At just 8 years old, Xóchitl has designed and constructed a solar-powered device to heat water, using only recycled materials, Cultura Colectiva reports. 

For many, this device may seem totally unnecessary. But, in Xóchitl's community, where resources are scarce, "people don't have the money to buy heaters, so they chop down trees to get firewood [to heat the water]," says Xóchitl. Her device not only functions to provide hot water to low-income families in her community, it also saves trees! Xóchitl's family helped her set the device up on their roof and have been using it to heat water to bathe. 

Xóchitl says she always bathes quickly though, "so [the hot water] will last for my little brother." If this is what Xóchitl is doing at 8-years-old, we can only imagine what the future holds. Chiapas is home to the ancient Mayan ruins of Palenque, Yaxchilán, Bonampak, Chinkultic and Toniná. It is also home to one of the largest indigenous populations in the country with twelve federally recognized ethnicities. 

Much of the state's history is centered on the subjugation of these peoples with occasional rebellions. The last of these rebellions was the 1994 Zapatista uprising, which succeeded in obtaining new rights for indigenous people.

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As soon as her birthday came around, however, Lee gave Renee a call. The two of them had their first date at a roller skating party, and they’ve been together ever since! Thinking back on their decades of being in love, Lee knew he had to do something special. Finally, it hit him: He’d plant acres-worth of her favorite flower. “I put a lot of thought into it and she always liked sunflowers,” Lee said. “And I thought this is the year to plant sunflowers so I planted her 80 acres of sunflowers.” With the help of their son, Lee has secretly been planting the fields with these beautiful flowers since May. Now, just a week away from their August 10 anniversary, about 1.2 million sunflowers are in bloom, just for Renee. 

“It made me feel very special,” Renee said. “It couldn’t have been a more perfect anniversary gift than a field of sunflowers.” Although the flowers were planted for Renee, their beauty is drawing in visitors from all around Kansas. As lovely as this whole experience has been, Lee doesn’t expect to do it again next year. Though, he does encourage others to try this lovely gift-idea out. You can watch the video below:

 

“Oh it’s been fun, but I think one time is enough for us,” Lee said. “It’s somebody else’s turn next year.”
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A Chevron fuel spill was discovered near Willard Bay on Monday afternoon and crews spent the better part of Monday and Tuesday working to repair the broken 8-inch pipeline that caused the spill and the fuel that had spread through the area. Cleanup crews say a beaver dam helped stop the fuel from reaching Willard Bay, but a pair of beavers were covered in the fuel and sent to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Ogden for cleanup and recovery. 

Employees at the center spent six hours bathing the two beavers, washing them twice with Dawn dish detergent. The pair were put on medication to help recover. 

The beavers were reported doing a little better on Wednesday. One of the two is still lethargic, nauseated and didn’t have much of an appetite. The second has started moving around and has started eating a bit. Rehabilitators say they’re taking the recovery one day at a time and hoping to prevent further damage, including neurological damage. 

“They can absorb the substance through their skin. They face things like liver issues, it burns their eyes, respiratory issues, digestive issues, so whenever you get that it’s a little bit frightening,” said Dalyn Erickson with the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah. 

The beavers are just under a year old, and crews are hoping they’ll eventually be nursed back to health and returned to the wild. VIDEO
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Over 30,000 swift bricks—essentially a normal building brick with a hollow inside—have been sold in the country, and more than 10,000 homes have been built with swift bricks incorporated into the design. It’s bizarre the impact humanity can have on animal life. It wasn’t the sprawling British civilization that caused a 58% decline in the small migratory birds called swifts, but rather the renovation of old buildings. In improving the energy efficiency of buildings to slow energy consumption and therefore climate change, British construction ended up sealing up all the small holes in the walls which these swifts used as nesting sites. 

Now though, companies are making swift bricks which are bricks with a hole in the middle for the birds to nest in. One doesn’t need to put more than 3-4 in every wall to transform their housing project into a swift-friendly estate. 

Nevertheless, some companies, like Manthorpe Building Products’ factory in Derbyshire, have already produced 20,000 swift bricks. Ibstock, another firm, has sold 7,000. The bricks came about through brainstorming from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. 

“The great advantage of swift bricks and boxes is that they can work just as well in inner city areas with very little green space as anywhere else,” Dr. Guy Anderson, the RSPB’s migratory birds program manager, told The Guardian. “Swifts can travel pretty long distances to find their insect food – all they need is a nest site.” 

Swifts are amazing animals that spend 10 months of the year airborne. They do everything on the wing. To drink, they skim over rivers and lakes with their mouths open. They prey only on flying insects. To sleep, they close one eye and turn off one half of their brain. They fly all the way down to Africa before returning to the UK to nest. 

At the moment there is a petition in the UK Parliament to make swift bricks mandatory for all UK buildings, something which the government feels by default is the kind of thing that should be left up to local government councils; however it did garner 104,000 signatures. 

The swift bricks are similar to the “bee bricks” which were another idea of how British housing could make room for nature, and which were ruled as mandatory by Brighton and Hove council.
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Raymond Nelson, who is the student support specialist at a school in South Carolina, has formed a "Gentlemen's Club" for fifth graders. Every Wednesday. 

Nelson teaches them basic life lessons and helps them dress for success, reported CBS News. Nelson is keen to be a father figure to the at-risk kids in the community. Nelson, who's a teacher at Memminger Elementary in Downtown Charleston, says the club's motto is: "Look good, feel good, do good." 

Nelson believes a good part of your confidence comes from wearing good clothes and knowing how to present yourself and act around other people. Close to 60 students turn up at Memminger Elementary School every Wednesday. 

He is keen to teach kids similar invaluable life skills that will stand them in good stead in the future. "I was thinking maybe if I have the boys dress for success," Nelson told WCSC-TV. 

"When was the last time you saw someone fighting in a tuxedo?" They also get life lessons like cleaning their neighborhood and watering plants.

  He is aware that many of them don't have the support they need, at home. Nelson said that he wants to guide them. 

"I know a lot of them struggle because a lot of them don't have men at home, so I just want them to grow up and think of the things that I teach them," said Nelson. "They like the reaction of walking up to classrooms and say, 'Oh, you look so nice and handsome,' they just love it." 

Nelson himself benefitted from one such group, where he had joined at the request of his mother. "It helped me to be a better man and I could spread the knowledge to the young boys," he said.

 

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"Gentleman's club is not just teaching you how to be a gentleman. Love who you are and accept yourself for who you are and not let anybody get in the way of that," says one student. Another said, "It teaches you to respect others and treat them how you want to be treated." 
The club was first started by school principal Mark Adams. It's our responsibility to prepare them for the next level," said Adams. 
Nelson also collects donated jackets, vests, and ties at school for the kids who don't have their own. He adds that half the journey is just someone showing belief in them. "A lot of my students perform well when they know someone cares about them," said Nelson. 
The student support specialist believes showing respect to others and knowing how to conduct yourself is what drives home your personality and paves way for your success. Some of the topics Nelson teaches them include showing them how to shake hands, make eye contact, open doors, and address their elders. 
Pictures from one session show them suited up and dining inside what looks like a classroom. They are served a gourmet three-course meal twice a year. 
At the core of his lessons are their responses to women, including their sisters, mothers, and their teachers. 
He said many of the boys are at that young age where they believe rumors that girls have 'cooties.' He wants to help them to understand and be more respectful towards women. 
The Gentleman's Club has become a success in the local community and now Charleston County School District officials are trying to replicate the success at other local schools and planning to introduce Gentleman's programs in their schools.  Source

 

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Turbo was born with a congenital defect, two luxating patellae, which left him with very limited mobility in his back two legs. 

This caused the sweet mini horse to walk in a hunched manner forcing all of his weight on his front legs. Turbo’s owners contacted Road to Refuge Animal Sanctuary (R2RAS) of North Haven, Connecticut for help. 

The non-profit organization was started by Megan Pereira who got tired of seeing so many farm animals euthanized while working as an animal vet tech. Her sanctuary gives them a place where they could live out their days. 

“I lean towards the special needs ones, the broken ones, the really medical intensive cases,” Megan told Walkin’ Pets.

  Megan had helped out a goat named Peaches who got around with a wheelchair, so she figured she could help Turbo and took him in. 

After learning about Turbo’s story, the New Hampshire-based Walkin’ Pets mobility company decided to donate a wheelchair for Turbo. 

Turbo wasn’t even strapped in before he took off running before they even had him fully strapped into his new wheelchair.

 

“Seeing Turbo ‘walk’ before any assistance and dragging his legs, to being in his cart – I almost started crying. I am not a crier, but I almost started crying. He was running, bucking – it was all very exciting,” said Megan. 

He has an entirely different spirit about him when he’s moving along in that wheelchair. It’s a definite spirit of joy. Megan hopes that Turbo’s story will encourage others to rescue animals with special needs.

 

“It’s definitely a road worth traveling – they really make a special place in your heart,” Megan said. But Turbo needed more help than he could get from a wheelchair. The mini horse, who Megan refers to as her “unicorn,” also needed surgery on his legs. 

“My sweet little unicorn is out of surgery. He had surgery yesterday on his first leg, and today he had his second leg done & is doing very well post-op. As always, with any surgery, there is a risk of post-op complications. He is nowhere out of the woods yet, but I’m cautiously optimistic!” she wrote on Road to Refuge Animal Sanctuary’s Facebook page. The non-profit is hoping that people will donate to help cover the costs of his surgery. Donations can be made here and will go toward funding Turbos’s surgery and helping the other animals at Road to Refuge Animal Sanctuary. 

The sanctuary, which rests on 10 acres of land, has so far rescued 70 animals since 2020. Learn more about Road to Refuge Animal Sanctuary here. 

Watch Turbo take his first happy steps in his wheelchair in the video below.

 
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  The hardy gray feline, named Dymka (“mist” in Russian), is about 4 years old. A passing driver found her in December 2018 in the snow in Novokuznetsk in Siberia and brought her to a clinic in Novosibirsk, according to Russian news site Komsomolskaya Pravda. 

Not just that, however the horse seemed quite depressed, not having the ability to run around openly, and even move much at all. 

Evidently, it’s a common method in some components Romania to chain equines, yet this sight was quite unbearable. Rosu, who works with 4 Paws, got the tools and reached function, trying to damage the chains without triggering even more damage. He was lastly able to launch the steed as well as his personality illuminated right away. 

Luckily, the animal wasn’t trapped for that long so the vet cured his skin and he was great to go. The steed was a terrific sporting activity while the man attempted to launch him and after that he revealed his gratitude to Rosu, for taking such good care of him! Watch the emotional video clip down below:

  What a great rescue!
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  A dog named Giuseppe could not jump to the edge of the fence to chat with his fellow neighbors. The owners came to his aid… 

Vito and Bambino are two Great Dane that live happily with their owners. Not so long ago, the dogs had a furry neighbor – a Labrador named Giuseppe. From the first day, the Great Danes met a new neighbor on a walk, and since then have become close friends with him, and spent a lot of time together. 

However, their friendship had only one obstacle – a high fence between the courtyards of houses. 

If Vito and Bambino, due to their impressive size, could calmly reach the fence and look at their neighbors, it was difficult for Labrador Giuseppe to do this – he did not reach the fence, and could not greet his friends by mutual sniffing. “We saw how poor Giuseppe jumped many times, trying to reach his big friends to say hello,” – say the owners of the Labrador Retriever. 

Seeing how strong the dogs’ friendship is, the owners of Giuseppe decided to help him a little. The owner of the dog found a highchair in the closet, and put it by the fence… Giuseppe immediately appreciated the find! 

Now the happy dog ​​can communicate with his friends without any problems. This story proves once again that there are no barriers to true friendship!
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Most of us have to settle for simple electric fans and shorts. Now imagine living in this heat with a full coat of fur. Yeah, not so easy, is it? Facebook - Jason Minson
Our four-legged, furry companions are the most vulnerable of us during summer. All they can do is pant and drink water to keep cool. 

It’s not hard to see why we’re always told not to keep them inside cars when it’s hot. Well, it seems like we’ve got to remind people some more. Facebook - Jason Minson Virginia resident Jason Minson happened to walk by one very hot car one workday, with a very scared and hot dog inside. 

It wasn’t clear how long the owner was gone, or when they were coming back. Facebook - Jason Minson
What was clear was that the dog had been in there way too long. Judging from its panting and frantic pacing. Jason is an Army veteran, and his day job is that of a landscaper. His workdays usually aren’t this tense or interesting. 

In fact, he’d only found out about the dog in the car after another car almost collided with them. He went over to check and was treated to the sight of this dog panting for its life. Facebook - Jason Minson
He called 911 for help and was told that the police were on the way to help out. Hopefully, that wouldn’t take too long. But with each passing minute, the dog seemed to have a harder and harder time. 

It was like a timer was counting down, and Jason couldn’t just stand there and do nothing. He gave the dog some water, which might have helped it a bit. It drank down every last bit of the water. Then Jason gave it another bottle, and the dog drank it up like it didn’t just have a whole bottle prior. 

This was a very thirsty – and very, very hot dog. Help wasn’t here yet, and the dog’s condition didn’t seem to get any better. It seemed like water only delayed the worst rather than prevented it, and something had to be done. Facebook - Jason Minson
The police told Jason not to break open the car windows. He had little to disagree with originally, but that was several long minutes ago. 

After learning that the dog was heavily dehydrated and not wanting to wait any longer, he finally gave in and smashed the window open. 

The dog was out, and Jason could relax a bit. Sure, smashing open car windows isn’t usually a stress-reliever, but a life was on the line here. Facebook - Jason Minson He could take a breather now. Well, he made the right move as it turned out. The law makes a pretty clear case about breaking open car windows to save distressed animals inside. 

This meant Jason wasn’t to be charged with any crimes. The same couldn’t be said for the owner of the car and dog who left that poor pooch in there. As for the dog, it was treated at a veterinary hospital. Facebook - Jason Minson
Needless to say, it wasn’t going back to its previous owner. Never leave your pets inside the car when it’s hot! 

That coat of fur is a lot hotter than it looks, and panting only does so much. Don’t wait for someone to come and smash your car window while you’re gone. In the meantime, give this article a share and let people know how to treat animals responsibly in the heat.
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They explained that unfortunately, she lost her mother after lions attacked her. Through their official Facebook account they usually update the conditions of the animals they care for, Aime (shelter representative) stated: “We have no further updates at this time other than a list of experienced caretakers who continue to look after her, which includes providing food for milk, ensuring she has a warm stable to sleep in at night and a protective ‘mother’ presence during the day,” the caretaker said. 

However, she also ventured to explain a little something that caught the eye of Diria’s precious images: the caregivers’ clothing. “Baby zebras need to be able to recognize their mother from birth to survive. To know her mother’s stripes, a zebra mother often separates herself and her baby from the herd so that the baby can recognize and follow her coat, smell and call. Once the baby can identify its mother, the duo will return to the herd,” said Amie, a representative of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. “In the wild, calves are raised only by their mother, but in our Reintegration Unit, it’s not practical for a single person to raise one if they go on annual vacation. 

Therefore, to avoid this fragile impression of the newborn on a person, our Guardians wear a specially made striped coat so that Diria will recognize them as her ‘mother’, regardless of who is wearing it. A team of caregivers can provide Diria with the 24/7 specialized care she needs to give her the best chance of survival,” Amie continued. The special clothing helps gain confidence and makes it easier for the animal to adapt, a gesture that is simply beautiful and speaks volumes about the care they take of the species here.
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MASH runs a program that allows inmates at a prison to care for dogs rescued from abuse, providing them with the comfort they need to learn to trust people again. It’s a great program for the dogs, obviously, who’ve been moved from awful conditions to the shelter, but for the inmates, too, who get the joy of time spent with a bunch of pups. Six days a week women at the prison are moved to the shelter as part of the 30 day program. 

Since 2000, the shelter’s provided a place where dogs, cats, and horses can be cared for until they’re ready to move to a permanent home, and where inmates can get some much needed interaction with animals. 

Volunteers investigate complaints of animal cruelty, go in and rescue the animals, and then bring them back to the shelter where they can recover. 

The cells have been converted into mini rooms for the dogs, and have been renamed Bow Wow Way, Purr Lane, 2nd Chance, and Ruff Road. Lovely. ‘I get so much out of it, probably more than the dogs do,’ Kristina Hazelett, one of the women in the program, told REUTERS. ‘It’s very therapeutic for me as well, not just them, which was an unexpected, pleasant surprise.’ Kristina, along with the other women in the program, had to go through rigorous interviews and screenings before they were allowed to start looking after the dogs.
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