The most thorough follow-up study of sex-reassigned people, conducted in Sweden and extending over 30 years, shows that 10 to 15 years after surgical reassignment, the suicide rate of those who had […]

from Your News: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has uncovered suspicious donations made to ActBlue, raising concerns of foreign interference and illegal contributions in U.S. elections. By yourNEWS Media Newsroom Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Monday that his office’s investigation into ActBlue, a major political fundraising platform, has uncovered a significant number of […]

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Divers are a breed unto themselves, whether they snorkel or deep-water dive. They love exploring and drifting underwater, viewing sights with the wonder of a child. Every experience is invigorating. When a set of divers were offered the opportunity to explore a sunken sailboat, they jumped in wholeheartedly. You can view their dive here. Image from TikTok. The sunken sailboat had only been underwater for a few hours when the first diver entered the water. The vessel was only 12 meters down, and the divers were there to salvage debris that might float away. The area of the dive was so shallow that several feet of the mast assemblies were still above the surface. The divers were able to recover many items from the sailboat. Image from TikTok. The sailboat sank off the coast of Sicily, close to Taormina. Margriet de Graaf, the video’s original poster, is a scuba instructor living in Sicily. She and other divers had permission from the owner to retrieve personal items from the sailboat. The divers also removed the ropes, sails, and other parts of the boat to ensure the wreckage was safe for sea critters and divers. Image from TikTok. When discussing the adventure in the comment area, Margriet said, “The owner asked us to go there to recover some items for him. All the other things we could keep if we wanted.” The vessel remained underwater due to insurance and excessive recovery costs. The powerful currents in the area swept away the wreckage within a year. Image from TikTok. Exploring an intact sunken sailboat can be exhilarating for underwater divers. This group enjoyed the experience while helping the vessel’s owner and the environment. Please share if you enjoyed this underwater adventure. You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Lucky Divers Get The Chance To Explore Newly-Sunken Sailboat In Amazing Footage appeared first on InspireMore.

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM The Cuyahoga River, formerly associated with industrial trash and environmental negligence, is now a symbol of resilience and rehabilitation. Conservationists recently released a group of lake sturgeon into the Cuyahoga River, marking a significant turning point in the river’s history. These fish, previously native to the Great Lakes but now extinct due to pollution, require clean, oxygen-rich water to flourish. Their return to the Cuyahoga demonstrates the efforts to restore the river’s health. “This is a celebratory moment for the Cuyahoga,” said Brian Schmidt, a fish biologist with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. He emphasized the importance of the sturgeon release, stating that these fish require a clean environment for their eggs to survive. “It’s a strong indicator that the river is recovering.” The Cuyahoga River, once reviled for being so polluted that it would catch fire (most memorably in 1969), is now making headlines for the opposite reason: regeneration. Elaine Marsh, president of Friends of the Crooked River, formerly described the river as “a completely unregulated sewer,” but it is now clean enough for bald eagles, blue herons, and even kayakers to share its waters. A historical environmental catalyst To properly grasp the importance of the Cuyahoga’s revival, one must first understand its tragic history. For decades, companies on its banks dumped industrial waste into the river, transforming it into a poisonous flow of chemicals and trash. The Cuyahoga has notoriously caught fire several times, but the 1969 conflagration, despite its minor size, prompted a national outcry and helped birth the contemporary environmental movement. Cleveland Mayor Carl Stokes seized the opportunity to hold a well-known “pollution tour” the day following the fire to call attention to the river’s awful condition. The disaster became a national icon of unrestrained industrial pollution and sparked major environmental legislation, including the establishment of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970 and the enactment of the Clean Water Act of 1972. These regulations gave the means to hold corporations accountable for pollution, but as John Hartig, a scholar at the University of Windsor’s Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, pointed out, industry was not the only issue. The region’s antiquated sewer infrastructure, which combined raw sewage and stormwater in the same pipes, also contributed to the river’s demise. When heavy rains overwhelmed the facility, raw sewage leaked directly into the Cuyahoga. Dams, sturgeon, and kayakers: the river’s new life Cleveland and Akron, the two major cities along the Cuyahoga, significantly upgraded their wastewater systems as a result of massive government investments in the 1970s and 1980s. These modifications were crucial in mitigating the river’s pollution and setting the framework for its recovery. Dam removal has also played a significant role in the river’s comeback. According to Patrick Gsellman, senior adviser for the Akron Waterways Renewed! program, removing these barriers restored the river’s natural flow, which benefits both wildlife and recreational users. “From a paddler’s perspective, I can tell you that the wildlife of the river area has improved dramatically,” said Don Howdyshell, a whitewater kayaker who helped start the Cuyahoga Falls Fest, an annual event that draws paddlers from across the country. The demolition of these dams has been especially beneficial for fish species such as lake sturgeon, which require open waterways to breed. Amy Holtshouse, director for connecting lands and waters in the Midwest at The Nature Conservancy, explained, “You see fish being able to go upstream of those barriers. Within days of dams being removed, you see the natural flow of sediment and water being restored.” In addition to aiding wildlife, dam reductions turned the Cuyahoga into a popular leisure destination. Events like the Blazing Paddles Paddlefest now draw hundreds of kayakers and paddleboarders, demonstrating how far the river’s image has come. As Kris Patterson of the Ohio Lake Erie Commission pointed out, the Paddlefest has become a symbol of the Cuyahoga’s revival. Challenges and the way ahead Despite improvements, obstacles remain. One of the major challenges is the removal of the Gorge Dam, which is estimated to take three years and requires the meticulous removal of 832,000 cubic yards of contaminated silt. However, after this final barrier is dismantled, the Cuyahoga will come closer to losing its “area of concern” status from the EPA, which it has held since 1987. Even as the river recovers, new threats emerge. “We should be proud of the Clean Water Act that dramatically reduced the pollution that led to the fires in the Cuyahoga,” said Tom Kiernan, president of the American Rivers conservation group. “However, we now face climate change, biodiversity loss, and other threats to our rivers. And we need a new set of responses.” Nonetheless, the Cuyahoga’s recovery provides a paradigm for other contaminated rivers in the United States. “In a time when people might be anxious with climate change or get depressed with the state of the environment, there are positive signs in river restoration that I think can be motivating,” said Kiernan. Samantha Martin, a spokesperson for the Cleveland Water Alliance and a member of the Cuyahoga River Area of Concern Advisory Committee, stated that, while older generations may recall the river’s dirty history, younger generations welcome its restored future. For Clevelanders and others who live along the Cuyahoga, the river’s rebirth represents more than just environmental achievement; it’s a source of pride. The post From pollution to progress: the recovery of the Cuyahoga River first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM When it comes to getting things done, one size does not fit all. Productivity is highly personal, and determining how you work best might change your approach to tasks.  According to Carson Tate, a business strategist, there are four distinct productivity styles: prioritizer, planner, arranger, and visualizer. Each style has distinct strengths and weaknesses, and understanding your own can help you better manage your workday. Prioritizers thrive at reasoning and data. This personality thrives on analyzing data and solving complicated challenges. If you are a Prioritizer, your strengths lie in duties such as report analysis and strategic solution development. A Planner, on the other hand, values structure and organization. Planners are skilled at developing precise project timelines, arranging tasks, and working consistently toward deadlines. This technique is great for people who like to plan things ahead of time. The Arranger focuses on emotional intelligence and connections. Arrangers prefer to work with people to complete projects and are adept at making connections, brainstorming, and collaborating. Finally, a Visualizer takes a broad approach. Visualizers are strategic thinkers who manage numerous thoughts simultaneously. They frequently act as catalysts for change and invention, which makes them excellent at brainstorming and problem-solving. By recognizing your productivity style, you may modify your work habits to maximize your talents. This can also increase teamwork with coworkers who have diverse communication styles. Optimize your work with the right timing Productivity is on more than simply how you work; it also depends on when you work. According to neuroscientists, our brains function best in 90-minute cycles that alternate between high and low focus. By organizing work periods in 90-minute increments, you may exploit your brain’s natural rhythms to stay focused and effective. Here’s an example of how to organize a 90-minute work session: • Prioritize the most difficult tasks within the first 20 minutes of your session. • After 40-70 minutes, switch to slower, easier chores. • Take a 10-minute rest to refresh. According to researcher Dr. Mithu Storoni, ordering duties from most to least stressful can improve the efficiency of these cycles. If a difficult activity takes more than 20 minutes, put it aside and return to it during your next focused work session. It’s crucial to remember that you shouldn’t schedule heavy work periods right after each other. Limiting them to four hours of focused work each day can help you keep your energy and attention. In addition to work session time, understanding your chronotype—whether you’re a morning person, a night owl, or somewhere in between—can help you be more productive. According to Daniel Pink, author of When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, recognizing your body’s natural rhythm allows you to arrange things at your peak focus moments. You can make the most of your day by scheduling difficult things during your peak hours and delegating lesser tasks to low-energy times. Write it down: the power of lists A solid to-do list may significantly increase productivity, and there are numerous strategies for making one. Whether digital or handwritten, dividing work into smaller, more manageable chunks might help you stay on track. Laura Mae Martin, Google’s executive productivity advisor, advocates following a Daily Plan roadmap. This system organizes jobs based on their relevance and duration, as well as providing a daily plan. Filling it out the night before can help you have a clear plan of action as the day begins. Other experts recommend an anti-to-do list or a “done” list. This strategy allows you to reflect on your accomplishments, especially on days when you feel like you didn’t get enough done. Recognizing even tiny victories can improve motivation and help you go forward with confidence. While applications might help you manage your duties, studies suggest that writing them down by hand improves focus and recall. Physically crossing items off a list gives you a pleasing sense of accomplishment, so handwritten lists are an excellent tool for anyone trying to increase productivity. By understanding your productivity style, optimizing your schedule, and harnessing the power of to-do lists, you can develop a tailored approach to getting things done—one that allows you to work smarter, not harder.The post How to determine your productivity style and maximize your workflow first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.