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Score (99)
France Just Unanimously Banned Conversion Therapy
The National Assembly approved the new law unanimously, voting 142-0 on Tuesday evening. It includes criminal penalties for people who are convicted of trying to “convert” LGBTQ people to heterosexuality. The law also opens the possibility for campaigners to file civil suits on behalf of victims.
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After Losing an Arm, This Golfer Just Scored a Hole-in-One — and Says the Game Saved His Life
Patrick Duke wasn’t supposed to become a golfer. At 6-foot-2 and 127 kilograms, his sports were always rugby, Gaelic football, soccer and cricket. Golf wasn’t even on the radar. Then, in 2012, a workplace accident took his arm — and nearly took his life with it. Now, 12 years later, the 67-year-old is celebrating his first hole-in-one. Duke was playing a round with friends at Overstone Park in Northamptonshire, England, when he stepped up to the fourth hole, a 120-yard par-3. With a seven iron in hand, he took aim — and for once, not at the green. “This time I’m going to aim straight for the flag,” he recalled thinking. The shot landed a foot past the hole, then rolled back with unexpected backspin. “I’ve no idea how,” he said. But it dropped. Applause broke out from nearby players. “I was gobsmacked.” The feat would be impressive for any golfer — but it’s even more remarkable for someone who learned the game after losing a limb. Duke picked up golf in 2018, six years after his accident. He had spent decades working in the road surfacing industry before his jacket was caught in a machine, leading to the amputation. He later developed PTSD and depression. “I was in a really bad place,” he said. “I had suicidal thoughts and lost confidence, self-worth, and relationships.” A friend encouraged him to try golf. He contacted Brian Mudge, a PGA professional at Overstone Park, and asked for lessons. “Treat me as a blank canvas and I’ll do what you tell me,” he said. Mudge helped him adapt to a one-armed swing, and Duke slowly developed a technique that worked for him. He credits the sport not only with helping him recover, but with keeping him alive. “I’m not very good at golf, but it’s saved my life,” he said. “It gave me confidence, friendship, and the will to live.” The hole where he made the ace had always been his nemesis. “Eight times out of ten I knock it in the water — it gets into your head. My clubs have very nearly gone in the lake on a number of occasions.” This time, things were different. As the ball dropped, Duke turned to his playing partner with a grin: “Fancy getting beaten by a one-armed man?” Duke said he was told the odds of someone with a disability making a hole-in-one were one in 100,000. For him, the game became about more than scorecards or technique. It became a path forward. “If just one person could see this — even if it’s not golf — I want people to know that there can be a life after something like this. If I can do it, anybody can.”
Score (97)
New Research Shows Helping With Grandkids May Protect Against Cognitive Decline
Being a hands-on grandparent may do more than just support busy parents — it could also help protect the brain. A new study has found that older adults who regularly care for their grandchildren show slower cognitive decline and perform better on memory and verbal tests, compared to those who don’t. “Many grandparents provide regular care for their grandchildren — care that supports families, and society more broadly — but an open question is whether caregiving for grandchildren may also benefit grandparents themselves,” said lead researcher Flavia Chereches, a doctoral candidate at Tilburg University in the Netherlands. Chereches and her team looked at data from nearly 2,900 grandparents in England, all over the age of 50, with an average age of 67. The participants took part in three rounds of cognitive testing between 2016 and 2022, and answered questions about their caregiving habits over the past year. Researchers asked whether they’d helped with tasks like babysitting, driving kids to school, helping with homework, preparing meals or looking after a sick grandchild. But it wasn’t the type of care or how often they did it that seemed to matter most. “What stood out most to us was that being a caregiving grandparent seemed to matter more for cognitive functioning than how often grandparents provided care or what exactly they did with their grandchildren,” Chereches said. In other words, it’s the involvement that counts. The findings, published in the journal Psychology and Aging, suggest that caregiving could act as a buffer against age-related cognitive decline, particularly for grandmothers. Those who were actively involved in caregiving showed less decline on tests over the six-year period than those who weren’t. The results support earlier claims by groups like Age UK, which has long said “gran-nannying” can be good for older adults, especially when the care isn’t overly stressful. The charity estimates that around five million grandparents in the UK take on regular childcare duties. About 90% babysit at least once a week, while one in 10 do so daily — often to help their children save money on child care. According to Age UK, caregiving can keep older adults physically active, mentally engaged, and less isolated. Those benefits may help explain why regular involvement with grandchildren appears to protect brain health. Even those living this reality weren’t surprised by the study’s findings. On CBS, a news host interviewed his own mom about it, and she shared what caring for her grandkids means to her. “They energize me, more than drive me down,” she said.
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Score (98)
Tow Truck Driver Saves Man From Freezing Culvert During Texas Ice Storm
Most drivers would’ve passed right by a muddy drainage culvert off a Texas highway — especially during a winter storm. But Douglas Lane isn’t most drivers. While navigating icy roads in Seagoville, Texas, Lane, a local tow truck driver, noticed a car stalled in the middle of the road and pulled over to help. That’s when he heard desperate cries coming from the freezing water below. A man had fallen into the culvert and was trapped in the icy current. Lane didn’t hesitate. He rushed to the edge, reached down, and grabbed hold of the man’s sweatshirt hood, clinging tight to keep his head above water. “He gave up fighting to stay above the water,” Lane later told police. “I said ‘no, you’re not going to do that.’” Bodycam footage from responding officers captured the tense moments as Lane held on, refusing to let go, even as the water and the man’s weight pulled harder. Lane managed to call 911 while keeping his grip steady. Moments later, Seagoville police officers arrived and formed a human chain to pull the man out. The man, whose name hasn’t been released, was rushed to the hospital and is still recovering, according to police. Officers credited Lane’s quick thinking and determination with saving the man’s life. As for Lane, he’s not interested in accolades. “I wasn’t trying to get any kind of extra credit,” he said. “I’m just doing what I know best — and that’s helping others.” The culvert now serves as a quiet reminder each time he drives past. Not of heroism, he says, but of what it means to do the right thing when it counts.
Score (97)
A K-9 Just Helped Find a Missing Teen with Autism during a Snowstorm
A 15-year-old boy with autism was safely found in Maryland after vanishing during a dangerous winter storm, thanks to the quick response of local police and the tracking skills of a state trooper’s K-9 partner. The teen had quietly left his home in Bel Air on the morning of Sunday, January 25, without alerting his family. Snow blanketed the ground, and temperatures were well below freezing — a combination that authorities said created “potentially life-threatening” conditions for anyone outside for an extended time. Bel Air Police officers were the first to respond. They began following footprints in the snow and knocking on doors in the area, searching for anyone who might have seen the boy. As time passed and weather concerns deepened, more law enforcement agencies joined the effort. “There is a tendency for people who suffer from autism to want to find a body of water,” said Bel Air Police Chief Charles Moore. “There's a stream through [where the teenager was], there's a few ponds also. So, we had a lot of concern that he might be heading toward one of those locations.” With local terrain and freezing temperatures working against them, police called in Maryland State Police Senior Trooper Taylor Bracken and his bloodhound, K-9 Margo. The team specializes in tracking missing persons, and they quickly joined the ground search. Margo followed the boy’s scent through the woods and snow, ultimately leading officers to a wooded area roughly a mile from the teen’s home. Body camera footage captured the moment officers found him. “Cold,” the boy said when asked how he was doing. He was brought back to his family and then taken to a local hospital to be checked out, though police said it was just a precaution. The rescue drew praise from local residents online, with many thanking the officers and K-9 Margo for braving the conditions and acting quickly. Police said the successful search showed the power of collaboration, with multiple departments working together alongside specialized units to find the teen safely before temperatures could do serious harm.
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New Study Finds Spending 15 Minutes With A Dog Relieves Stress
A quick cuddle with a dog might be just what the doctor ordered — at least according to a new study out of Thailand. Researchers at Chiang Mai University found that just 15 minutes of playing, petting, and hugging a dog can significantly lower stress levels. Their findings, published in the journal PLOS One, back up what dog lovers have long claimed: dogs make us feel better. “Even brief interactions with dogs can significantly reduce stress levels among university undergraduate students,” wrote lead author Jaruwan Khonmee. To measure the effect, researchers looked at the pulse, blood pressure, and saliva samples of 122 university students both before and after they spent time with one of six dogs. After just a single 15-minute session, students’ self-reported stress levels dropped by 33.5 percent. Pulse rates and cortisol levels — a key stress hormone — also fell. Notably, none of the dogs were certified therapy animals, and their owners were kept out of the room to reduce distraction. The study featured five Chihuahuas and one Shetland sheepdog. And the dogs benefited too. Researchers observed that all six dogs had lower cortisol levels in their fecal samples even a week after interacting with the students, suggesting the experience was also relaxing for the pets. “Overall, these findings contribute to our understanding of the beneficial impact of human-dog interactions on human stress levels,” the team wrote, “and highlight the importance of addressing stress in both humans and animals during targeted interventions.” The results come as more schools, hospitals, and workplaces consider bringing in dogs for stress relief and emotional support — and suggest that even brief, informal encounters can make a meaningful difference.
Score (94)
Berlin Residents are Rushing to Share a Surplus of Potatoes Amid Record Harvest
Germany’s deep affection for potatoes just met its match — in the form of a historic surplus that’s turned into a citywide giveaway. Dubbed the Kartoffel-Flut (potato flood), the country’s biggest crop in 25 years has left farmers, charities and everyday Berliners scrambling to put the unexpected abundance to use. One farmer alone found himself sitting on 4,000 tonnes of unsold spuds after a buyer backed out in December. Rather than let them rot or be turned into biogas, he offered them up for free. That kicked off a grassroots effort with the Berlin newspaper Berliner Zeitung and the non-profit search engine Ecosia leading the charge. They launched “4000 Tonnes,” a distribution campaign that has since transformed Berlin into a potato pickup zone. At last count, 174 impromptu distribution sites have popped up around the city. At one of those locations in Kaulsdorf, on Berlin’s eastern edge, Astrid Marz showed up with an old rucksack and loaded it with more than 150 potatoes. “I think I’ve got enough to keep me and my neighbours going until the end of the year,” she said. Like many others, Marz had trouble believing it was real. “At first I thought it was some AI-generated fake news when I saw it on social media,” she said. “There were pictures of huge mountains of ‘earth apples,’ with the instruction to come and get them for free!” But the appeal was no joke. Volunteers, soup kitchens, schools, kindergartens, churches and even the Berlin Zoo answered the call. The zoo took tonnes for animal feed. Two truckloads were sent to Ukraine. And for thousands of Berliners facing rising food prices, the giveaway arrived as both relief and community spectacle. “There was a really party-like atmosphere,” said Ronald, who picked up a load for his family at Tempelhofer Feld. “People helped each other carry sacks and exchanged recipes.” The timing helped. Berlin has been locked in an arctic freeze, with icy sidewalks and stalled public transit. The warm mood at the potato dumps offered a rare bright spot. The potato itself is enjoying a bit of a comeback too. While once sidelined by carb-averse diets, it’s being celebrated again for its nutritional punch — rich in vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. Even top chefs are joining in. Marco Müller, a Michelin-starred chef at Berlin’s Rutz restaurant, says he’s using potato peels to craft a luxurious broth and a tangy vinaigrette. Angela Merkel’s Kartoffelsuppe recipe has resurfaced too. The former chancellor’s technique? Skip the food processor. “I always pound the potatoes myself with a potato masher,” she once told a magazine, insisting it gives the soup the proper lumpy texture. But not everyone is cheering. Some farmers in the region say the giveaway has further saturated the market and devalued their own harvest. Environmental groups have also weighed in, arguing the glut highlights deep inefficiencies in Europe’s food system. They likened the situation to the “butter mountains” and “milk lakes” of the 1970s, when EU policies led to overproduction and mass stockpiling. Last year, it was hops. Next year, they say, it might be milk. For now, the focus remains on clearing the remaining surplus — an estimated 3,200 tonnes still waiting in storage. Organisers are urging Berliners to watch their site for the next drop locations. And if you do get your hands on some of the free spuds, you might want to dust off your masher. There’s a lot of potato soup in Berlin’s future.
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‘nothing Like Experiencing It’: More Than 100 Sea Turtles Released Into Gulf After Winter Rescue Efforts
Crowds lined the beach in Galveston, Texas, on Thursday, clapping and cheering as volunteers carried dozens of sea turtles back into the ocean. For many, it was a once-in-a-lifetime sight. "It was amazing. It was really amazing," said Melodie Thompson, who traveled from Clear Lake just to witness it. “There was a lady next to me who was crying and they said, ‘Oh, are you OK?' She said, ‘I just love sea turtles so much. I wanted to see this.’” The turtles—102 of them—had been rescued days earlier during a sudden winter storm that hit the Houston area. The drop in temperatures had left them cold-stunned, a life-threatening condition that renders sea turtles immobile and vulnerable. “When water temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, turtles can go into a coma-like state,” said Christopher Marshall, director of the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research. “They stop feeding and swimming, float to the surface, and become vulnerable to boats and other predators.” Marshall explained that turtles often try to swim from the cold bay waters to the warmer Gulf, but some don’t make it in time. Others get trapped or pushed into marshes by strong north winds, where they risk frostbite and pneumonia. That’s where the volunteers stepped in. Over several days, about 200 volunteers mobilized along the upper Texas coast, combing through shorelines and marshes to collect cold-stunned turtles. They carried them back using sleds, then transported them to a short-term turtle hospital on the Texas A&M Galveston campus. Altogether, the team rescued 152 sea turtles. Once warmed, the turtles were given a full health check by the Houston Zoo, including a swim test. On Thursday, after being cleared for release, 102 of them were returned to the sea. “It’s a feel-good experience. You can hear people talk about it, but it’s nothing like experiencing it,” Marshall said. The release drew families, children and turtle lovers from across the region, all eager to watch the animals return home. The Gulf waters, Marshall added, are warmer than the bays and should keep the turtles safe, even with another cold snap expected this weekend. He also reminded beachgoers to avoid touching any cold-stunned turtles they may encounter in the future. Instead, he urged them to call the sea turtle hotline so trained responders can assist. The event was led by the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research, which oversees sea turtle rescue and rehab efforts across the upper and middle Texas coast. For volunteers and onlookers alike, it was more than just a release. It was a moment of hope.
Score (94)
NYPD Rookie Saves Two Babies from Choking in Just Weeks — On and Off Duty
Officer Freddy Cerpa wasn’t looking to be a hero. But in the span of just a few weeks, he saved two babies from choking — once while off duty, and again while responding to a 911 call in the Bronx. His most recent lifesaving moment happened on January 16, when Cerpa sprinted three blocks to help fellow officer Megan Ficken respond to a panicked call about a 2-year-old boy who was unconscious and choking on mucus. Officer Ficken, who happened to be just across the street when the call came in, had already started giving back slaps when Cerpa arrived. Drawing on a nearly identical emergency from the month before, Cerpa stepped in to help. “I kind of used my past experience from a month ago to try to kind of give her an idea of what I did last time,” Cerpa said. Body camera footage captured the tense scene as Cerpa continued administering back slaps until the toddler began to show signs of life. The boy was taken to Jacobi Hospital for evaluation and is now doing well. Cerpa’s first experience came in December, while he was off duty at home in Elmont. A neighbor suddenly rushed over with her 1-year-old daughter, who wasn’t breathing. Cerpa acted fast, delivering the same emergency technique — and saved her life. Back slaps are the recommended method to help a choking infant, and both officers credit their NYPD academy training for preparing them. Officer Ficken, a mother of two, said the stakes felt especially high. “You want everything to work out perfect,” she said. “It amps the intensity, the urgency and the understanding of how impactful this situation is for parents.” Despite being central to both rescues, Cerpa downplays the attention. “The first one was definitely surreal,” he said. “But in my opinion, this one is all Officer Ficken and she was there first. I was just glad I was able to assist her.” Two babies saved, two families forever changed — and two rookie officers quietly proving that training, instinct, and heart can make all the difference.
Score (97)
She Was Told Girls Don’t Belong in Nordic Combined. Now Annika Malacinski Is Leading the Charge
At 16, Annika Malacinski discovered Nordic Combined — a punishing mix of ski jumping and cross-country skiing. It’s considered one of the toughest winter sports out there. But her biggest obstacle wasn’t the sport. It was the fact that girls weren’t welcome. Now 24, Malacinski is one of the loudest voices pushing to change that. She shares her story — the wins, the setbacks, the behind-the-scenes grind — with millions of viewers across social media. “Girls weren’t really encouraged to try Nordic Combined, and it wasn’t truly available to us,” Malacinski told PEOPLE. “But I just wanted to see if I could do it. Once I did, I fell in love with the challenge; it felt like the ultimate test of athleticism.” Born to a Finnish mother and an American father, Malacinski grew up splitting her time between Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and Rovaniemi, Finland. That gave her access to snow, training, and winter sports culture — but not necessarily the support she needed to pursue Nordic Combined as a female athlete. Her early years in the sport were marked by a lot of self-starting: building her own training plans, covering her own travel costs, and stepping into competitions with far less institutional support than her male counterparts. “The biggest challenge is being told ‘no’ or ‘not yet’ over and over again,” she said. “We train just as hard as the men. We travel, spend our time and money, compete internationally at the highest level — but we still don’t have the same funding, resources or visibility.” “Sometimes it feels like we’re invisible in our own sport,” she added. Despite all that, she kept going — and started documenting her journey online. The response has been staggering. “I realized that if people don’t know our story, nothing will change,” she said. “Seeing my videos go viral has been overwhelming in the best way. I never expected that many people to care, and it showed me how powerful storytelling can be.” That storytelling has helped shine a light on the massive gender gap in Nordic Combined, which still doesn’t offer Olympic competition for women, even as the men’s event remains a fixture. Malacinski’s posts don’t just highlight the athletic demands of the sport — they also capture the emotional toll of pushing through barriers that shouldn't exist in the first place. “It’s not always easy, but I remind myself why I’m doing this,” she said. “Most of the criticism comes from people who don’t understand the sport or the fight. I try to focus on the impact rather than the noise. And sometimes, I just log off and go train.” What keeps her going are the messages from fans — especially girls. “I get both love and criticism, but the messages from young girls and parents mean the most to me,” she said. “When someone says, ‘My daughter wants to try Nordic Combined because of you,’ I cry every time. And the messages from people who had never heard of the sport before, but now support our inclusion — that’s huge.” Her goal isn't just personal success. It’s to open the door wider for the next generation. “I fell in love with Nordic Combined because it challenged me,” she said. “And I’m not going to give that up — no matter what.”
Score (89)
Tegu in the Snow: Exotic Lizard Found Alive Under Nearly 20 Inches of Snow in Rhode Island
A snow-clearing routine in Providence, Rhode Island, took a wild turn last week when a man uncovered a large black-and-white tegu lizard buried beneath nearly 20 inches of snow. The reptile — now nicknamed “Frankie” — was found alive, though barely, according to the New England Wildlife Center (NEWC), which is now overseeing his recovery. “This is not something even the most snow-hardened New Englander would expect to find,” the center wrote in a Facebook post. The man who found the reptile quickly wrapped it in a T-shirt and reached out to experts. ET Reptiles, a specialty reptile store in Warwick, responded immediately. “It was an intense 24 hours,” the store wrote online. “We’re beyond thankful we were able to intervene and give the lizard care.” Tegus are native to South America and are common in the exotic pet trade. While legal to own in Rhode Island, they are completely unequipped for cold weather. According to both the NEWC and ET Reptiles, tegus cannot survive outdoors in a New England winter. After being retrieved, Frankie was rushed to veterinarians, who found him extremely weak, severely underweight, and barely moving. He had frostbite on his tongue and "significant muscle weakness due to prolonged exposure to the cold,” according to the NEWC. A portion of his tongue had to be amputated, and he was given steroids to reduce inflammation and support his recovery. Now, the wildlife center says he’s “resting comfortably and finally warm, which makes all the difference!” It’s still unclear how Frankie ended up in the snow. No owners have come forward, and local animal control said they had not received any reports of a missing tegu. “I contacted animal control,” said Taylor Faria, co-owner of ET Reptiles. “They stated that they have not received any calls.” The NEWC is asking anyone who may be missing a tegu or who has information about the lizard’s origins to get in touch. For now, Frankie is safe, warm, and under close watch — a lucky outcome for an animal that had no business being out in a blizzard.