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Sun, Aug 9, 2026

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Town’s Beloved Santa Claus Delivers a Very Special Present to Someone in Need–His Donated Kidney

Town’s Beloved Santa Claus Delivers a Very Special Present to Someone in Need–His Donated Kidney

– credit, provided to WTVR as a courtesy of Henrico Doctors' Hospital

A man who dresses up every year as Santa Claus to spread Christmas cheer has just delivered a very special present.

Though central Virginia is far too hot for Santa's reindeer to flyover, the gift couldn't wait until December.

Dave Bell is well known as the town's go-to Santa Claus, and has done so for years, lighting up children's faces with smiles in Powhatan. Bell recently donated a kidney to an anonymous recipient, and wore the Santa hat on the hospital bed during recovery at Henrico Doctor's Hospital.

"I have two of these things, and I only need one," Bell said. "There's somebody who has none and they need one."

Though demonstrating his commitment to the Santa spirit and the spirit of Christmas besides, Bell now has a lot of work to do to get back into Santa-shape in time for the holidays; he had to shed 40 pounds to be eligible to donate.

"Stories like Dave's make organ donation feel real and personal," Dr. Amanda Bailey, transplant surgeon at the Virginia Transplant Center at Henrico Doctors' Hospital,

Locals Succeed in Tripling Protected Seascapes Along 300 Miles of Turkiye’s Breathtaking Coastline

Locals Succeed in Tripling Protected Seascapes Along 300 Miles of Turkiye’s Breathtaking Coastline

The seas that Endangered Landscapes and Seascapes Program is working to restore and protect – credit, Zafer Kızılkaya, provided to ELSP

From Turkiye's Mediterranean shore comes the remarkable story of how a group of unsupported conservationists and fishermen received a helping hand from an NGO and restored 300 miles of coastline into a biodiverse marine paradise.

Parts of the area had already been designated as marine sanctuaries, but limited funding, lack of enforcement, disparate connectivity, and absence of local engagement saw its sharks, seals, and turtles vanishing, driven off by lack of food from illegal fishing.

Meanwhile, law-abiding fishing communities who depended on the area's rich marine biodiversity were suffering reduced catches and lower incomes. Something had to change.

The Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Program (ELSP), a nonprofit born out of a Cambridge University conservation initiative and funded by the billion-pound Arcadia Fund UK, organized a grant program for a team of local Turkish environmentalists to try and take protection of the area into their own hands.

Armed with $3 million, their goal was to restore the bountiful seas between Gökova Bay and Cape Gelidonya, drive out illegal fishing

Japanese Team Develops ‘Eco-Fireworks’ with Water-Soluble Shells to Cut Back on Debris

Japanese Team Develops ‘Eco-Fireworks’ with Water-Soluble Shells to Cut Back on Debris

When a man who loves things that go 'boom' met a men who loves things that go 'bloom,' they realized there was much to gain from an alliance.

Hence, Ryukoku University professor Takahiko Nakaoki and president of Kakinoki Fireworks Industry Co. have created and brought to market what may be the world's first water-soluble fireworks shells and canisters.

"Of the 20,000 fireworks (we plan to produce this year), I want 10,000 to be eco-friendly ones," said President Hiroyuki Kakinoki, according to the Mainichi Shimbun.

Mr. Kakinoki met professor Nakaoki in 2018, when the former had been trying to R&D more environmentally friendly fireworks shells, but had then lately abandoned the effort due to repeated failures working with resins.

Rather than develop an entirely new material, the new shells use a water-soluble resin commonly applied to agricultural seeds and soil improvers. Becoming sloughy like hot caramel when wet, the shell can vanish into the ecosystem through this already-approved harmless medium, and no street-sweeper need be troubled in the days after a holiday.

A lot of Japanese fireworks shows occur near water bodies, like large rivers, lakes, or the ocean, meaning most casings will

16-yo Rookie Lifeguard Leads Heroic Ocean Rescue–With Viral Video of Harrowing Effort

16-yo Rookie Lifeguard Leads Heroic Ocean Rescue–With Viral Video of Harrowing Effort
Lifeguard rescue in Santa Cruz surf – Courtesy of Scott Vander Dussen / @santacruznow on Instagram

The rookie lifeguard didn’t flinch.

A giant wave slammed into the California shore and a 10-year-old boy was instantly swept up.

Luckily, a 16-year-old lifeguard ran to help, rushing toward a rescue that would go viral on social media, earning Ryder Williams praise across the internet.

Stranger Gives His Truck to Rock Band to Finish Their Tour, Driving 500 Miles and Back Again (WATCH)

Stranger Gives His Truck to Rock Band to Finish Their Tour, Driving 500 Miles and Back Again (WATCH)
Credit: Michele Kaunitz via Autumn Kings Facebook Page

A touring heavy metal band almost met disaster in the middle of nowhere, until a 60-year-old stranger reminded them that there’s still a magical thing called ‘Midwest Nice’.

The Autumn Kings trio had just finished performing at the annual Rock Fest Wisconsin in Chippewa Valley when their van broke down on a rural highway.

Good News in History, August 2

Good News in History, August 2

83 years ago today, in combat with the Japanese during the Solomon Islands Campaign in World War II, Patrol torpedo boat PT-109 was rammed by the Japanese Destroyer Amagiri. Its commanding officer, a certain Lieutenant John F. Kennedy, undertook almost single-handedly to rescued his crew of 12 men, saving all but two in the process, while being seriously injured. The event won Kennedy multiple decorations for bravery, and made him a bona fide war hero. READ how the event unfolded… (1943)

Mars Rover Discovers Mysterious Field of Honeycomb Textures on Red Planet: ‘Took Our Breath Away’

Mars Rover Discovers Mysterious Field of Honeycomb Textures on Red Planet: ‘Took Our Breath Away’
Honeycomb pattern on Mars – Curiosity rover / NASA

As NASA’s Curiosity rover ascended the Martian valley named Valle Grande back in June, it sent back images of a landscape covered in honeycomb-like textures.

“We’ve seen a lot of fascinating landscapes through Curiosity’s eyes, but this sea of polygons took our breath away,” said the mission’s project scientist, Ashwin Vasavada of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

Blowing Bubbles Allows Sperm Whales to Sleep Soundly Beneath the Waves, Reveals Study

Blowing Bubbles Allows Sperm Whales to Sleep Soundly Beneath the Waves, Reveals Study
Resting sperm whales – Credit: Stéphane Granzotto / SWNS

New research shows that blowing bubbles helps sperm whales to sleep soundly, hidden beneath the waves.

It actually stops them from floating to the surface during nap time.

While little is known about how sperm whales sleep, researchers believe that the ocean giants doze underwater for 10 to 15 minutes at a time with their heads facing upwards.

Your Weekly Horoscope – ‘Free Will Astrology’ by Rob Brezsny

Your Weekly Horoscope – ‘Free Will Astrology’ by Rob Brezsny

Our partner Rob Brezsny, whose latest book is Astrology Is Real: Revelations from My Life as an Oracle, provides his weekly wisdom to enlighten our thinking and motivate our mood. Rob’s Free Will Astrology, is a syndicated weekly column appearing in over a hundred publications. He is also the author of Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How All of Creation Is Conspiring To Shower You with Blessings. (A free preview of the book is available here.)

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