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"There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people [and hummingbirds :)] up." -- John Andrew Holmes Jr.
Hello everyone! As the choir story below says it beautifully: “amidst the hushed challenges we face, there is a song waiting to be sung, a spirit ready to rise.” Our stories are a testament to the strength of the human spirit. And they remind us of the love and care that is present in our world. A women in Mexico City turned her apartment into a clinic for sick, injured and infant hummingbirds. A choir helps people reclaim their voices after losing them to cancer. And loving volunteers complete unfinished craft projects for those no longer able to do so. May we embrace the goodness in our nature and allow the strength of our heart to be felt and seen. Wishing you well!
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Catia Lattouf has turned her apartment in Mexico City into a clinic for sick, injured or infant hummingbirds. She began caring for the birds in 2011 after recovering from colon cancer; taking in a bird which had lost an eye and nursing it back to health. Her place is now a makeshift clinic where about 60 hummingbirds currently fly about. Over the past decade she has nursed hundreds of the tiny birds, which can arrive with injuries to wings after collisions or falling from nests, while others have infections from drinking contaminated water. Lattouf, who studied French literature, has become a reference source for bird lovers, amateur and professional alike: Mexico's National Autonomous University even refers cases to her due to a lack of resources. "Nothing is guaranteed," she said. "I believe God gives life and God takes it, but we do everything possible."
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Cornell University
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Cornell University researchers conducted a study involving two trash and recycling robots placed in a Manhattan plaza to observe how people interacted with them. The robots, mounted on recycled hoverboard parts and equipped with cameras, received mostly positive reactions from people who appreciated their help in collecting trash. Some even treated the robots playfully, feeding them like pets. The study, titled "Trash Barrel Robots in the City," was presented at a conference on human-robot interaction. The team plans to expand the study across New York City's five boroughs to understand public reactions to the robots further. Despite some concerns and negative reactions, the experiment showed promising results for integrating robots into urban environments.
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Ecobarter
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Like other residents of Abuja, Nigeria, Rebecca Bulus used to dispose of solid waste at a dump site. But since learning about Ecobarter, she brings recyclables to its drop-off locations, adding 2,000 naira ($5 USD) to her monthly income of N25,000 ($64). Through an integrated website and mobile app, users get points for the weight of the waste they collect. The points are converted to monetary value which can be deposited into a bank account, transferred to friends or family, or used at a physical Ecobarter marketplace to buy eco-friendly household items or basic health insurance services. Ecocykle recently launched its Smart Mobile Bin, a two-wheeled waste collection cart that is pushed by hand, and is working on an eco-friendly toilet project, which uses plastic waste to construct bathroom facilities in rural schools. The "Stare Down on Pollution" campaign run by SustyVibes involves visiting various communities to educate local residents in their native languages about the impacts of negative waste habits.
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In the heart of the UK, an extraordinary choir has emerged, weaving a symphony of courage and healing. These remarkable men and women have transformed their battles with cancer into an inspiring melody of resilience. Their journey began with life-altering laryngectomy surgeries, a procedure that could have muted their voices forever. But instead, they found a way to sing again, defying the odds and embracing their second chance at life. Under the spotlight of a London concert hall, they share their stories through a performance titled 'From Silence into Song'. This stirring rendition intertwines their voices with the haunting echoes of trees that survived the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As they step onto the stage, their voices unite with instruments as diverse as their journeys – an electric guitar, an accordion, and the hum of bomber engines. Donal Cox, a veteran actor who joined after a devastating laryngectomy, encapsulates their ethos: "I think it was a response to the statement the choir was making: We're not going to settle for having no voice. We've got voice." Tanja Bage, the youngest member at 41, speaks of the healing power of their unity, "It's about going out and finding those things that make you spark." This ensemble of voices, whose histories span from Yorkshire to Greece, is a testament to the strength of the human spirit. As their harmonies intertwine, they embody the incredible capacity to turn hardship into harmony and pain into art. Their stories remind us that amidst the hushed challenges we face, there is a song waiting to be sung, a spirit ready to rise. These voices, both silent and sung, teach us that life's greatest crescendos emerge from its most profound silences. With each note they share, they become living proof that strength can be found in vulnerability, and healing in unity. Their melodies echo not only through the concert hall but across the boundaries of fear, inspiring us all to find our own song, even in the face of life's most daunting refrains.
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Jesse Costa/WBUR
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Artist Donna Savastio started a small rug as a gift for her sister and had spent more than 100 hours cutting wool strips and pulling them through a canvas to make thousands of tiny, tight loops. But when she couldn't finish the last few rows, due to symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, her husband put it away. Then, through Loose Ends, which matches volunteer crafters with projects left unfinished when a person dies or becomes disabled, Jan Rohwetter volunteered to finish the rug. She had lost both parents recently, her mom after dementia. Jan asked Donna if there was a scrap of fabric she could loop in to show the transition. They found a silky scarf with tassels and Jan took a few, along with the rug, extra wool and edging tape. A month later, she brought the finished rug. The three silvery tassels marked where her hands took over. "Every loop was with love and thinking of you and my mom," Jan said. Since knitters Masey Kaplan and Jen Simonic launched Loose Ends 10 months ago, it has matched more than 600 projects with crafters who can complete them.
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