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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  It took three days of searching off Norway's Svalbard archipelago before Sarikhani happened upon polar bears. After the expedition vessel changed course, he happened upon two polar bears in the water. The male then climbed aboard the sea ice and, using his strong claws, created a bed for the evening. 

“I am so honored to have won this year's People’s Choice award for WPY, the most prestigious wildlife photography competition,” he says. “This photograph has stirred strong emotions in many of those who have seen it. Whilst climate change is the biggest challenge we face, I hope that this photograph also inspires hope; there is still time to fix the mess we have caused.” 

Director of the Natural History Museum, Dr. Douglas Gurr, couldn't agree more. “Nima’s breathtaking and poignant image allows us to see the beauty and fragility of our planet. His thought-provoking image is a stark reminder of the integral bond between an animal and its habitat and serves as a visual representation of the detrimental impacts of climate warming and habitat loss.” 

In addition to Sarikhani's winning image, four other photographs were revealed as top vote-getters with a highly commended status. This includes Tzahi Finkelstein‘s charming photo of a happy turtle balancing a dragonfly on its nose and Daniel Dencescu‘s image of a bird-shaped starling murmuration in Rome. 

The five images will be displayed both online and in the accompanying exhibition at the Natural History Museum, London, until June 30, 2024. See the top vote-getters of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People's Choice Award.

“The Happy Turtle” by Tzahi Finkelstein, Israel. Highly Commended, People's Choice Award. Location: Jezreel Valley, Israel “A Balkan pond turtle shares a moment of peaceful coexistence with a northern banded groundling dragonfly in Israel’s Jezreel Valley. Tzahi was positioned in his hide in Israel’s Jezreel Valley, photographing shore birds, when he spotted a Balkan pond turtle walking in the shallow water. 

At first, he wasn’t interested in it and carried on watching the birds. It wasn’t until a northern banded groundling dragonfly flew past his lens in the direction of the turtle that his focus changed. 

The dragonfly unexpectedly landed on the turtle’s nose, but instead of snapping up the insect, the turtle appeared to be experiencing pleasure from the interaction as they shared a moment of peaceful coexistence in the midst of the swamp’s murky waters.” “Shared Parenting” by Mark Boyd, Kenya. Highly Commended, People's Choice Award. Location: Maasai Mara, Kenya “A pair of lionesses devotedly groom one of the pride’s five cubs in Kenya’s Maasai Mara. 

Early in the morning, Mark watched as these lionesses groomed one of their five cubs in their territory in Kenya’s Maasai Mara. The evening before, they’d set off to hunt, leaving the cubs hidden overnight in dense bushes. Returning from their unsuccessful mission, they’d called the cubs out onto the open grassland. 

Females raise each other’s cubs as their own, sharing parenting duties. Here the youngster was clearly enjoying the moment of affection and attention.” “Aurora Jellies” by Audun Rikardsen, Norway. Highly Commended, People's Choice Award. Location: Tromsø, Northern Norway “Moon jellyfish swarm in the cool autumnal waters of a fjord outside Tromsø in northern Norway illuminated by the aurora borealis. 

It’s common for this species to gather in their hundreds under the aurora borealis. Sheltering his equipment in a self-made waterproof housing, Audun used a single exposure as well as his own system for adjusting the focus and aperture during the exposure. 

This enabled him to capture the reflection of the sky’s colors on the surface of the water and, at the same time, light up the jellyfish with flashes. Moon jellyfish are common in all oceans and are easily recognized by their four rings, which are, in fact their genitals.” “Starling Murmuration” by Daniel Dencescu, Germany/Romania. Highly Commended, People's Choice Award. Location: Rome, Italy “A mesmerizing mass of starlings swirl into the shape of a giant bird on their way to communal roosts above the city of Rome, Italy. 

Daniel was mesmerized by the movements of the starlings as they formed colossal organic shapes in the sky. Each day, as they returned from foraging, they would gather in large numbers and perform spellbinding aerial shows, known as murmurations, on their flight home to their communal roosts. In a bid to locate the best roosting sites at which to capture the spectacle, Daniel spent hours following the starlings around the city and suburbs of Rome. 

Finally, on this cloudless winter’s day, the flock didn’t disappoint, swirling into the shape of a giant bird.”

At least 88 people have died due to the destruction, making it the deadliest December tornado storm on record in the US, and countless others have suffered from property damage. 

 But in the wake of this tragic disaster, survivors are now picking up the pieces and looking for signs of hope. For one Kentucky woman who narrowly escaped death, that sign is her dog. MAYFIELD, KY – DECEMBER 11: Heavy damage is seen downtown after a tornado swept through the area on December 11, 2021 in Mayfield, Kentucky. Multiple tornadoes tore through parts of the lower Midwest late on Friday night leaving a large path of destruction and unknown fatalities. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) 

 Mayfield, Kentucky was one of the worst-hit cities during the tornado outbreak, and resident Deanna Badillo just barely escaped from her home in time, along with her friend. 

  “My friend and I both said we’ve cheated death,” Deanna told WHAS11. 

“I think it’s because of God’s grace and I’m not done on this planet.” She says they were able to escape by crawling out of a hole, but the experience was too sudden and surreal to fully recall. 

  “I didn’t see anything… but what I felt I can’t explain that to you. I can’t explain what it feels like to stand here and tell you what I went through.” While Deanna and her friend miraculously, just barely escaped in time, others were not so lucky. 

Her neighborhood experienced great loss and destruction: according to WHAS, a four-year-old boy died just two blocks away after being trapped under rubble. 

 But in the aftermath, all the survivors are looking to regroup and see signs of hope — and Deanna got one in the form of her own pet dog. After the tornado hit, Deanna assumed that her dog didn’t make it out alive. But two days later, a neighbor found it, and the pet returned home. 

 In the wake of natural disasters like this, the unexpected survival of pets can provide an unexpected sliver of hope. And for Deanna, it meant the world. 

It’s the little things that matter–that little dog every bit of her matters,” she told WHAS11.

  We’re so glad this dog is alive and safe — a little bit of a silver lining during this ongoing tragedy.
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Homeless People Paid Real Money

Since March 2020, the coronavirus has crippled businesses of all sizes and left millions of Americans out of work. According to a recent analysis conducted by Columbia University economics professor Dr. Brendan O’Flaherty, homelessness in the United States could grow as much as 45% by the end of the year. That would mean an additional 250,000 people could be without shelter. The U.S. unemployment rate has reached 14.7%, a level unseen since the depths of the Great Depression in 1933. Several respected models predict unemployment has not yet reached its peak. “This is unprecedented,” Dr. O’Flaherty said. “No one living has seen an increase of 10% of unemployment in a month.” In addition to the federal government’s economic relief program, states and local governments have been working hard to create jobs for the homeless. The state of Arkansas is no exception. The number of homeless reported in 2018 was approximately 2280 including 240 unaccompanied youth. That number has surely jumped in the last year mainly due to the loss of jobs from the coronavirus. 

The town of Little Rock Arkansas has set a commendable example for community solutions to the homeless problem. In April, the Bridge to Work program began paying homeless people $9.25 per hour to pick up trash. Canvas Community Church in Little Rock has been in charge of the program since its inception. The homeless participants have found more than just a sense of community. The program has given them a paycheck as well as mental and physical health services, job interviews and, in some cases, temporary housing. 

 Associate Pastor Paul Atkins said 380 people have joined the work crews, some more than once. The teams work in groups of eight. Most sign up through the church, but each team leaves a space open in case a panhandler it encounters on its route wants to join. After a total of 130 sites cleaned, 1,821 hours worked, and 2,056 bags of trash collected, hearts and minds have been changed. Felecia Cooks, a team leader in the program, was not convinced it would be as successful as it has been. “This is just a dream come true for the entire community,” she said. City Council members Capi Peck, Lance Hines, and Kathy Webb all spoke highly of the results from Bridge to Work’s first five months, with Peck calling the program a “win-win.” The City of Little Rock spent $80,000 for the pilot’s first six months, and the board will have to approve a resolution to extend the funding. There is great hope among all that the program will continue for another year.