifts, which were announced at staff meetings, nor were any of the other benefits, which include 401(K) matching, health insurance, paid time off, and holidays.
“Everyone receiving this bonus was instrumental in helping create the value that we’ve been able to realize,” said CEO Craig Ruppert. “This bonus is money that is well-deserved and a way for us to acknowledge the value of our teams’ contributions and the essential role that they will play in our company’s future.”
The company’s history dates to the 1970s when Craig Ruppert, then a teenager, began cutting his neighbors’ yards to earn money. From those early and humble beginnings, the company has grown dramatically and now includes a talented management team with projects that have grown in scale and complexity.
Residential lawns turned into developments, parks, and corporate campuses, while the focus on hustle and efficiency expanded to include horticultural knowledge and technical specialization. Today, the company serves commercial clients in over nine states from 30 locations and continues its tradition of charitable giving at the local level.
The good news here is a company recognizes the contributions of its employees. Today’s JohnKu talks about recognition. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
As remote as they were beautiful, the coral reefs around the 5 volcano tips making up the Southern Line Islands dazzled National Geographic explorers in 2009 during a visit.
Remarking that they re-painted the image of what a pristine coral reef looks like—bursting with color and life—the team of the Pristine Seas Expedition had been crushed when a record-warming El Niño event in 2015 caused mass coral die-offs.
Then a return in 2021 revealed a remarkable scene—bright, healthy corals teeming with life as far down as 100 feet off the island slopes. After record numbers of coral deaths, a team member estimated their populations averaged around 43 million to 53 million coral colonies per square mile.
The Southern Line Islands belong to the Pacific island nation of Kiribati. Enric Sala, a marine biologist and member of Pristine Seas, detailed that it took longer to reach them by plane and boat than it took the astronauts of the Apollo missions to land on the Moon.
During the 2017 trip to Vostock, Flint, and Millennium islands, the vast swaths of cauliflower corals, pocillopora were all gone, while the species Acropora was also hard hit. Some other species were less damaged, however, giving the Sala, who was preoccupied at the time and didn’t get to join the 2017 trip, hope they could recover.
In fact, the expedition found promising signs the reef could do just that since rather than being covered with seaweed, the dead corals were covered in “crustose coralline algae,” a marine plant that coral larvae can latch onto to build new reefs in the same way that a brick latches onto mortar.
Sure enough, this foundation led to near-total regeneration of the reefs around the Southern Line Islands.
“The reef was covered by light-blue corals that looked like giant roses—a garden of Montipora aequituberculata stretching as far as I could see,” says Sala.
Since the Southern Line Islands are so remote, no one was keeping an eye on how the corals were able to regrow so significantly, but Sala has an idea. Since most of the montipora were the same size, it’s possible that one or two massive coral spawning events, where they reproduce and launch their eggs out into the sea before the larvae rain back down on the reef, are enough to repopulate large areas of dead corals.
Its resilience earned it the moniker of a “super reef” among the crew.
“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.”
As for the flush of the mortar-like crustose coralline algae over the dead corals as opposed to seaweed, Sala chalks it up to the great numbers of grazing fish like zebrafish, parrotfish, surgeonfish, and others that would simply devour any seaweed before it could overgrow the coral.
Kiribati’s government has ensured that these seas, which have never seen large-scale commercial fishing, will never see it, and now make up the Southern Line Islands Marine Protected Area (SLIMPA)
The good news here is that natural healing of the coral has taken place. Today’s JohnKu talks about the power of nature. I hope you have a great weekend.
Today’s good news story was brought to my attention by blogger and author Noelle Granger. It comes from the Epoch Times Newsletter, and here it is in its entirety. Thanks so much, Noelle, for submitting this one.
When an Iowa farmer died suddenly and unexpectedly from lung cancer, his neighbors rallied together within days to reap the corn crops he left behind. His family, deeply humbled, are grateful for the tight-knit community that showed their love and saved their harvest.
Born and raised in Creston, Iowa, Paul Baker farmed around 500 acres of land, raising beef cattle, soybeans, and corn. Nobody, including Paul and his wife of 46 years, Lynn Baker, had any idea Paul was battling cancer.
After he became seriously ill in March, his health never improved. “He didn’t ever get his breath back and [had] no energy,” his wife, Lynn, 68, told The Epoch Times. “We finally went to the doctor about a month ago.”
Several dozen farmers help harvest crops on Paul Baker’s corn field. (Courtesy of Melissa Baker.With fluid already on his lungs, a biopsy brought more foreboding news: lung cancer. “He passed away about four days later,” Lynn said. “We didn’t expect it to be anything like that … I think we were all very sad and shocked.”
A devout Catholic, Paul placed his faith in God but was “just aggravated that he didn’t feel better,” his wife said. He kept farming up until the day he was admitted to the hospital and died on October 20 at the age of 66.
Their daughter Melissa Baker said, “The community knew something was wrong … farmers and friends had already worked with my uncle John to harvest the soybeans while he was in the hospital. They just volunteered, nobody asked them to do it … that’s what happened with the corn, too.”
Combines and semi trucks gathered to harvest Paul Baker’s 500-acre cornfield. (Courtesy of Melissa Baker)An aerial view of farmers cooperating to harvest Paul Baker’s corn crop after he died of cancer. (Courtesy of Melissa Baker)
When the Bakers’ community learned Paul had passed, they called Don, the husband of John and Melissa’s sister Meredith, who plans to take over the farm, offering to help in any way they could.
“By the time we went to the visitation and the service, I think we had a huge spreadsheet of all these different teams of farmers,” Melissa said, who lives three hours away in Cedar Rapids. “They just wanted to help my dad because he would do it for anybody else.”
On October 27, two days after Paul’s funeral, some 30 combine harvesters, 38 semis, and countless tractors and buggies arrived on the Bakers’ land before sunrise. Melissa guessed some 100 people lent their time, equipment, love, and labor for a full day’s work harvesting crops.
Local businesses donated breakfast and lunches to the farmers, and children from nearby St. Malachy Catholic School, where Paul’s granddaughters attend, decorated lunch bags and crafted thank you letters. Melissa tried to visit every field to thank them personally and was quickly overwhelmed.
Farmers pose with combines at Paul Baker’s field. (Courtesy of Melissa Baker)Local farmers pose with the Baker family. (Courtesy of Melissa Baker)
Lynn said, “It was really emotional. Of course, we cried a lot, but we were just overwhelmed and felt very loved … at the end of the day, everybody gathered together, and that was really fun just to see everybody celebrate [Paul] and talk about him. I think he would be nothing but pleased to see all of us together.
“People are really good.”
Melissa said, “It’s nice to see that people really do care and are willing to help and show up. I know that happens in other communities, but there’s something really special about a small-town rural community.”
Lynn describes her late husband, a Knight of Columbus who was very active in the church, as “very kind and loving.” He worked over 40 hours a week for his whole life but still made enough time for his family, including his two grandchildren, and loved telling jokes to strangers.
Paul Baker on the farm. (Courtesy of Melissa Baker)Paul Baker enjoys some leisure time. (Courtesy of Melissa Baker)
“He was just a very personable, outgoing, loving human,” Lynn said. “If anybody needed help, he was the first to help them.”
Paul’s faith kept him strong until the end; Meredith told the Diocese of Des Moines that when her father’s time came, he was ready.
“On the last day that he was with us, he said he was waiting for the Lord,” Meredith said. “We’re a very faith-based family. It was very comforting for us to know that he was good, and he was ready, and that he would continue to be with us always but in a different capacity.”
The Good news here is people pitch in unselfishly to help a family in trouble. Today’s JohnKu talks about helping. I hope you have a great weekend.
Do You? by John W. Howell
When you see trouble,
Do you go out of your way . . .
To help or avoid.
I am over at Story Empire today. Come see me I’m talking about humor.
Today’s good news story comes from ABC News and Milwaukee affiliate WISN. Here it is as reported on MSN.
First responders adopt dogs they helped rescue from plane crash
Story by Meredith Deliso •
First responders who raced to the scene after a plane carrying more than 50 shelter dogs crash-landed onto a Wisconsin golf course this week have helped rescue the pets in more ways than one.
The large twin-engine aircraft, transporting the dogs to shelters in southeastern Wisconsin from Louisiana, crashed on the golf course at the Western Lakes Golf Club in Pewaukee on Tuesday.
Three people and 53 dogs on board all survived, with some animals suffering minor injuries like bumps and scrapes. Authorities said that the three people were transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
In the days following the crash, several first responders who worked the scene adopted the dogs they helped rescue.
“As soon as I found out all of them were okay, my first thought was that one of them is coming home with me. So this is my little Lucky,” Elle Steitzer, a firefighter, and EMT at Lake Country Fire Rescue, told ABC Milwaukee affiliate WISN while cradling her new puppy.
Streitzer and two of her colleagues at Lake Country Fire Rescue, who responded to the scene of the plane crash, adopted dogs on Friday.
“He just kind of fell out of the sky in front of me, so here he is,” Amber Christian, a firefighter, and paramedic with Lake Country Fire Rescue, told WISN of her dog, Artemis.
Deputy Chief Tony Wasielewski said Marley jumped into his arms after the crash. The next day, he went to find her at the Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha County, which took in 21 of the dogs involved in the crash.
“When they let her in the door, she bypassed my wife, ran to me, jumped kind of into my arms, gave me kisses. I started to tear up a little bit, and I said, ‘Oh boy, I guess we got a dog,'” Wasielewski told WISN.
The dogs were taken to shelters in counties across Wisconsin.
Elmbrook Humane Society took 11 dogs, with “first dibs” going to the first responders of the plane crash.
“We had quite a few of them calling asking,” Stephanie Deswarte, a front desk manager for the shelter, told ABC News.
“We normally don’t let people adopt until we have them up on our website because we want to give anybody as fair of a chance as possible. But since they were obviously in the thick of it, and they did such a great job trying to help with the whole crazy situation, that we gave all first responders first dibs, so to speak, to adopt before they went up on the website,” she continued.
Deswarte said so far, three people involved in the rescue — one of the first responders on the scene, another first responder, and a worker at the golf course — have adopted the puppies Charlie Brown, Linus, and Sally, while the family of another first responder was looking at adopting a puppy on Saturday.
“We have never had something quite like this happen before,” Deswarte said. “It was a miracle that everybody really was okay.”
Matthew Haerter, assistant chief at Lake Country Fire and Rescue, commended the pilot during what he described as a “relatively catastrophic landing.” The plane went through trees, losing both its wings before it belly-landed on the course.
“I think all of us collectively have a soft spot in our heart, especially for dogs that have been rescued,” Haerter said during a press briefing Tuesday. “And now to think that they have to go through this before they find their forever home.”
“This could have turned out so much worse,” he said.
Local authorities had no comment on the cause of the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident.
The good news here is people opened their hearts to those who had suffered enough. Today’s JohnKu carries the same message. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Today’s good news comes from the Good News Network. Here it is in its entirety.
Jeff Bezos presents Dolly Parton with the Courage and Civility Award – Twitter
Jeff Bezos Just Gave $100 Million to Dolly Parton for Her Charity as the 3rd Winner of His ‘Courage & Civility Award’ Prize
By
Good News Network
At a recent event, Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos named Dolly Parton as the latest winner of his Courage and Civility Award.
The award recognizes leaders who “aim high, find solutions, and always do it with civility.” Each awardee receives 100 million dollars to invest in the charities of their choice.
In Dolly’s case, the mega-donation could be invested in her Imagination Library, which two months ago hit the milestone of 190 million free books gifted to children.
“(She) embodies these ideals so thoroughly,” said Bezos, who stepped down from CEO of his company last year to focus on philanthropy.
“She gives with her heart. What she’s done for kids and literacy, and so many other things, is just incredible.”
In her acceptance remarks, Dolly said, “When people are in the position to help, you should help.” She thanked Bezos and said she believes he gives from the heart too.
The 58-year-old tech billionaire is the world’s fourth richest person. He told CNN last week that he was setting up the foundations for the ability to give away the vast majority of his $124 billion fortune during his lifetime.
A year ago, Bezos pledged $10 billion over 10 years to the Bezos Earth Fund to expand and monitor protected areas and conservation. That was on top of the ten thousand million he’d already devoted towards combating climate change.
In 2021, he awarded the first two Courage and Civility Awards, accompanied by the same amount of money. The first winner was José Andrés, who feeds masses of people after humanitarian disasters with his nonprofit World Central Kitchen—with some of those millions going to help war-torn Ukrainians.
Van Jones, whose work in the nonprofit world, mainly in the sphere of criminal justice reform, received the second.
In 2018, Bezos topped the Philanthropy 50 list, ranking as the US’s biggest donor, compiled by the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
His former wife and partner of 23 years, MacKenzie Scott, has given away close to $4 billion, donating to 465 organizations in less than a year.
The good news here is the fourth richest man in the world feels a responsibility to pay his good fortune forward. Today’s JohnKu talks about responsibility. I hope you have a super week
