Gonzalo Lira was born in the United States and went to school in the States. A graduate of Dartmouth‚ he went on to become an author and a YouTube personality. He spent his last years living in Ukraine while his family lives in the United States. Given Russia’s overwhelming power‚ Mr. Lira opposed the continuation […] The post A Message from a Dead Man About Ukraine appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

Before JJ McCarthy became a quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines‚ he found lasting inspiration in a simple smiley face. This unforgettable moment took place when McCarthy was a sophomore in high school. Even then he was a football superstar‚ taking the time to sign autographs after games. There’s one game in particular‚ though‚ where McCarthy played poorly. His team lost. Still‚ a little girl around 7 years old was excited to say hello — but she could tell that the high schooler was upset. She didn’t understand why. View this post on Instagram A post shared by (@jjmccarthy) In fact‚ she even asked McCarthy why he was so upset. Her response? To smile more‚ something she encouraged through a simple yet adorable smiley face she drew on the back of his hand. In doing so‚ she reminded the football player the importance of a positive mindset and having fun. JJ McCarthy Draws a Smiley Face on His Hand for Heartwarming Reason “It was such a profound moment for just how simple it was‚” McCarthy recalls. It was so impactful‚ in fact‚ that he chose to wear a smiley face on his hand for the rest of the season — and they won every game. Now‚ he carries this tradition on at Michigan. Best of all‚ it has become a symbol of hope and positivity for his foundation called JJ For The Kids. Proceeds the foundation gets from merch sales and donations are then given to multiple nonprofits and organizations including C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital‚ Ann Arbor‚ and the Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. “It’s just a subtle way of just‚ kind of‚ promoting positivity in this world‚” he shares. “Because this world needs it.” You can find the source of this story’s featured image here! The post The Heartwarming Reason Why JJ McCarthy Wears A Smiley Face On His Hand. appeared first on InspireMore.

To understand the significance of this duck tale‚ we have to go back a bit. Lily the duck has been desperate to be a mama. She has laid eggs and sat on them countless times. The eggs have turned out to be nonviable and never hatched. She has been heartbroken after nurturing her eggs so carefully‚ only to be denied parenthood. To get the duck to smile‚ Lily’s humans would need to do something drastic. The humans hatched a plan to satisfy Lily’s desire to be a mama duck. Shifting some eggs around‚ they placed three new eggs under Lily in the hopes they would hatch healthy ducklings. Unfortunately‚ there would be no duck smiles yet as the eggs did not hatch again. Image from TikTok. Meanwhile‚ fellow ducks Zippy and Cordelia’s nests were ravaged by the neighbor’s dog. The next day‚ both ducks laid new eggs (Zippy laid one‚ and Cordelia laid two). These new eggs were taken to Lily to replace the overdue eggs she had been caring for. The new eggs from Zippy and Cordelia also failed to hatch. It was time for another new plan. Since Lily was having no luck hatching eggs‚ her humans decided it was time for drastic measures. While Lily was out‚ the humans verified that the eggs weren’t hatching‚ then removed them. Instead of replacing them with more eggs‚ they tried something new. They put three thriving baby ducklings in Lily’s nest. @and_then_there_were_6 𝙸𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚍𝚞𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚎𝚜… Introducing the babies to their new Mother. It didnt quite go as expected but then it seems nothing with ducks ever seems to happen the way you plan‚ they always surprise you!! Lily readily accepted Taylor but decided Emerson and Dakota were a little bit rebellious and that we could just keep them thanks #motherhood #motherhoodjourney #muscovyducks #ducklings #muscovyducklings #ducktok #duckdrama #ducktales #soapopera #reallifedrama #reallifedramas #ducklingsoftiktok #ducktok ♬ Chopin Nocturne No. 2 Piano Mono – moshimo sound design Lily hesitantly entered her nest box. When she saw the surprise‚ she was vibrating with happiness. The duck was all smiles! Image from TikTok. After a brief bit of confusion‚ Lily figured out the whole adoption thing and seemed to be settling in with her new ducklings. The black one is Taylor. He is slightly younger than the other two‚ Dakota and Emerson. During the adoption interviews and “getting to know one another” phase‚ Lily decided that Dakota and Emerson were a little too rambunctious. They went back to the birth parent while Lily settled in with Taylor. You can check the family’s TikTok channel for updates on this (so far) happy ending. Lily and Taylor seem to have formed a happy little duck family with smiles all around. If you enjoyed this article‚ please share it. You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Duck “Smiles” With Joy When She Returns To Her Nest To Find A Pile Of Ducklings! appeared first on InspireMore.

A husband and wife in Austin‚ Texas have been honored as heroes for nourishing neighbors-in-need by hosting a community fridge outside their restaurant. Now‚ the owners of Nixta Taqueria are feeling a boomerang of good karma‚ after the community found out their business was in trouble. In 2019‚ Edgar Rico and Sara Mardanbigi opened Nixta […] The post Restaurant Feeds Community With Free Fridge–Then Gets Paid Back When Business Faces Closure in Austin‚ Texas appeared first on Good News Network.

It’s the end of an era for Fruit Stripe‚ the decades-old gum brand that was known for its fruit-inspired flavors and zebra-print product: The brand’s owner is discontinuing the striped treat. “The decision to sunset CONTINUE READING... The post Fruit Stripe Gum Has Been Discontinued appeared first on The Retro Network.

The chairman of Hamas’ decision-making body urged Muslims across the world to “build on” the horrific terrorist attacks on Israel of Oct. 7‚ which he characterized as a “victory‚” and to send money to Hamas in what he called a “financial jihad.” Ismail Haniyeh‚ head of Hamas’ political bureau‚ spoke at the International Union of Muslim Scholars on Tuesday. The union‚ an international body of Muslim theologians that forms the supreme authority of the Muslim Brotherhood‚ met in Doha‚ Qatar‚ where Haniyeh lives. “The people of Gaza constitute our frontline trench for defense‚ as well as for offense‚” Haniyeh said‚ according to a translation from the Middle East Media Research Institute. “They are not there only to defend‚ but also to attack. What was October 7 if not a frontline trench for an offensive by our nation? We must not let this moment slip away.” The Hamas leader referred to the horrific terrorist attacks last year‚ in which Hamas terrorists raped women‚ slaughtered infants‚ and took hostages in Israel. At least 1‚200 Israelis‚ mostly civilians‚ died in the attacks‚ and Hamas took 200 Israelis and others hostage. Israeli authorities say about 132 hostages remain in Gaza‚ though it’s not clear how many are still alive‚ after Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November. Israel responded by launching a military campaign in Gaza to eradicate Hamas’ military capabilities. In the United States and other countries across the world‚ many expressed solidarity with the victims of Oct. 7‚ but many have also protested against Israel’s response‚ demanding a cease-fire. Those protests have often featured disgusting attacks on Jews and examples of antisemitism‚ from chants of “gas the Jews” in Australia to outright harassment of Jewish students on college campuses. Referring to those anti-Israel protests‚ Haniyeh insisted that “time is on our side.” “At the beginning of this aggression‚ the Americans were waving a big stick in the face of the world‚ and even in the Palestinian‚ Arab‚ and Muslim communities in some European countries. Some of their prominent Palestinian or Arab figures were summoned and were told not to raise the Palestinian flag or do anything‚” he said. “But the language of the same countries has now changed. Why has it changed? Because of the [Palestinian] steadfastness. Were it not for this steadfastness‚ the conscience of the world would have been crushed.” “Brothers‚ we should build on this steadfastness. We should hold on to the victory that took place on October 7 and build upon it‚” the Hamas leader added. He called on Islamic scholars to establish “groups and delegations” in countries around the world to lead pro-Hamas protests and “meet with the heads of state in the Arab‚ Muslim and even Western countries.” The Hamas leader also urged Muslims to “donate money.” “The Islamic nation does not make ‘donations‚’” he said. “This is not just a humanitarian issue‚ despite its immense importance and Gaza’s need for any aid it can get. This is financial jihad.” “We should revive this principle of Islamic jurisprudence in our Islamic nation—the notion of waging jihad with one’s life and one’s money‚” he concluded. with one’s life and one’s money‚” he concluded. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.  The post Hamas Leader Urges Muslims Worldwide to ‘Build on’ Oct. 7 ‘Victory‚’ Engage in ‘Financial Jihad’ appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Biden Claims Message 'Privately' Sent to Iran

Another Amazon secret has been discovered in the dense jungle through mapping using laser-sensor technology. Many ancient ruins‚ in which about 10 thousand people lived. For the first time‚ archaeologist Stephen Rosten came across ancient mounds and remains of roads in the Upano Valley region of Ecuador‚ and this was more than 20 years ago. When he began excavating‚ he found a variety of colorful pottery‚ including jugs that were tested to contain maize beer. Radiocarbon dating showed that people settled here about 2‚500 years ago and lived for approximately one thousand years (from 500 BC to the 600s AD). At that time‚ according to Rosten‚ he did not yet understand that in fact it was a very large complex of settlements‚ in fact a huge city‚ closely connected by roads. Due to impenetrable thickets‚ intense heat‚ the risk of contracting malaria and other dangerous diseases‚ and remoteness from civilization‚ archaeological excavations in the Amazon region have always been very difficult. The jungle very quickly takes over abandoned settlements and after tens of years no one will even guess‚ passing by‚ that there was a village or even a city here. However‚ modern laser scanning technology (lidar)‚ mounted on drones‚ is helping archaeologists discover ancient ruins hidden by vegetation. Recently‚ the Ecuadorian jungle was mapped using these technologies and many rectangular ruins of ancient structures were discovered. According to Science magazine‚ it was a huge city‚ or rather a network of several large settlements. This is what such ruins look like from the ground‚ they look like earthen ramparts and if they are overgrown with trees‚ you will never guess that this is an artificial structure. Archeology has only recently begun to reveal that the Amazon was quite densely populated thousands of years ago and had a fairly advanced civilization. Previously‚ it was believed that from ancient times only small groups of Indians lived there‚ the highest technical achievement of which were dilapidated huts and dugout boats. Rosten now calls the Upano Valley “the lost valley of cities.” And‚ according to calculations‚ at least 10 thousand people lived here. True‚ archaeologists do not yet know which civilization built this network of cities‚ because it is more than a thousand years older than the previously known Amazonian cultures of pre-Columbian times. In total‚ five large settlements and another ten smaller ones were discovered on an area of ​​300 square kilometers. Each settlement was densely built with residential and ceremonial structures‚ and between them were flat‚ rectangular fields where corn‚ cassava and sweet potatoes were grown‚ according to excavations. The cities were connected by wide straight roads‚ and inside the cities there were clearly laid out streets and even neighborhoods. “We can safely talk about urbanism‚” says archaeologist Fernando Mejía of the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador‚ one of the authors of the new study. According to him‚ in terms of the degree of artificial change in the landscape‚ the unknown builders of these cities could even compete with the “garden cities” of the Mayans. And what has been discovered so far “is really just the tip of the iceberg” about what else can be found in the Ecuadorian Amazon‚ Mejia says. Judging by the layout and dating‚ all these cities and roads existed at the same time‚ and were not built one to replace another. Previously‚ the oldest highly developed society in the Amazon was considered to be a culture that lived in the Llanos Mojos region in Bolivia‚ where last year the ruins of ancient cities with pyramids were discovered using the same lidar. But the network of cities in Ecuador turned out to be almost a thousand years older than the Bolivian civilization‚ and their settlements were larger and more developed‚ as were their roads. The largest roads were 10 meters wide and stretched for 10-20 km. According to José Iriarte‚ an archaeologist at the University of Exeter‚ the ruins are so poorly preserved not only because the jungle tried‚ but also because these cities were built mainly from clay. For example‚ the Mayans and Incas built from stone and their pyramids are still in excellent condition. The unknown civilization of Ecuador that built these cities actually existed during the same era as the Roman Empire‚ and they had about the same population as London during the Roman Empire. And we only recently learned about this. So how many more ancient mysteries will we have to discover in the future? “The Amazon has always had an incredible diversity of people and settlements. We just started learning more about them‚” says Stephen Rosten. The post Huge network of cities built 2500 years ago was found in the Amazon jungle appeared first on Anomalien.com.