Blind Footballers From South Sudan Show Incredible Skills

In Juba, South Sudan, a group of visually impaired young men defy the odds by playing in the Premier Blind Football League. Led by coach Simon Madol, these players use touch and teamwork to excel on the pitch. Despite challenges like lack of resources and trauma from violence, they find hope through football. The league, started in 2020 with just two players, now aims to compete internationally. Player Yona Sabri Ellon dreams of representing his country in pan-African competitions with the support of dedicated coaches.

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Man Takes Advantage of Icy Driveway to 'Slide Like a Penguin'

A playful man in Morgantown, West Virginia, took advantage of the weekend’s freezing conditions to slide down his icy driveway on his belly. Before filming the stunt, Luke Nesler tells the camera that it might be his only opportunity to ever slide down his driveway like “a penguin.” After capturing the attention of his neighbor, he ascends the mild incline and begins the slide. Posting the video to Instagram, Nesler said he “had to seize the moment”.

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A Manitoba Bakery Revived a Forgotten Bread Technique — and It’s Changing Lives

In a small kitchen in Niverville, Manitoba, an old-world bread-making method that nearly disappeared is making a quiet comeback — and it started with a love story. Chris Holbrow and Maria Syroezhko launched Forgotten Flavours in 2022, after Syroezhko revived a baking technique passed down from her great-grandmother in eastern Europe. The method, which predates modern sourdough, gave Holbrow something he hadn’t had in years: bread he could actually eat without pain. Holbrow had long struggled with chronic digestive issues. Traditional breads didn’t sit right. But once Syroezhko started experimenting with her great-grandmother’s techniques — through trial, error, and what she describes as “a thousand fails” — something changed. “I just rediscovered it,” she said. “Step by step, remembering and researching… we got where we are now.” That rediscovery turned into a full-fledged business. Today, Forgotten Flavours operates out of two locations — one in Niverville and one in Winnipeg — and has developed a loyal customer base drawn to its long-fermented, wild-yeast breads made from fresh-milled, local grains. Unlike sourdough, where bakers maintain a living starter, Holbrow and Syroezhko make their wild yeast fresh for every batch. The fermentation process for each loaf takes 48 hours, and from start to finish, every piece of bread takes three to four days to make. “Working with wild yeast is different each day,” Syroezhko said. “Every day, you're solving your puzzle. It's not always the same.” The yeast is cultivated from ingredients like fruit, vegetables, dairy, or grains. Syroezhko compares it to farming — invisible, but alive. Food scientist Maneka Malalgoda, an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba, says the method’s long fermentation time is one key factor that can make bread easier to digest. “It impacts the flavour development, textural properties — it’s part of the puzzle,” Malalgoda said. She added that the use of local grains and the way they’re milled also plays a big role. What’s less common, she noted, is the use of wild yeast in commercial baking, since it’s harder to control. But for Forgotten Flavours, that unpredictability is part of the process — and the appeal. Holbrow, who left a corporate job in Winnipeg to help run the bakery full time, said they made the leap after hearing stories from customers who, like him, had trouble with conventional bread. “It’s a high-quality product that tastes good,” Holbrow said. “But our bodies are telling us that whatever we’re eating is not working for us.” He believes this old method — one that requires bakers to start fresh each time, rather than rely on a permanent sourdough starter — may have once been more common than people realize. But over time, it was replaced by quicker, more convenient alternatives. “I suspect we have always found the route of least resistance,” Holbrow said. Now, the couple are proving there’s a different path — one that takes longer, demands more, but might offer something better. “Bread is something that has always been known to bring people together,” Holbrow said. “We need more togetherness. The whole philosophy of breaking bread with one another is a very, very important thing.” For Holbrow and Syroezhko, Forgotten Flavours is more than a bakery. It’s a way of life — and a way to reconnect with food, community, and each other.

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This Actor Is Taking His Mom to the Oscars — A Promise 13 Years in the Making

Jacob Elordi isn’t showing up to the Oscars with a glam date or entourage — he’s bringing his mom. During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday, Jan. 27, the 28-year-old Frankenstein star revealed he’ll be taking his mother as his date to the 2026 Academy Awards, fulfilling a promise he made over a decade ago. “I’m going to take mom,” Elordi said. “I promised her when I was 15 that I would take her, so I have to honor that.” Elordi is nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as the Creature in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. It’s a role that has put him in the Oscar spotlight — and given him a chance to reflect on the people who believed in him early on. His mother, he said, has “fully believed in me the whole time” and was actually the first person to tell him he’d been nominated. Elordi admitted he was too nervous to sit and wait for the announcement himself. “I went to bed, and I was asleep comfortably,” he said. “And then I heard my mom’s phone ring at like 5 a.m., and then her little feet coming up the stairs. Her face sort of told me that I’ve been nominated. It was so beautiful.” His dad got in on the celebration too — from the other side of the world. “He actually knew they were announcing the nominations, and he put a bottle of champagne on ice, and he stayed up til about midnight in Australia, and he called me, and we popped it together on the phone.” For Elordi, the Oscar nomination is more than just career recognition — it’s the realization of a childhood dream, fueled by his admiration for fellow Australian Heath Ledger. “You’re supposed to say, you know, that it doesn’t mean anything and art is subjective and all these things,” he told Kimmel. “But it really was a dream of mine. Particularly because of Heath Ledger. He kind of showed me that it was possible.” In a full-circle moment, Elordi noted that his nomination came exactly 18 years to the day after Ledger’s passing. “I’d like to take this to say thank you to Heath Ledger and for that inspiration,” Elordi said. “It really, really means the world to me.” With his mom at his side and a long-held promise fulfilled, Elordi will walk into Oscar night not just as a nominee — but as a son who kept his word.

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NBA Superstar Stephen Curry Wins Sundance Award for Short Film Honoring MLK Speechwriter

Stephen Curry just added another title to his already stacked résumé: Sundance award-winning director. The two-time NBA MVP, best known for changing the game of basketball with his three-point shot, took home the Short Film Grand Jury Prize at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival for The Baddest Speechwriter of All, a short film he co-directed with Canadian filmmaker Ben Proudfoot. “Stephen and I are jumping for joy [him a lot higher than I] with this extraordinary recognition,” Proudfoot said, according to Deadline. The film, produced by Proudfoot’s Breakwater Studios, Curry’s Unanimous Media, and other partners, tells the story of Clarence B. Jones — a lawyer, adviser, and key speechwriter for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Through Jones’ own words, the film offers an intimate look at the man behind some of the most powerful rhetoric in civil rights history. Jones, now in his 90s, helped draft Dr. King's iconic "I Have a Dream" speech and played a central role in shaping the messaging of the Civil Rights Movement. The short film captures his personal reflections and legacy in his own voice. “On a personal note, to share creative duties with Stephen, one of the greatest living athletes and just [a] truly good man, has given me an opportunity to grow as a filmmaker,” Proudfoot said, adding that the collaboration opened a door to a story he might not have otherwise explored. Curry and Proudfoot previously teamed up on The Queen of Basketball, a 2022 Oscar-winning short documentary about Lusia Harris — the trailblazing athlete who scored the first basket in Olympic women’s basketball history and was the first woman officially drafted by an NBA team. Curry and Shaquille O’Neal served as executive producers; Proudfoot directed. With The Baddest Speechwriter of All, Curry’s impact now extends from the hardwood to the festival circuit, spotlighting a vital but often overlooked figure from the civil rights era — and reminding audiences that history’s greatest moments are often shaped behind the scenes.

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This Smash Burger Joint in North Carolina Is Serving Up Cheeseburgers — and Fighting Childhood Cancer

In downtown Wilmington, North Carolina, a new burger shop just opened with a big personality and an even bigger mission. Outside, a T. rex clutches a burger in its claws under the name “Zeke Smash.” Inside, owner Kyle Nelson is serving up more than fast food — he’s serving a cause. Zeke Smash is named after Zeke, the six-year-old son of Nelson’s best friends. At just three months old, Zeke was diagnosed with Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia (JMML), a rare and aggressive blood cancer that produces abnormal white blood cells. His diagnosis came in early 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic began. “They went through COVID, and they had a newborn who was sick,” Nelson said. “They were navigating chemotherapy, navigating ER trips.” Even with strong health insurance, the bills piled up. Nelson watched as his friends endured an exhausting cycle of treatment, fear, and debt. “It’s treatment, it’s off treatment, it’s okay, they’re sick; are they sick from the disease or is it just a cold?” he said. “Is this fever going to potentially kill them?” The experience left him angry — not just at the disease, but at the financial toll childhood cancer takes on families. “You never hear about the potentially lifelong crippling medical debt that these families are going into to give their child a chance to survive,” Nelson said. So he decided to do something about it — with burgers. Nelson and his brother had already been talking about opening a fast, high-quality smash burger spot. As the idea took shape, the name Zeke Smash came naturally. So did the mission. “We can build out a charitable aspect of the business, building the restaurant around this idea of giving back to the community and highlighting a community that honestly doesn’t get enough support,” he said. Zeke Smash officially opened in late October 2025 in Wilmington’s Cargo District. The menu features burgers, sandwiches, fried cheese curds, hot dogs, cheesecakes, and more. But 5% of all profits go straight to children’s cancer charities, including the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Nelson also has big plans for the months ahead: a major head-shaving fundraiser this spring, in support of St. Baldrick’s, and a “family of the month” program to spotlight local families navigating childhood cancer. The restaurant will use its social media channels to promote their stories and fundraisers. And yes — Zeke has tried the burger named after him. “It’s a thumbs up,” Nelson said with a laugh. “He really enjoys the food; he’s a fan. And I don’t think it’s just because I’m Uncle Kyle.” Zeke Smash is located at 619 S 17th St, Wilmington, NC 28401. Nelson encourages anyone looking to help to support St. Baldrick’s directly, nominate a child for recognition, or start a fundraiser of their own. “I can make great food that people will enjoy,” he said. “And I can use this platform to bring awareness and highlight an issue that isn’t really talked about a whole lot. And possibly do some good, too.”

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Three-Legged Loggerhead Turtle Returns to the Ocean After Shark Attack and Months of Rehab

With a satellite antenna bobbing behind her, a loggerhead sea turtle named Pyari slowly crawled across the sand and slipped back into the Atlantic Ocean, drawing cheers from a bundled-up crowd watching from the shore. The release marked the end of a long recovery and the start of a new chapter for Pyari, who lost most of her left forelimb in a likely shark attack. “It’s definitely always very gratifying to see these animals go back into their ocean home,” said Dr. Heather Barron, chief science officer and veterinarian at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach. “And I think it’s particularly gratifying when you can track them on satellite, and see exactly where they’re going and what they’re doing.” Pyari, whose name means “lovely” or “beloved” in Hindi, arrived at the center in November from the nearby Inwater Research Group with deep injuries to her shell, neck and both front flippers. Veterinarians amputated most of her left forelimb to save her life. She spent months in a rehabilitation tank kept at about 27°C (80°F) to match the ocean’s warmer temperatures. While the air at Juno Beach was a brisk 4 to 9°C (40s°F) during her release, the ocean remained steady at a comfortable 25°C (77°F), making conditions suitable for her return. Beachgoers snapped photos and watched as Pyari trundled down the sand toward the surf, her satellite tag’s long antenna trailing behind her. The $10,000 tracker she now carries will give scientists rare insights into how well amputee turtles fare after returning to the wild — something researchers still know very little about. Barron says Pyari is one of three turtles with amputations that the center is currently tracking. “Every little bit of information helps us to understand the behavior and the success of these animals,” she said. Anyone interested can follow Pyari’s journey — and those of the other turtles — on the Loggerhead Marinelife Center’s website.

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In a Historic Cold Snap, This Tulsa Man Turned a Vintage Fire Truck Into a Lifeline

When a brutal winter storm swept through Tulsa, Oklahoma, dropping temperatures to dangerous lows, most people stayed indoors, bracing for the cold. Ryan Duval did the opposite. As wind chills dipped to minus 20 degrees Celsius, Duval climbed into his decades-old fire truck and started driving through the city. His mission: to find people without shelter and help them survive the storm. "I just saw a need for getting people out of the cold," he said. "The negative 20 temperatures really hit me hard. Someone staying outside, I wouldn't be able to survive it." Duval bought the 40-year-old truck years ago at a government auction. It hadn’t seen much use — until now. He drove through neighborhoods and underpasses, scanning for anyone exposed to the freezing air. When he saw someone in need, he stopped. Some just needed a hot drink or something to eat. Others needed a safe ride to a warming shelter. One by one, people climbed into the truck, finding warmth and safety inside its worn cabin. By the end of the weekend, Duval’s fire truck had become a mobile sanctuary — a beacon for anyone braving the storm alone. But for Duval, it wasn’t about the recognition. "It’s just giving back to a community like everybody should do," he said. "If I can do it, anybody can do it." While the storm raged outside, his fire truck offered something rare: warmth, dignity, and proof that one person can make a difference.

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They’re Smaller Than a Grain of Salt — and They Can Swim, Sense, and Decide

For decades, the idea of microscopic robots patrolling the human body belonged to science fiction. But a new breakthrough from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan is changing that — with salt-sized autonomous robots that can swim, sense their environment, and make decisions. The robots are the smallest fully programmable machines ever built, measuring just 200 by 300 by 50 micrometers. That’s about the size of a single-celled organism. And they move without any moving parts. Instead of legs or propellers, these microbots rely on electrokinetics. Each one creates a tiny electric field that pulls charged ions in the surrounding liquid. Those ions drag water molecules with them, essentially creating a miniature current that propels the robot. The process is durable and efficient, and it works at a scale where traditional mechanics fail. They also don’t need batteries. Each robot runs on a solar cell that produces just 75 nanowatts of power — far less than a typical LED watch. The researchers made that work by engineering custom low-voltage circuits and streamlining the instruction set to run on just a few hundred bits of memory. Even with that, the robots can respond to their environment, process inputs, and make decisions about movement. And they communicate — by dancing. The robots relay information by performing tiny wiggle patterns, a motion-based code that scientists can read through a microscope. It’s not unlike how bees use movement to communicate. Programming works in reverse. Scientists flash patterns of light that the robots interpret as commands. A built-in passcode keeps random light from interfering. Right now, the robots are able to demonstrate thermotaxis — they can detect and swim toward warmer areas. That behavior alone opens the door to potential medical applications, from tracking inflammation or infection, to delivering targeted treatments at the cellular level. Since the robots are built with the same processes used to manufacture computer chips, they’re already being produced in batches. More than 100 fit on a single chip, and current yields top 50 percent. The cost per robot could eventually drop below one cent. For now, medical use is still on the horizon. The robots can be powered by light near the skin, but for deeper tissues, the team is testing ultrasound as a future power source. Beyond medicine, researchers believe the same micro-robots could one day be deployed to monitor ecosystems, build new materials from the molecular level up, or explore environments too small or fragile for conventional tools. This development, published in Science Robotics, marks a major milestone. It’s not just that the robots are small — it’s that they’re fully autonomous, capable of sensing, swimming, and deciding in real time. That’s a first. And it means that the long-promised future of microscopic machines is no longer theoretical. It’s here — and it’s smaller than a speck of dust.

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Inside Turtle School: The Global Effort to Save Earth’s Most Endangered Reptiles

Tucked away in the forests of South Carolina, behind high fences and security cameras, sits one of the world’s most important lifelines for turtles on the brink of extinction. It’s also the home of “Turtle School,” an intensive weeklong training course that, in September 2025, brought together 16 turtle lovers from three countries for what might be the world’s most hands-on crash course in chelonian survival. The host, Turtle Survival Center (TSC), is part of the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), a global nonprofit devoted to protecting the planet’s most threatened turtles and tortoises. At TSC, nearly 800 turtles from 27 species — many of them critically endangered — live in a facility built like a fortress, both for their protection and for the delicate breeding work needed to keep their species alive. With more than half of the world’s 359 turtle and tortoise species now facing extinction, the stakes are high. And that’s why Turtle School exists. “It doesn’t matter what your background is,” said Madeline Tesolin, a concert T-shirt seller from Ontario who also volunteers as a turtle rescue driver. “If you’re passionate about turtles, there is a boundless well. You can’t stop learning about them.” Tesolin was one of several non-traditional students among the group. Others included a vet from Argentina and zookeepers from across the United States. Over seven packed days, they dove into everything from habitat design and optimal lighting to disease prevention and breeding protocols. They even performed turtle necropsies under the South Carolina sun. The goal: prepare a new generation of turtle caretakers to return home better equipped to keep these animals alive, whether at zoos, aquariums, community conservation programs, or roadside rescue networks. Turtle School instructors weren’t just experts — many were first responders to turtle trafficking busts across the globe. They’ve been on the front lines of rescues in Madagascar, Mexico, and the Philippines, where thousands of turtles have been seized from illegal wildlife trade operations. In 2015, authorities found 4,000 rare turtles in a warehouse in Palawan, Philippines, just days from being shipped to foreign pet and food markets. The TSA helped lead the rescue. “The crisis is worsening,” said Jordan Gray, a TSA staffer and co-editor of the 2025 Turtles in Trouble report, which found 134 species are now endangered or critically endangered. “Despite all of our collective efforts… the number and percentage of threatened species have increased.” Instructors emphasized that turtles, while ancient survivors, are uniquely vulnerable. They take decades to reach maturity, reproduce slowly, and rely on habitats that are rapidly disappearing across Asia and the Americas. Wildlife trafficking, deforestation, and demand for traditional medicine and exotic pets all play a role. At TSC, everything is built with the turtle in mind. Water bowls are sparkling, enclosures mimic natural conditions with careful temperature gradients and shade, and staff track every individual turtle’s health and diet. “They just thought of everything,” said instructor Anthony Pierlioni, a 7-foot-tall turtle influencer visiting the center for the first time. Security is tight — not just to keep turtles in, but to keep poachers and collectors out. A single rare turtle can be worth tens of thousands of dollars on the black market. “The AK-47 is always within reach,” joked Cris Hagen, TSC’s director of animal management, who lives next door with a hundred turtles, a few crocodiles, and a gila monster. Hagen sees the center as a “turtle bank” — a place to preserve genetic diversity for future reintroduction, if and when conditions in the wild improve. In the meantime, turtles are being born under the team’s watch. One hatchling — a palm-sized Rote Island snake-necked turtle with bulging eyes — emerged just a day before reporter Liz Kimbrough’s visit. Fewer than 2,000 of its kind remain globally. “There’s nothing more promiscuous than a Sulawesi forest turtle,” Pierlioni joked during a facility tour, highlighting how tricky some species can be to manage, let alone breed. For the students, the experience was about more than just technical knowledge. “The thing I think was most valuable was being able to talk and interact with so many different turtle people,” said Joseph Boucree, a senior wildlife care specialist from San Diego Zoo. “We even made a Discord group so we can still keep in contact.”

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How A Chance Meeting at the Tower of London Sparked a Lifetime of Love

Carrin Schottler didn’t go to the Tower of London looking for love. It was 1994, and she was a 20-year-old American student studying abroad in London. The plan that day was simple: visit a historic site with a friend. But somewhere between the ancient turrets and the Beefeaters’ speeches, she locked eyes with a stranger in an oversized blazer—and everything changed. “I saw this really, very good-looking man. My heart skipped a beat,” Carrin told CNN Travel. That man was Paul Thal, a 23-year-old Swede studying in Manchester. He was also in London for a weekend of sightseeing. They were both just two young tourists on a group tour, but it didn’t take long for sparks to fly. Carrin couldn’t stop glancing at Paul. Paul, meanwhile, was trying to stay close without seeming “creepy.” Their mutual attraction didn’t go unnoticed. Even the Beefeaters got involved. “One of the Beefeaters said to me, ‘Oh, what a nicely dressed man. He looks very well dressed. What a very good-looking man he is,’” Carrin recalled. When Paul posed for a photo with the guards, the Beefeaters nudged him about Carrin too. “He was kind of matching us up,” Paul said, laughing. Encouraged by the subtle matchmaking, Carrin made the first move. “I said to him, ‘If you want to go out, I can show you around London a little bit,’” she said. “It was really unusual for me to do such a thing… but something inside of me just said that, which probably was the best decision I think I ever made.” That night, they met at Piccadilly Circus. Paul brought flowers. Carrin dressed up. He had five cups of coffee at a café, she remembered, maybe from nerves. They wandered London until morning and shared their first kiss near Buckingham Palace. They spent the rest of the weekend together, promising to meet every weekend after that—either in London, Manchester, or somewhere new. The commitment stuck. Through the fall of 1994, they explored cities across the UK together. Paul even cooked Carrin a Thanksgiving dinner in his dorm room in Manchester. The turkey was overcooked, but the gesture landed. “I thought it was wonderful,” Carrin said. Before she flew back to the US that December, Paul invited her to Sweden. She met his family and, unexpectedly, saw her future. “I think the time I knew I wanted to marry him was when I saw how kind he was to his grandmother,” she said. “I said, ‘That’s the man I want to marry.’” Back in New York, Carrin cried, unsure if they’d ever meet again. But they did. Paul visited that spring, and by summer she was back in Sweden. They began trading cassette tapes to stay connected—audio messages sent across the Atlantic. In 1996, they decided to get married. “We were by… I don’t know if it was glacier—it was snowcapped,” Paul said, describing a hike in Norway. That’s when they exchanged rings. That same year, Paul found a job in New York and moved to Albany. Two years later, they were married in Carrin’s hometown. Her bouquet was filled with yellow roses—a nod to Regent’s Park, where Paul had once said goodbye. Now married for over 25 years, Carrin and Paul still live in Albany with their 16-year-old son. They celebrate both Swedish and American holidays, and their son, who is autistic, communicates in a blend of English and Swedish. “A comment here and there can set off chain reactions,” Paul said, reflecting on that first encounter at the Tower. Carrin agrees. “They changed our lives,” she said of the Beefeaters who gently nudged them together. The couple recently retraced their London steps with their son, including a visit to Piccadilly Circus. They haven’t made it back to the Tower of London just yet, but they hope to. Somewhere in an attic, they still have the cassette tapes that carried their voices across oceans. “For me, it was kind of magical,” Carrin said. “A magical time… I think it’s just a sweet story that’s just really happy.”

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