dailyhealthpost--2020-07-31--17-Year-Old Refuses $8 Million Offer to Put Ads on His Covid-19 Tracking Website

Imagine being offered $ 8 million for work that you ’ ve already done – all you have to do is say “ Ok , I ’ ll take it.
” Now imagine turning that down .
Avi Schiffmann is a 17-year-old high school junior from Washington State and he did just that .
It wasn ’ t due to a lack of foresight or ingenuity , however , but out of principles .
Back on December 29th of 2019 , when Covid-19 was still just a Chinese problem that most people didn ’ t know about , Avi created @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – ncov2019.live .
Since then , the site has had hundreds of millions of visitors .
As the son of a physician , he did it both with the good intentions of giving people useful health-related data , as well as for a personal software project .
In an interview with Bloomberg ’ s QuickTake series Avi shared that he didn ’ t know half the things he had to do for the website when he started and he viewed it as a personal learning experience .
“ My goal is to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the coronavirus , with multiple methods of getting data , ” Schiffmann said .
“ When I first started I was viewing the whole epidemic as an outsider , and I never expected it to personally affect me , ” he added , referencing the quickly rising number of Covid-19 cases in his hometown of Seattle .
Avi also shared that he ’ s had to invest many hours per day on the website , bug-fixing , adding features , and answering to emails and feedback .
At first , the website @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governmental sites about Covid-19 and translating it into English but Avi has had to include all other countries after that and add much more extra data than just the raw numbers .
He has even included a program that scrapes additional reputable sites like WHO , CDC , and BNO News , and updates itself every minute .
“ I am spending most of my free time working on it , ” Schiffmann said .
“ I get about 100 emails a day for bug fixes , feature requests , that kind of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on adding new things.
” Naturally , pretty soon capitalism “ came a knocking ” and various major businesses started sending him ad offers for his website .
One of them was for a whopping $ 8 million but Avi turned even that paycheck down .
His reasoning ?
He wanted to keep the ncov2019.live site as useful to the people as possible and not bog it down with ads .
“ I think it ’ s a lot easier for me to turn down things like that just because I don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much money .
I feel like as an adult , it ’ s like , ‘ oh yeah , I ’ ll retire now , ’ but I don ’ t want to retire at 17 , ” Avi shared .
Naturally , a lot of people thought his decision was stupid while many others praised him for not profiteering from people ’ s suffering .
At the end of the day , a person with Avi ’ s obvious skills should have plenty of good job opportunities in his life so we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about his financial future .
He has added a donations button to the website – it leads to Ko-Fi , a donation website where people can donate “ cups of coffee ” – something Avi surely needs given all the time he spends on his site .
“ I hope that what I created inspires a lot of young people to find ways they can help , ” he told Bloomberg .
“ I mean , this is a global pandemic that affects everybody.
” Whether you ’ re inspired by Avi ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for his website or you ’ re puzzled by it , it is in line with most other Covid-19 trackers .
Many of the other best websites for keeping up to date with the pandemic have also kept themselves ad-free , including Worldometers , 91-Divoc , the John Hopkins 2019 novel coronavirus visual dashboard , the Covid Tracking Project , the IHME Covid-19 Projections , and others .

Imagine being offered $8 million for work that you’ve already done – all you have to do is say “Ok, I’ll take it.” Now imagine turning that down.
Advertisement
Avi Schiffmann is a 17-year-old high school junior from Washington State and he did just that. It wasn’t due to a lack of foresight or ingenuity, however, but out of principles.
Back on December 29th of 2019, when Covid-19 was still just a Chinese problem that most people didn’t know about, Avi created one of the first Covid-19 tracker websites – ncov2019.live. Since then, the site has had hundreds of millions of visitors.
Advertisement
As the son of a physician, he did it both with the good intentions of giving people useful health-related data, as well as for a personal software project. In an interview with Bloomberg’s QuickTake series Avi shared that he didn’t know half the things he had to do for the website when he started and he viewed it as a personal learning experience.
“My goal is to make the site the best place for information about the coronavirus, with multiple methods of getting data,” Schiffmann said. “When I first started I was viewing the whole epidemic as an outsider, and I never expected it to personally affect me,” he added, referencing the quickly rising number of Covid-19 cases in his hometown of Seattle.
Avi also shared that he’s had to invest many hours per day on the website, bug-fixing, adding features, and answering to emails and feedback. At first, the website was just taking the data from Chinese governmental sites about Covid-19 and translating it into English but Avi has had to include all other countries after that and add much more extra data than just the raw numbers. He has even included a program that scrapes additional reputable sites like WHO, CDC, and BNO News, and updates itself every minute.
Advertisement
“I am spending most of my free time working on it,” Schiffmann said. “I get about 100 emails a day for bug fixes, feature requests, that kind of thing, so I am always working on adding new things.”
Naturally, pretty soon capitalism “came a knocking” and various major businesses started sending him ad offers for his website. One of them was for a whopping $8 million but Avi turned even that paycheck down. His reasoning? He wanted to keep the ncov2019.live site as useful to the people as possible and not bog it down with ads.
“I think it’s a lot easier for me to turn down things like that just because I don’t care that much about making so much money. I feel like as an adult, it’s like, ‘oh yeah, I’ll retire now,’ but I don’t want to retire at 17,” Avi shared.
Advertisement
Naturally, a lot of people thought his decision was stupid while many others praised him for not profiteering from people’s suffering. At the end of the day, a person with Avi’s obvious skills should have plenty of good job opportunities in his life so we hopefully won’t have to worry about his financial future. He has added a donations button to the website – it leads to Ko-Fi, a donation website where people can donate “cups of coffee” – something Avi surely needs given all the time he spends on his site.
“I hope that what I created inspires a lot of young people to find ways they can help,” he told Bloomberg. “I mean, this is a global pandemic that affects everybody.”
Whether you’re inspired by Avi’s decision to deny these ad deals for his website or you’re puzzled by it, it is in line with most other Covid-19 trackers.
Advertisement
Many of the other best websites for keeping up to date with the pandemic have also kept themselves ad-free, including Worldometers, 91-Divoc, the John Hopkins 2019 novel coronavirus visual dashboard, the Covid Tracking Project, the IHME Covid-19 Projections, and others.
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dailyhealthpost--2020-08-03--This Teacher Missed Her Students So Much, She Knitted Tiny Dolls of All 23 Kids In Her Class

The debate on whether schools should reopen in the U.S. has been going on at full throttle for quite some time .
Arguments for both sides are bouncing around the media and online while the president somehow managed to make the contradictory arguments that “ Everything is fine , schools should reopen ” and “ The situation is very bad , we should postpone the election ” .
Still , with the Covid-19 pandemic still tearing the country apart most teachers express fear and concerns about the potential reopening .
After all – their lives will be on the line @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across the world too , not just in the U.S .
But the continuing debate doesn ’ t mean that teachers don ’ t miss their students , however .
On the contrary , Miss Ingeborg Meinster-Van der Duin , a Dutch primary school teacher misses her 23 students so much that she used her free time to knit 23 tiny dolls , one for each of her students .
Miss Ingeborg teaches at Dr. H.Bavinck school in Haarlem , Netherlands , and shared that all her colleagues and students miss going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some time off school may have felt great at first , especially for the students , but pretty soon everyone started missing the face-to-face contact .
“ It was all up and running that the school closed .
It all hit me like this .
The children were no longer in school .
And I miss them so much , ” she said .
That ’ s when she had the adorable idea to do some knitting .
She said that she had just seen similar dolls posted on Pinterest so she thought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the needles .
And while matching the facial features of each student on a simple doll wasn ’ t really feasible , Miss Ingeborg did her best to knit their exact hairstyles as well as their clothes .
Some kids preferred darker sweaters , others – bright cardigans , and Miss Ingeborg gave each doll the preferred clothing of the child it represented .
Each doll was approximately 10 cm ( 4 inches ) tall and she even gave glasses and freckles to some of them !
All in all , each doll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of work but the end result was definitely worth it .
And when the kids noted that there ’ s no doll for the teacher herself , she spent the extra couple of hours to make a doll for herself as well .
“ I keep this in .
Next year I will also make dolls of the next class .
Colleagues have also already asked if I want to knit their classes .
But there really is no time for that , ” she said .
Miss Ingeborg had the chance to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one by one to take their belongings from school .
She used the opportunity to give each child their doll .
Needless to say , the children were able to easily guess their own dolls and were really happy with the end result .
And while such stories are definitely heartwarming , they are also quite bitter-sweet .
Hopefully , students and teachers won ’ t have to miss out on too many in-person classes during the next school year but that ’ s largely dependant on how quickly we manage to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more diligent we are with the preventive measures such as testing , masks , and social distancing in the next couple of months , the sooner we ’ ll be able to put this whole crisis behind us .

The debate on whether schools should reopen in the U.S. has been going on at full throttle for quite some time. Arguments for both sides are bouncing around the media and online while the president somehow managed to make the contradictory arguments that “Everything is fine, schools should reopen” and “The situation is very bad, we should postpone the election”.
Advertisement
Still, with the Covid-19 pandemic still tearing the country apart most teachers express fear and concerns about the potential reopening. After all – their lives will be on the line. And all that is going on across the world too, not just in the U.S.
But the continuing debate doesn’t mean that teachers don’t miss their students, however. On the contrary, Miss Ingeborg Meinster-Van der Duin, a Dutch primary school teacher misses her 23 students so much that she used her free time to knit 23 tiny dolls, one for each of her students.
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Miss Ingeborg teaches at Dr. H.Bavinck school in Haarlem, Netherlands, and shared that all her colleagues and students miss going to school as well. Sure, having some time off school may have felt great at first, especially for the students, but pretty soon everyone started missing the face-to-face contact.
“It was all up and running that the school closed. It all hit me like this. The children were no longer in school. And I miss them so much,” she said.
That’s when she had the adorable idea to do some knitting. She said that she had just seen similar dolls posted on Pinterest so she thought “Why not?” and grabbed the needles.
Advertisement
And while matching the facial features of each student on a simple doll wasn’t really feasible, Miss Ingeborg did her best to knit their exact hairstyles as well as their clothes.
Some kids preferred darker sweaters, others – bright cardigans, and Miss Ingeborg gave each doll the preferred clothing of the child it represented. Each doll was approximately 10 cm (4 inches) tall and she even gave glasses and freckles to some of them!
All in all, each doll took her between 3 and 4 hours of work but the end result was definitely worth it. And when the kids noted that there’s no doll for the teacher herself, she spent the extra couple of hours to make a doll for herself as well.
Advertisement
“I keep this in. Next year I will also make dolls of the next class. Colleagues have also already asked if I want to knit their classes. But there really is no time for that,” she said.
Miss Ingeborg had the chance to meet her students again when they came one by one to take their belongings from school. She used the opportunity to give each child their doll. Needless to say, the children were able to easily guess their own dolls and were really happy with the end result.
And while such stories are definitely heartwarming, they are also quite bitter-sweet. Hopefully, students and teachers won’t have to miss out on too many in-person classes during the next school year but that’s largely dependant on how quickly we manage to get the Covid-19 pandemic under control.
Advertisement
The more diligent we are with the preventive measures such as testing, masks, and social distancing in the next couple of months, the sooner we’ll be able to put this whole crisis behind us.
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dailyhealthpost--2020-08-04--Researchers Create Artificial Cartilage Gel Strong Enough to Work Like The Real Thing

Knee and joint problems may not be the deadliest health issue in the U.S. and the world but they are certainly a major problem nonetheless .
Over 790,000 knee replacements are done in the U.S. every year and the operations are expensive , invasive , and often with short-term effectiveness only .
All that is understandable given how complicated the natural knee cartilage is .
This fantastic biological substance acts as both a soft cushion for our knee bones and joints and as a tough and durable barrier between them .
Researchers from Duke University believe they have finally managed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the properties of natural cartilage .
If further testing proves them right , the new substance may become the new norm for people with knee problems in old age or from injuries .
“ We set out to make the first hydrogel that has the mechanical properties of cartilage , ” says chemist Ben Wiley from Duke University .
What ’ s more , if this works , it will also make knee surgeries much easier and more affordable .
Instead of having to rip out the entire knee joint , doctors will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
How does it work ?
What ’ s so magical about this new artificial substance ?
It ’ s a hydrogel and as with any other hydrogel , it ’ s made out of water-absorbing polymers .
In this case , three key polymers make up this cartilage : • One is made out of spaghetti-like strands of molecules .
• The second polymer is less flexible and has a basket-like structure .
• The third and final one is made out of cellulose fibers and is the mesh that holds the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ combination of these three polymers is what gives the new substance its properties .
When the cartilage is stretched , the third polymer keeps the hydrogel intact .
When the substance is squeezed , the first two polymers repel each other and stick to the water in the hydrogel , maintaining the original shape of the cartilage .
The new hydrogel has already passed a lot of tests involving both squeezing and stretching and looks like it will pass all future tests as well .
One of the tests involved 100,000 repeated pulls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as the porous titanium that ’ s currently used in bone implants .
In another test , the hydrogel was rubbed against natural cartilage for a total of one million times and it proved to be as resistant to wear and tear as the real thing .
“ Only this combination of all three components is both flexible and stiff and therefore strong , ” says materials scientist Feichen Yang , also from Duke University .
There ’ s still a long way to go As with any other new scientific discovery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be done .
There are more tests to be done and going through the approval process for use in humans may take 3 or more years .
Additionally , there are no guarantees yet .
The hydrogel has passed all tests with flying colors but those tests were all done in laboratory conditions .
The next step will likely be animal implantation – only after that can human trials begin .
Nevertheless , everything we ’ ve seen so far has been promising .
If things go well , this hydrogel can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ replacement surgeries but faster , easier , and cheaper ones too .
What ’ s more , replacing the knee cartilage may become so easy that we won ’ t have to wait till the last moment anymore and do it as soon as we start feeling any persistent pain and discomfort .

Knee and joint problems may not be the deadliest health issue in the U.S. and the world but they are certainly a major problem nonetheless. Over 790,000 knee replacements are done in the U.S. every year and the operations are expensive, invasive, and often with short-term effectiveness only.
Advertisement
All that is understandable given how complicated the natural knee cartilage is. This fantastic biological substance acts as both a soft cushion for our knee bones and joints and as a tough and durable barrier between them.
Researchers from Duke University believe they have finally managed to create artificial cartilage that has all the properties of natural cartilage. If further testing proves them right, the new substance may become the new norm for people with knee problems in old age or from injuries.
Advertisement
“We set out to make the first hydrogel that has the mechanical properties of cartilage,” says chemist Ben Wiley from Duke University.
What’s more, if this works, it will also make knee surgeries much easier and more affordable. Instead of having to rip out the entire knee joint, doctors will only need to replace the worn-out cartilage!
How does it work?
What’s so magical about this new artificial substance? It’s a hydrogel and as with any other hydrogel, it’s made out of water-absorbing polymers. In this case, three key polymers make up this cartilage:
Advertisement
One is made out of spaghetti-like strands of molecules.
The second polymer is less flexible and has a basket-like structure.
The third and final one is made out of cellulose fibers and is the mesh that holds the other two polymers together.
The unique combination of these three polymers is what gives the new substance its properties. When the cartilage is stretched, the third polymer keeps the hydrogel intact. When the substance is squeezed, the first two polymers repel each other and stick to the water in the hydrogel, maintaining the original shape of the cartilage.
The new hydrogel has already passed a lot of tests involving both squeezing and stretching and looks like it will pass all future tests as well.
One of the tests involved 100,000 repeated pulls – the new hydrogel stood up as well as the porous titanium that’s currently used in bone implants.
Advertisement
In another test, the hydrogel was rubbed against natural cartilage for a total of one million times and it proved to be as resistant to wear and tear as the real thing.
“Only this combination of all three components is both flexible and stiff and therefore strong,” says materials scientist Feichen Yang, also from Duke University.
There’s still a long way to go
As with any other new scientific discovery, there’s still more work to be done. There are more tests to be done and going through the approval process for use in humans may take 3 or more years.
Advertisement
Additionally, there are no guarantees yet. The hydrogel has passed all tests with flying colors but those tests were all done in laboratory conditions. The next step will likely be animal implantation – only after that can human trials begin.
Nevertheless, everything we’ve seen so far has been promising. If things go well, this hydrogel can offer us not only more effective knee replacement surgeries but faster, easier, and cheaper ones too. What’s more, replacing the knee cartilage may become so easy that we won’t have to wait till the last moment anymore and do it as soon as we start feeling any persistent pain and discomfort.
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dailyhealthpost--2020-08-04--Homeless Man Becomes Millionaire By Building Beaches In People’s Backyards

Every now and then , we are inspired by the story of a self-made and highly successful entrepreneur .
This time it ’ s 33-year-old Eric White .
His company Zydeco Construction , based in Louisiana , specializes in constructing crystal clear swimming ponds surrounded by sand , much like a beach .
Clients can have their beach customized with umbrellas , outdoor kitchens , volleyball nets , and gazebos .
Never go to the Beach Again This way , you ’ ll never need to go to the beach again , which you have to share with hundreds of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own , in your very own backyard !
Does anything limit the size of your “ home beach ” ?
Only your imagination , says White – apart from tangible things like money and land .
A Dream Come True for Everyone Having their very own swimming pond is a dream come true for White ’ s numerous clients , just like building swimming ponds is a dream come true for him .
The self-made entrepreneur sold his previous company , Louisiana-based Cool Pools , for more than a million dollars last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dream of mine to do these different things , ” White said .
“ I like to stay in the market for things that most companies don ’ t offer , especially custom requests.
” White ’ s company also offers outdoor kitchens and in-ground trampolines .
In line with his motto in life – making things happen – he can come up with a creative way to master any challenge .
He also specializes in building embankments for homes with flooded or water-logged backyards and other drainage solutions .
His unique and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neighbors adversely .
White has loved construction ever since he was a little boy .
His aptitude for it probably predates his knowledge of the concept .
He struggled a lot as a teen and was even homeless for about eight months when he was 15 , after dropping out of school .
He shares that he could barely read and spell his name at that time .
He always loved building , though , and was very motivated to become successful at it .
To get his life back on track , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ firm .
The struggle was very real ; he even had a family at that time .
Later , he did a stint as a mechanic for Ford , but it wasn ’ t his thing .
The big break came when he learned a construction company in Baton Rouge was hiring and paying quite well for those years – $ 12 an hour .
He shares he was lucky enough to start under an understanding boss who taught him all about the business and took him under his wing .
White ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In fact , he had been promoted to team manager within the first six months .
Not long after that , it was time for his creativity to shine .
He launched Zydeco Construction to keep himself “ busy ” and realize some of his inspired visions .
POND Trade magazine reports that contractors in states across the US specialize in natural swimming pools and swimming ponds .
In that sense , White has had a chance to learn from the best .
Companies nationwide are offering backyard beaches and realizing their visions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flair that makes his products stand out .
Zydeco Construction can build a super-bouncy trampoline on ground level among other backyard amusements .
White does every pond differently .
His approach to addressing challenges is also exceptional .
The main problem with swimming ponds according to industry experts is ensuring filtration , pumps , or lights won ’ t lead to danger of shock .
Another issue involves the propensity of harmful bacteria to multiply in these types of water bodies .
It is precisely those issues that motivated White to become who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his mission in life to resolve them and transform each and every pond created by him into a “ paradise.
” He conducted extensive , in-depth research and applied what he learned to pond design and construction .
Among his achievements is designing a swim pond specialty pump , for which he acquired a patent .
Your Own Beach : Fun and Affordable Finally , the answer to everyone ’ s question : how much would having your own beach cost ?
Surprisingly , it ’ s quite affordable – about $ 20,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time to build because it is customized based on the client ’ s preferences and the specifics of the location .
The result is most certainly worth waiting for .

Every now and then, we are inspired by the story of a self-made and highly successful entrepreneur. This time it’s 33-year-old Eric White. His company Zydeco Construction, based in Louisiana, specializes in constructing crystal clear swimming ponds surrounded by sand, much like a beach. Clients can have their beach customized with umbrellas, outdoor kitchens, volleyball nets, and gazebos.
Advertisement
Never go to the Beach Again
This way, you’ll never need to go to the beach again, which you have to share with hundreds of other people sometimes. You have your own, in your very own backyard!
Does anything limit the size of your “home beach”? Only your imagination, says White – apart from tangible things like money and land.
Advertisement
A Dream Come True for Everyone
Having their very own swimming pond is a dream come true for White’s numerous clients, just like building swimming ponds is a dream come true for him. The self-made entrepreneur sold his previous company, Louisiana-based Cool Pools, for more than a million dollars last year.
“It has always been a dream of mine to do these different things,” White said. “I like to stay in the market for things that most companies don’t offer, especially custom requests.”
White’s company also offers outdoor kitchens and in-ground trampolines. In line with his motto in life – making things happen – he can come up with a creative way to master any challenge. He also specializes in building embankments for homes with flooded or water-logged backyards and other drainage solutions. His unique and effective drainage solutions will never impact your neighbors adversely.
Advertisement
Difficult Beginnings
White has loved construction ever since he was a little boy. His aptitude for it probably predates his knowledge of the concept. He struggled a lot as a teen and was even homeless for about eight months when he was 15, after dropping out of school. He shares that he could barely read and spell his name at that time.
He always loved building, though, and was very motivated to become successful at it. To get his life back on track, he began helping at a local construction firm. The struggle was very real; he even had a family at that time. Later, he did a stint as a mechanic for Ford, but it wasn’t his thing.
The Big Break
The big break came when he learned a construction company in Baton Rouge was hiring and paying quite well for those years – $12 an hour. He shares he was lucky enough to start under an understanding boss who taught him all about the business and took him under his wing. White’s leadership skills emerged early on. In fact, he had been promoted to team manager within the first six months.
Advertisement
Not long after that, it was time for his creativity to shine. He launched Zydeco Construction to keep himself “busy” and realize some of his inspired visions.
Entering the High-Powered Sector
POND Trade magazine reports that contractors in states across the US specialize in natural swimming pools and swimming ponds. In that sense, White has had a chance to learn from the best. Companies nationwide are offering backyard beaches and realizing their visions. It is White’s creative flair that makes his products stand out. Zydeco Construction can build a super-bouncy trampoline on ground level among other backyard amusements.
White does every pond differently. His approach to addressing challenges is also exceptional. The main problem with swimming ponds according to industry experts is ensuring filtration, pumps, or lights won’t lead to danger of shock. Another issue involves the propensity of harmful bacteria to multiply in these types of water bodies.
Advertisement
It is precisely those issues that motivated White to become who he is today. He made it his mission in life to resolve them and transform each and every pond created by him into a “paradise.” He conducted extensive, in-depth research and applied what he learned to pond design and construction. Among his achievements is designing a swim pond specialty pump, for which he acquired a patent.
Your Own Beach: Fun and Affordable
Finally, the answer to everyone’s question: how much would having your own beach cost? Surprisingly, it’s quite affordable – about $20,000 according to White. Each pond takes time to build because it is customized based on the client’s preferences and the specifics of the location. The result is most certainly worth waiting for.
519 Shares Email Flip WhatsApp


dailyhealthpost--2020-08-05--Microbiome Rewilding: Biodiverse Urban Green Spaces Strengthen Human Immune Systems

Having a good and healthy natural diversity both in and out of the big urban centers is vital for a lot of “ unseen ” reasons .
Even beyond the direct positive effects of green vegetation and a diverse animal population , there ’ s also the microbiota diversity we often forget about .
Its importance was recently highlighted by a team of scientists led by the University of Adelaide in Australia .
According to the study published in the journal Restoration Ecology , the revegetation of green spaces within cities has the potential of improving the soil microbiota diversity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ biodiverse and natural state with multiple benefits for people as well .
In the study , the scientist looked into the composition of different type of urban green spaces such as parklands , vacant lots , lawns , woodland remnants , vegetated woodlands , and others , all from the City of Playford Council area in South Australia .
During this research , they concluded that it ’ s possible to restore the microbiome of urban green spaces , aka “ microbiome rewilding ” .
Doing so would mean exposing ourselves to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help improve and strengthen our immune systems .
Ph.D .
Candidate Jacob Mills from the University of Adelaide ’ s School of Biological Sciences and Environment Institute and lead author of the study explained that , historically , humans used to live in more rural and wild landscapes , which meant we – and our children – were exposed to a richer variety of microbes .
Therefore – they used to have much stronger immune systems .
“ Urbanisation has radically changed our childhoods .
More time spent indoors , poor quality diets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ led to significant increases in non-communicable diseases such as poorer respiratory health , ” said Jacob .
“ Exposure to biodiverse natural environments carries ecological benefits—green spaces with higher eco-system function give children better exposure to pick things up from soil , for example , there are microbial compounds in soil that reduce stress and anxiety .
Put simply , the more diversity in microbiota that children are exposed to the healthier they will grow up , ” he followed .
According to the research , woodland remnants and revegetated woodlands also include @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than other green spaces such as lawns and parks .
This also means a more diverse microbiota .
“ This indicates that the revegetated woodlands soil microbiome had somewhat recovered to its previous more natural biodiverse state , ” said Jacob .
“ Plant species richness , soil pH and electrical conductivity were the main variables for microbial communities in our study , the more diverse the soil biodiversity the better the eco-system function .
Urban spaces low in microbial diversity tend to be more conducive to pathogens and pests , also known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ species diversity is important for the structure of microbial communities and increases eco-system function , ” he said .
Why does it matter ?
All this can seem awfully abstract at first glance but it ’ s actually very actionable research .
According to Mills , the study has implications that can be addressed immediately in urban design plans and urban architecture and councils .
“ Our study provides a footing for urban planners and designers to place the environmental microbiome and access to diverse green spaces in their design principles when developing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ biodiversity comes with the potential to reduce non-communicable disease rates through improved training of our immune systems to fight illness and disease.
” “ It could be implemented as a potential preventative health measure , particularly beneficial for lower socio-economic areas and could lessen the burden on our health systems.
” In short , this study is a vital first step toward proving that revegetation improves soil microbial diversity and can create a healthier and biodiverse environment for people .
Further studies are also needed and should be coming but even just these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hope that this work will inspire further research to understand and measure the impact of microbiome rewilding on human health , ” said Jacob .

Having a good and healthy natural diversity both in and out of the big urban centers is vital for a lot of “unseen” reasons. Even beyond the direct positive effects of green vegetation and a diverse animal population, there’s also the microbiota diversity we often forget about. Its importance was recently highlighted by a team of scientists led by the University of Adelaide in Australia.
Advertisement
According to the study published in the journal Restoration Ecology, the revegetation of green spaces within cities has the potential of improving the soil microbiota diversity, which can lead to a more biodiverse and natural state with multiple benefits for people as well.
In the study, the scientist looked into the composition of different type of urban green spaces such as parklands, vacant lots, lawns, woodland remnants, vegetated woodlands, and others, all from the City of Playford Council area in South Australia. During this research, they concluded that it’s possible to restore the microbiome of urban green spaces, aka “microbiome rewilding”.
Advertisement
Doing so would mean exposing ourselves to a greater variety of microbiota and thus – help improve and strengthen our immune systems.
Ph.D. Candidate Jacob Mills from the University of Adelaide’s School of Biological Sciences and Environment Institute and lead author of the study explained that, historically, humans used to live in more rural and wild landscapes, which meant we – and our children – were exposed to a richer variety of microbes. Therefore – they used to have much stronger immune systems.
“Urbanisation has radically changed our childhoods. More time spent indoors, poor quality diets and less exposure to wild environments has led to significant increases in non-communicable diseases such as poorer respiratory health,” said Jacob.
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“Exposure to biodiverse natural environments carries ecological benefits—green spaces with higher eco-system function give children better exposure to pick things up from soil, for example, there are microbial compounds in soil that reduce stress and anxiety. Put simply, the more diversity in microbiota that children are exposed to the healthier they will grow up,” he followed.
According to the research, woodland remnants and revegetated woodlands also include more plant species native to the region than other green spaces such as lawns and parks. This also means a more diverse microbiota.
“This indicates that the revegetated woodlands soil microbiome had somewhat recovered to its previous more natural biodiverse state,” said Jacob.
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“Plant species richness, soil pH and electrical conductivity were the main variables for microbial communities in our study, the more diverse the soil biodiversity the better the eco-system function. Urban spaces low in microbial diversity tend to be more conducive to pathogens and pests, also known as microbial ‘weeds.’ Increasing plant species diversity is important for the structure of microbial communities and increases eco-system function,” he said.
Why does it matter?
All this can seem awfully abstract at first glance but it’s actually very actionable research. According to Mills, the study has implications that can be addressed immediately in urban design plans and urban architecture and councils.
“Our study provides a footing for urban planners and designers to place the environmental microbiome and access to diverse green spaces in their design principles when developing and rejuvenating urban areas.”
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“Greater biodiversity comes with the potential to reduce non-communicable disease rates through improved training of our immune systems to fight illness and disease.”
“It could be implemented as a potential preventative health measure, particularly beneficial for lower socio-economic areas and could lessen the burden on our health systems.”
In short, this study is a vital first step toward proving that revegetation improves soil microbial diversity and can create a healthier and biodiverse environment for people. Further studies are also needed and should be coming but even just these results are quite conclusive.
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“We hope that this work will inspire further research to understand and measure the impact of microbiome rewilding on human health,” said Jacob.
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dailyhealthpost--2020-08-05--Elderly Widow Takes Stranger and His Newborn Home After Airline Leaves Them Stranded

We all know someone who ’ s had at least one bad experience with airlines .
Whether it ’ s a nasty delay , lost luggage , food poisoning , or just an unpleasant flight – there are lots of things that can happen on a plane or at the airport .
Being stranded there like in the movie The Terminal and with a 4-day-old baby in your hands , however – that ’ s especially awful .
That ’ s exactly what happened to Rubin Swift and his daughter Ru-Andria .
The 43-year-old man had just flown in Phoenix @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being awarded custody to his newborn daughter .
He visited her at the Banner University Medical Center to fill out all the necessary paperwork , and had immediately started bonding with his little girl .
Even though Rubin was surprisingly thrust into a weird situation , being a father wasn ’ t something new to him .
At 43 , he already had three grown children from a previous marriage as well as four step-children with his current wife , Tiffany .
So , Rubin knew what he was doing when he took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ airport with her – that much was obvious to the staff at the hospital , including 78-year-old widow Joy Ringhofer who was a NICU volunteer there and met Rubin and Ro-Andria .
In fact , Joy liked the father-daughter duo so much that she gave them a ride to the airport and left Rubin her phone number .
Little did she know how vital that act of kindness would end up being .
Even though Rubin had all the necessary documentation with him and Ru-Andria was cleared for flying by the hospital , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ board their plane for Cleveland .
It turned out that Frontier Airline ’ s policy was that babies younger than 7 days can not fly with them under any circumstances .
What ’ s more , they also required a copy of a birth certificate which Rubin didn ’ t have with him cause it wasn ’ t officially issued yet .
This meant that the father and his newborn daughter wouldn ’ t be able to fly not only in the next 3 days ( until she got 7-days-old ) but actually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s how long the hospital needed to issue a birth certificate !
With no money for a flight with another airline , no money to rent a car or a motel room , no reimbursement from Frontier Airlines , Rubin and Ru-Andria were in trouble .
“ I was out of money and the hospital told me that I wouldn ’ t be able to get a birth certificate for seven days .
I was worried that if security saw me sleeping at the airport with a newborn , they ’ d take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with neglect .
I was stuck.
” The first thing Rubin did was to call his wife , Tiffany .
She too was at a loss as to what they should do .
“ When he called me from the airport and told me that they weren ’ t going to let him fly until he could get a birth certificate in four days , I felt panicked … I didn ’ t want him to sleep at the airport .
I was scared because it looked like we were out of options @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s when Rubin remembered that he still had Joy ’ s number .
Worried and doubtful that a widowed white senior citizen would be willing to do more than she had already done for a lone African-American father , Rubin called her – he had to try and ask her for help .
Luckily , the old lady sprung into action and immediately drove back to the airport to pick them up !
“ I told him , ‘ I ’ m going to take you home with me , ’ so wait @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of dangers out there , but there ’ s a lot of good , too .
I ’ d enjoyed talking to Rubin at the hospital and helping him with the baby .
He was polite and kind and I could tell that he had a good heart , ” Joy shared .
Rubin was as surprised as he was relieved .
“ I ’ m black and she is white .
I ’ m a stranger who grew up in the projects in the Bronx and she ’ s a great-grandmother who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very little about me , and yet , she took me in .
Color wasn ’ t an issue to her .
She showed me that in this crazy world , there is still compassion.
” Rubin called his wife again and told her that he had found help – Joy didn ’ t just offer them a ride , she invited them into her home .
Rubin and Ru-Andria were welcome in the widow ’ s home for the several days needed until the hospital finally issued the girl ’ s birth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shared how awesome the experience was for all of them .
“ Miss Joy was like an angel and she ’ d really bonded with Ru-Andria .
Whenever my daughter heard her voice , her face would light up .
As soon as she took us in , I knew we ’ d be friends for life , ” Rubin said .
The two of them chatted every day , took care of the little baby , and got to know each other .
They tool Ru-Andria on daily walks , they went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s late husband ’ s gravesite together .
Joy shared that she herself had four children and seven grandchildren as well as three great-grandchildren .
It ’ s little wonder that she was getting along so well with the young Ru-Andria .
“ I could see the pain in her face from losing her husband , so at the cemetery , as we sat there with the baby , I said , ‘ Hey , Charles , look — it ’ s your new granddaughter.
’ We had some touching and wonderful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I lost my mom to cancer in 2007 , so Joy really became like a mother or grandmother figure to me.
” Finally , Ru-Andria ’ s birth certificate was ready and her father could fly her home .
To their credit , Frontier Airlines had , at least , moved his flight ’ s date with no additional fees .
Everything was finally set and the only downside now was leaving Joy behind .
The two vowed to stay in touch and FaceTime each other regularly so she could see Ru-Andria grow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ d always be in touch from that day forward .
We started out as strangers , and ended up as good friends , ” Joy said .
“ Rubin is very grateful to me , but I ’ m also very grateful to have had the opportunity.
” Most people in Joy ’ s place would have turned their back on Rubin and he was very aware of that and shared that he ’ ll forever be grateful to her .
Hopefully , little Ru-Andria and Joy will have lots of years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other too even if it ’ s just on video most of the time .
For now , there ’ s at least this heartwarming video from the time the trio spend together .

We all know someone who’s had at least one bad experience with airlines. Whether it’s a nasty delay, lost luggage, food poisoning, or just an unpleasant flight – there are lots of things that can happen on a plane or at the airport. Being stranded there like in the movie The Terminal and with a 4-day-old baby in your hands, however – that’s especially awful.
Advertisement
That’s exactly what happened to Rubin Swift and his daughter Ru-Andria. The 43-year-old man had just flown in Phoenix, Arizona from Cleveland, Ohio after being awarded custody to his newborn daughter. He visited her at the Banner University Medical Center to fill out all the necessary paperwork, and had immediately started bonding with his little girl.
Even though Rubin was surprisingly thrust into a weird situation, being a father wasn’t something new to him. At 43, he already had three grown children from a previous marriage as well as four step-children with his current wife, Tiffany. So, Rubin knew what he was doing when he took his daughter and headed back to the airport with her – that much was obvious to the staff at the hospital, including 78-year-old widow Joy Ringhofer who was a NICU volunteer there and met Rubin and Ro-Andria.
Advertisement
In fact, Joy liked the father-daughter duo so much that she gave them a ride to the airport and left Rubin her phone number. Little did she know how vital that act of kindness would end up being.
Stopped at the gate
Even though Rubin had all the necessary documentation with him and Ru-Andria was cleared for flying by the hospital, the airline didn’t let them board their plane for Cleveland. It turned out that Frontier Airline’s policy was that babies younger than 7 days cannot fly with them under any circumstances. What’s more, they also required a copy of a birth certificate which Rubin didn’t have with him cause it wasn’t officially issued yet.
This meant that the father and his newborn daughter wouldn’t be able to fly not only in the next 3 days (until she got 7-days-old) but actually for a full week as that’s how long the hospital needed to issue a birth certificate!
Advertisement
With no money for a flight with another airline, no money to rent a car or a motel room, no reimbursement from Frontier Airlines, Rubin and Ru-Andria were in trouble.
“I was out of money and the hospital told me that I wouldn’t be able to get a birth certificate for seven days. I was worried that if security saw me sleeping at the airport with a newborn, they’d take her away from me and charge me with neglect. I was stuck.”
The first thing Rubin did was to call his wife, Tiffany. She too was at a loss as to what they should do.
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“When he called me from the airport and told me that they weren’t going to let him fly until he could get a birth certificate in four days, I felt panicked … I didn’t want him to sleep at the airport. I was scared because it looked like we were out of options,” Tiffany said.
A way out
That’s when Rubin remembered that he still had Joy’s number. Worried and doubtful that a widowed white senior citizen would be willing to do more than she had already done for a lone African-American father, Rubin called her – he had to try and ask her for help. Luckily, the old lady sprung into action and immediately drove back to the airport to pick them up!
“I told him, ‘I’m going to take you home with me,’ so wait right there. There are a lot of dangers out there, but there’s a lot of good, too. I’d enjoyed talking to Rubin at the hospital and helping him with the baby. He was polite and kind and I could tell that he had a good heart,” Joy shared.
Advertisement
Rubin was as surprised as he was relieved.
“I’m black and she is white. I’m a stranger who grew up in the projects in the Bronx and she’s a great-grandmother who recently lost her husband. She knew very little about me, and yet, she took me in. Color wasn’t an issue to her. She showed me that in this crazy world, there is still compassion.”
Rubin called his wife again and told her that he had found help – Joy didn’t just offer them a ride, she invited them into her home. Rubin and Ru-Andria were welcome in the widow’s home for the several days needed until the hospital finally issued the girl’s birth certificate. And both Rubin and Joy shared how awesome the experience was for all of them.
Advertisement
“Miss Joy was like an angel and she’d really bonded with Ru-Andria. Whenever my daughter heard her voice, her face would light up. As soon as she took us in, I knew we’d be friends for life,” Rubin said.
The two of them chatted every day, took care of the little baby, and got to know each other. They tool Ru-Andria on daily walks, they went grocery shopping, and even visited Joy’s late husband’s gravesite together. Joy shared that she herself had four children and seven grandchildren as well as three great-grandchildren. It’s little wonder that she was getting along so well with the young Ru-Andria.
“I could see the pain in her face from losing her husband, so at the cemetery, as we sat there with the baby, I said, ‘Hey, Charles, look — it’s your new granddaughter.’ We had some touching and wonderful moments,” Rubin said. “I lost my mom to cancer in 2007, so Joy really became like a mother or grandmother figure to me.”
Advertisement
Finally, Ru-Andria’s birth certificate was ready and her father could fly her home. To their credit, Frontier Airlines had, at least, moved his flight’s date with no additional fees. Everything was finally set and the only downside now was leaving Joy behind. The two vowed to stay in touch and FaceTime each other regularly so she could see Ru-Andria grow.
“We just knew that we’d always be in touch from that day forward. We started out as strangers, and ended up as good friends,” Joy said. “Rubin is very grateful to me, but I’m also very grateful to have had the opportunity.”
Most people in Joy’s place would have turned their back on Rubin and he was very aware of that and shared that he’ll forever be grateful to her. Hopefully, little Ru-Andria and Joy will have lots of years and opportunities to get to know each other too even if it’s just on video most of the time. For now, there’s at least this heartwarming video from the time the trio spend together.
Advertisement
Kind Woman Opens Home to Stranded Father and His 4-Day-Old Newborn
Watch this video on YouTube
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dailyhealthpost--2020-08-06--CEO Gives His Employees $2,000 to Go On Vacation Says People are More Productive Than Ever

Most CEOs are very particular when it comes to their employees ’ paid leave , vacations , and bonuses .
After all , these are money coming straight out of the company ’ s budget , and CEOs are taught to be very careful and conservative with money .
Mark Douglas has a different approach , however .
As the CEO of SteelHouse , a marketing and advertising company , Mark implements a rather unorthodox strategy .
He founded SteelHouse in 2010 but by 2011 he already had figured out how to ramp up his employees ’ productivity , company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them to take vacations .
“ If you have a caged lion that was born in captivity , and then you open the cage , they back up more into the cage .
They don ’ t start running free , ” Mark says .
“ When we first started telling people they had unlimited vacation , they didn ’ t even know how to interpret that.
” What Mark Douglas does is pay each of his employees up to $ 2,000 annually for vacation expenses .
That ’ s in addition to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can spend their vacation budget on several different trips or at once – Mark doesn ’ t care .
“ Our culture is really simple , ” he said .
“ It ’ s based on trust and ambition.
” That trust applies to everyone in the company too .
When the SteelHouse employees buy their tickets on a Monday , they get the money reimbursed by Tuesday .
And if they can ’ t front the cash themselves , they can use the SteelHouse company credit card too , up to $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , some employees said they don ’ t want to go on a vacation and asked for $ 2,000 bonuses instead .
And while that ’ s an understandable request at face value as some people are strapped for cash or just don ’ t like traveling , it didn ’ t match with Mark ’ s concept of boosting his employees ’ productivity with some time off .
So , he insists that this $ 2,000 annually is spent traveling .
“ I actually want you to go somewhere and enjoy yourself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10 years of success , Mark stands by his strategy .
His company is comprised of 250 employees and only five of them have left the company in the past three years , with three of them leaving for reasons unrelated to the work or company themselves .
We have virtually zero turnover , ” Mark said and , for him , the explanation is simple – rested and recharged employees are happy , loyal , and productive employees .
And while Douglas dislikes the word “ policy ” as “ policy is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believes companies from all industries can incorporate such a policy in their work .
It can feel a little costly in the short-term , of course , but it starts to pay itself off very quickly , in Mark ’ s experience .
“ Many companies just need to learn about the idea so that it doesn ’ t seem so scary , ” he says .
Douglas is also very humble when it comes to his “ policy ” and readily admits that the idea wasn ’ t his .
Instead , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier employment experience .
“ The first time I got exposed to real corporate culture that had elements of what we ’ re talking about , it changed my perspective for the rest of my life , ” he said .
Douglas hopes that many of his employees would one day go on to establish their own companies and implement similar forward-thinking policies .
“ It ’ s one thing to say ‘ You have three weeks vacation , ’ like most companies do , ” he said .
“ It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cash , and if you don ’ t go on vacation and spend this money , the money literally goes to waste.
’ It ’ s another level of saying this is real.
” Of course , in theory , the idea that time off increases productivity isn ’ t that new .
Every since the 16-hour-work-days were abolished and the 8-hour-work-day was established by Congress on 25 June 1868 , people realized that employees achieved more on in 8 hours than they did in 16 .
And since then , even more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 4- or 6-hours workdays can mean even greater per-hour productivity and quality of work .
But even beyond a simple reduction of hours , vacations and time off work have also been thoroughly proven to increase workers ’ happiness , health , productivity , and company loyalty .
And yet companies like SteelHouse are still the exception and not the norm .
Hopefully , through the efforts of people like Mark Douglas this can change soon .
Why Some Companies Are Paying For Their Employees ’ Vacations

Most CEOs are very particular when it comes to their employees’ paid leave, vacations, and bonuses. After all, these are money coming straight out of the company’s budget, and CEOs are taught to be very careful and conservative with money.
Advertisement
Mark Douglas has a different approach, however. As the CEO of SteelHouse, a marketing and advertising company, Mark implements a rather unorthodox strategy. He founded SteelHouse in 2010 but by 2011 he already had figured out how to ramp up his employees’ productivity, company loyalty, and overall happiness – pay them to take vacations.
“If you have a caged lion that was born in captivity, and then you open the cage, they back up more into the cage. They don’t start running free,” Mark says. “When we first started telling people they had unlimited vacation, they didn’t even know how to interpret that.”
Advertisement
What Mark Douglas does is pay each of his employees up to $2,000 annually for vacation expenses. That’s in addition to their paid leave. The SteelHouse employees can spend their vacation budget on several different trips or at once – Mark doesn’t care.
“Our culture is really simple,” he said. “It’s based on trust and ambition.”
That trust applies to everyone in the company too. When the SteelHouse employees buy their tickets on a Monday, they get the money reimbursed by Tuesday. And if they can’t front the cash themselves, they can use the SteelHouse company credit card too, up to $2,000 per year.
Advertisement
In the beginning, some employees said they don’t want to go on a vacation and asked for $2,000 bonuses instead. And while that’s an understandable request at face value as some people are strapped for cash or just don’t like traveling, it didn’t match with Mark’s concept of boosting his employees’ productivity with some time off. So, he insists that this $ 2,000 annually is spent traveling.
“I actually want you to go somewhere and enjoy yourself,” he said.
And after 10 years of success, Mark stands by his strategy. His company is comprised of 250 employees and only five of them have left the company in the past three years, with three of them leaving for reasons unrelated to the work or company themselves.
Advertisement
We have virtually zero turnover,” Mark said and, for him, the explanation is simple – rested and recharged employees are happy, loyal, and productive employees.
And while Douglas dislikes the word “policy” as “policy is policing” in his words, he believes companies from all industries can incorporate such a policy in their work. It can feel a little costly in the short-term, of course, but it starts to pay itself off very quickly, in Mark’s experience.
“Many companies just need to learn about the idea so that it doesn’t seem so scary,” he says.
Advertisement
Douglas is also very humble when it comes to his “policy” and readily admits that the idea wasn’t his. Instead, he picked it up from his own earlier employment experience.
“The first time I got exposed to real corporate culture that had elements of what we’re talking about, it changed my perspective for the rest of my life,” he said.
Douglas hopes that many of his employees would one day go on to establish their own companies and implement similar forward-thinking policies.
Advertisement
“It’s one thing to say ‘You have three weeks vacation,’ like most companies do,” he said. “It’s another thing to say ‘You have cash, and if you don’t go on vacation and spend this money, the money literally goes to waste.’ It’s another level of saying this is real.”
Of course, in theory, the idea that time off increases productivity isn’t that new. Every since the 16-hour-work-days were abolished and the 8-hour-work-day was established by Congress on 25 June 1868, people realized that employees achieved more on in 8 hours than they did in 16. And since then, even more data has come out to suggest that 4- or 6-hours workdays can mean even greater per-hour productivity and quality of work.
But even beyond a simple reduction of hours, vacations and time off work have also been thoroughly proven to increase workers’ happiness, health, productivity, and company loyalty.
Advertisement
And yet companies like SteelHouse are still the exception and not the norm. Hopefully, through the efforts of people like Mark Douglas this can change soon.
Why Some Companies Are Paying For Their Employees’ Vacations
Why Some Companies Are Paying For Their Employees’ Vacations | TODAY
Watch this video on YouTube
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dailyhealthpost--2020-08-07--86-year-old Grandfather Teaches Himself How to Knit And Makes Tiny Hats For Premature Babies

Who says that when you get old you can ’ t learn new things ?
86-year-old Ed Moseley had never knitted anything in his long life and he probably never thought he would .
However , when the Dogwood Forest assisted living facility office offered the challenge for residents to knit caps for premature babies , he decided to give it a try .
He asked his granddaughter to get him a knitting kit and he started practicing .
“ Bless her heart , she went … and got a [ starter loom ] kit , yarn and instruction kit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and learned it just takes patience , ” he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution .
The caps Ed Mosely was asked to knit weren ’ t necessarily special in any way other than that they needed to be small .
They are necessary because preterm babies are unable to regulate their body temperature properly and need extra protection .
And since they are so tiny , there aren ’ t enough clothes and caps made especially for them .
Hence – the need for caps .
This can sound like a silly problem at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just wrap a scarf around them or something ?
Well , it turns out that over 1 million preterm babies across the world die each year due to hypothermia and other body temperature-related deaths .
If you want to learn how you can help , initiatives such as the “ Tiny Hats for Tiny Babies ” one of the University of California San Francisco is one you can check , How did Ed do ?
The elderly man shared that it took him a while to get the hang of it but he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him three hours , but he soon got better and was able to knit one cap per hour .
“ I just followed the instructions .
It was easy .
Somehow I had never knitted , and I always associated knitting with a bunch of needles but this looked pretty doable for me .
I went through two or three before I came out with a good finished product , ” he said .
It wasn ’ t long until not only Ed was knitting one cap after another but other residents of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staff members and students of the school where his granddaughter teaches also came on board .
Ed even organized a workshop to help those who , like him , didn ’ t have any previous experience with knitting .
Together they knitted over 300 caps for preterm babies .
Ed , himself a retired engineer battling cancer , knitted 55 caps all on his own .
The volunteers donated all their caps to the Northside Hospital ’ s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit .
The staff at the hospital was very grateful for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gift left at the bedside , or a nurse put the hat on the little baby ’ s head , makes it all seem less like a hospital .
It ’ s important for families to see their baby as a baby and not as a patient .
This will help to get the families to that spot , ” said Linda Kelly , clinical manager of the special care nursery at Northside Hospital .
Many of the parents visiting the hospital were also grateful when they heard about the donation .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this is our second stint in the NICU .
We have a 5-year-old who spent 54 days up there .
To know there are other people who are thinking about the well-being of these babies , our babies , it ’ s really nice to know .
The fact this man is taking time out of his day to help the kids really means a lot to us , ” said Doug Bunt .
Even that impressive quantity isn ’ t enough for all the preterm newborns out there , however .
Northside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ per year and in dire need of more assistance .
Ed isn ’ t stopping , however .
He shared that he intends to continue knitting for as long as the hospital needs caps .
He plans to keep knitting ~30 caps for the hospital per month – one per day , a perfectly achievable goal for any one of us and hopefully , more people will commit to .

Who says that when you get old you can’t learn new things? 86-year-old Ed Moseley had never knitted anything in his long life and he probably never thought he would. However, when the Dogwood Forest assisted living facility office offered the challenge for residents to knit caps for premature babies, he decided to give it a try. He asked his granddaughter to get him a knitting kit and he started practicing.
Advertisement
“Bless her heart, she went … and got a [starter loom] kit, yarn and instruction kit for me. So I started slowly and learned it just takes patience,” he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
What are premature baby caps?
The caps Ed Mosely was asked to knit weren’t necessarily special in any way other than that they needed to be small. They are necessary because preterm babies are unable to regulate their body temperature properly and need extra protection. And since they are so tiny, there aren’t enough clothes and caps made especially for them. Hence – the need for caps.
Advertisement
This can sound like a silly problem at first glance – can’t they just wrap a scarf around them or something? Well, it turns out that over 1 million preterm babies across the world die each year due to hypothermia and other body temperature-related deaths. If you want to learn how you can help, initiatives such as the “Tiny Hats for Tiny Babies” one of the University of California San Francisco is one you can check,
How did Ed do?
The elderly man shared that it took him a while to get the hang of it but he was undeterred. The first cap took him three hours, but he soon got better and was able to knit one cap per hour.
“I just followed the instructions. It was easy. Somehow I had never knitted, and I always associated knitting with a bunch of needles but this looked pretty doable for me. I went through two or three before I came out with a good finished product,” he said.
Advertisement
It wasn’t long until not only Ed was knitting one cap after another but other residents of Dogwood Forest also joined in. Some staff members and students of the school where his granddaughter teaches also came on board. Ed even organized a workshop to help those who, like him, didn’t have any previous experience with knitting.
Together they knitted over 300 caps for preterm babies. Ed, himself a retired engineer battling cancer, knitted 55 caps all on his own. The volunteers donated all their caps to the Northside Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
The staff at the hospital was very grateful for the life-saving donations.
Advertisement
“To have a gift left at the bedside, or a nurse put the hat on the little baby’s head, makes it all seem less like a hospital. It’s important for families to see their baby as a baby and not as a patient. This will help to get the families to that spot,” said Linda Kelly, clinical manager of the special care nursery at Northside Hospital.
Many of the parents visiting the hospital were also grateful when they heard about the donation.
“It means a lot to us because this is our second stint in the NICU. We have a 5-year-old who spent 54 days up there. To know there are other people who are thinking about the well-being of these babies, our babies, it’s really nice to know. The fact this man is taking time out of his day to help the kids really means a lot to us,” said Doug Bunt.
Advertisement
Even that impressive quantity isn’t enough for all the preterm newborns out there, however. Northside’s NICU delivers ~2,000 premature infants per year and in dire need of more assistance.
Ed isn’t stopping, however. He shared that he intends to continue knitting for as long as the hospital needs caps. He plans to keep knitting ~30 caps for the hospital per month – one per day, a perfectly achievable goal for any one of us and hopefully, more people will commit to.
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dailyhealthpost--2020-08-08--Longest-married Presidential Couple Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Celebrate Historic 74th Anniversary To

Longest-married Presidential Couple Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Celebrate Historic 74th Anniversary Together

It ’ s easy to miss news with today ’ s busy news cycle but some things are worth reminding .
Especially given all the horrific news of death , unemployment , and civil unrest recently , when there is good news , we should point them out .
One such example was the recent 74th anniversary of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter ’ s marriage on July 7 .
They are now officially the longest-married presidential couple in the history of the U.S. having surpassed George H.W .
Bush and Barbara Bush last October , which ended after 73 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away in April 2018 .
Nevertheless , both couples ’ long marriages are examples of long , committed , and loving married life .
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter were married on July 7 , 1946 , in a Methodist church in their hometown of Plains , Georgia .
Jimmy Carter had just graduated from the U.S .
Naval Academy at the time and he and Rosalynn were 21 and 18 years old at the time .
Ever since then , they seem to have enjoyed an eventful and happy marriage .
Could their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as kids ?
As Jimmy Carter shares in Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue ’ s book “ What Makes a Marriage Last ” : I ’ d known Rosalynn since the day she was born , because we were next-door neighbors.
” “ I always said I fell in love with a photograph of him on ( Ruth ’ s ) bedroom wall , ” Rosalynn added .
As Carter said it , he “ just felt compatible ” with Rosalynn .
“ She was beautiful and innocent , and there was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seat of a Ford pickup – Ruth and her boyfriend in the front – and I kissed her on that first date .
I remember that vividly , ” he added .
The very next morning he told his mother he had found the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with .
“ I never was doubtful about her , and that Christmas , I told her I loved her and asked her to marry me , ” Carter said .
Together , the couple has had 4 children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far – 14 great-grandchildren .
And in addition to that , they also share countless memories and experiences .
“ Jimmy has always thought I could do anything .
Always .
And so I ’ ve done everything , ” Rosalynn shared in What Makes a Marriage Last .
“ I campaigned all over the country .
I ’ ve done things I never dreamed I could do.
” They ’ ve had their fair share of disappointments and even terrifying moments too .
Carter suffered a devastating loss in his re-election campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in what will be remembered as one the most definitive losses in a presidential race .
Even though today he is remembered warmly by most Americans , especially those leaning left , at the time Carter faced a very tough re-election with the right coalescing behind Reagan while centrist John B. Anderson and democrat Ted Kennedy divided the left vote and spoiled Carter ’ s bid for the re-election .
In their personal life , Jimmy and Rosalynn also faced some scary moments , namely the president ’ s battle with cancer in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expedient surgery and several months of innovative immune-therapeutic treatments , he pulled through .
Carter also credits his wife for his longevity , however .
“ It ’ s hard to live until you ’ re 95 years old , ” he said in an interview with People magazine .
“ I think the best explanation for that is to marry the best spouse : someone who will take care of you and engage and do things to challenge you and keep you alive and interested in life.
” The couple also cited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their long-lasting and happy married life .
“ We read the Bible together every night , ” Carter said in What Makes a Marriage Last .
“ And when I ’ m overseas , or when Rosalynn is traveling , we still read the same chapter , even though we might be five thousand miles apart .
We share the same text , and it keeps us connected.
” Their love , their faith , as well as their shared hobbies seem to all be cornerstones of their happiness .
The two loved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and even bird-watching .
Now , as their nearing a century each and three-quarters of a century together , Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter prefer to spend their time together at home , enjoying each other ’ s company .
Given the quickly deteriorating marriage statistics in the U.S. and Europe , couples like Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter remind us just how precious and special a long and successful marriage can be .

It’s easy to miss news with today’s busy news cycle but some things are worth reminding. Especially given all the horrific news of death, unemployment, and civil unrest recently, when there is good news, we should point them out.
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One such example was the recent 74th anniversary of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter’s marriage on July 7. They are now officially the longest-married presidential couple in the history of the U.S. having surpassed George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush last October, which ended after 73 years and 111 days when Barbara Bush passed away in April 2018.
Nevertheless, both couples’ long marriages are examples of long, committed, and loving married life.
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Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter were married on July 7, 1946, in a Methodist church in their hometown of Plains, Georgia. Jimmy Carter had just graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at the time and he and Rosalynn were 21 and 18 years old at the time. Ever since then, they seem to have enjoyed an eventful and happy marriage. Could their secret be that they knew each other as kids?
As Jimmy Carter shares in Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue’s book “What Makes a Marriage Last”:
I’d known Rosalynn since the day she was born, because we were next-door neighbors.”
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“I always said I fell in love with a photograph of him on (Ruth’s) bedroom wall,” Rosalynn added.
As Carter said it, he “just felt compatible” with Rosalynn.
“She was beautiful and innocent, and there was a resonance. We rode in the rumble seat of a Ford pickup – Ruth and her boyfriend in the front – and I kissed her on that first date. I remember that vividly,” he added.
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The very next morning he told his mother he had found the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
“I never was doubtful about her, and that Christmas, I told her I loved her and asked her to marry me,” Carter said.
Together, the couple has had 4 children, 12 grandchildren, and – so far – 14 great-grandchildren. And in addition to that, they also share countless memories and experiences.
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“Jimmy has always thought I could do anything. Always. And so I’ve done everything,” Rosalynn shared in What Makes a Marriage Last. “I campaigned all over the country. I’ve done things I never dreamed I could do.”
They’ve had their fair share of disappointments and even terrifying moments too.
Carter suffered a devastating loss in his re-election campaign in 1980 against future president Ronald Reagan in what will be remembered as one the most definitive losses in a presidential race. Even though today he is remembered warmly by most Americans, especially those leaning left, at the time Carter faced a very tough re-election with the right coalescing behind Reagan while centrist John B. Anderson and democrat Ted Kennedy divided the left vote and spoiled Carter’s bid for the re-election.
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In their personal life, Jimmy and Rosalynn also faced some scary moments, namely the president’s battle with cancer in 2015. Luckily, thanks to an expedient surgery and several months of innovative immune-therapeutic treatments, he pulled through.
Carter also credits his wife for his longevity, however.
“It’s hard to live until you’re 95 years old,” he said in an interview with People magazine. “I think the best explanation for that is to marry the best spouse: someone who will take care of you and engage and do things to challenge you and keep you alive and interested in life.”
Advertisement
The couple also cited their shared faith as a part of their long-lasting and happy married life.
“We read the Bible together every night,” Carter said in What Makes a Marriage Last. “And when I’m overseas, or when Rosalynn is traveling, we still read the same chapter, even though we might be five thousand miles apart. We share the same text, and it keeps us connected.”
Their love, their faith, as well as their shared hobbies seem to all be cornerstones of their happiness. The two loved playing tennis together, going skiing, and even bird-watching. Now, as their nearing a century each and three-quarters of a century together, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter prefer to spend their time together at home, enjoying each other’s company.
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Given the quickly deteriorating marriage statistics in the U.S. and Europe, couples like Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter remind us just how precious and special a long and successful marriage can be.
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dailyhealthpost--2020-08-09--These Clear Succulent Plants Look Like Tiny Opals and They’re Breathtaking

Most people don ’ t care much for plants .
After all , unlike pets , plants aren ’ t exactly “ interactive ” – all you get to do with them is water and fertilize them , and watch them grow .
Yet , the recent Covid-19 quarantine has shown many of us the benefits of having houseplants in your home .
More than just something pretty to catch your eye , houseplants offer lots of perks : • More oxygen in your home for a better sleep cycle • Improved mood and reduced mood swings for an overall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ benefits , you could say that having at least some house plants in your home is virtually a must .
Which plants should you go for , however ?
Aren ’ t some of them too complicated to take care of ?
Here ’ s one suggestion you probably haven ’ t considered yet – the Haworthia Truncata !
In particular , a variation of these unique succulent plants which looks like tiny gorgeous opals in a flower pot .
Like all succulent plants , these floral gemstones have thick and fleshy leaves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ water .
They ’ ve evolved that way in mostly arid and harsh conditions such as deserts .
Coincidently , that ’ s also what makes them such excellent house plants as they are very easy to take care of – all they need is to be watered once a week and they don ’ t even need that much sunshine !
You can look for these plants online if you can ’ t find them in your local floral shops .
Etsy has a wide variety of many Haworthia Truncata types , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eyes .
How to take care of them ?
If you ’ re a gardening novice and you don ’ t know how to take care of the more demanding house plants out there , the Haworthia Truncata can be one of the best choices you make .
There are very few things you ’ ll need to worry about , here are some pointers : • Put them in a brightly lit area , they will need to get some sunlight throughout the day .
• Don ’ t put them in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ’ ve got one of the very clear specimens that really resemble opals , too much direct sunlight can burn them and kill them .
So , while you ’ ll want some light on them , don ’ t go overboard .
• Don ’ t overwater them .
During the hot water months , you can water succulents like these once a week and during the winter – once a month .
Anything more than that would be excessive and you ’ ll risk drowning the plant .
Fortunately , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ longer than that forgetting to water them for a couple of days after the designated watering day won ’ t be the end of the world for them .
The general rule of thumb is that if you ’ re not sure they need water you should wait a bit more .
The best way to judge if it ’ s time to water your succulents is by checking the soil – if it ’ s dry , then you should water it .
• Go for a cactus mix soil .
Succulents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so that will be your best bet .
And that ’ s about it !
You can find very cheap seed packs of 50 on Etsy or on other websites and try them out .
As these are just seeds you can never be 100 % sure how the plants will look like in the end but even if they ’ re not exactly transparent , the Haworthia Truncata plants come in many gorgeous variants .

Most people don’t care much for plants. After all, unlike pets, plants aren’t exactly “interactive” – all you get to do with them is water and fertilize them, and watch them grow. Yet, the recent Covid-19 quarantine has shown many of us the benefits of having houseplants in your home. More than just something pretty to catch your eye, houseplants offer lots of perks:
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Allergy relief
Stress relief and better focus
Improved air quality and humidity
Relaxing fragrance
Herbs help digestion
Home remedies such as aloe’s gel
More oxygen in your home for a better sleep cycle
Improved mood and reduced mood swings for an overall better emotional health
With these and other benefits, you could say that having at least some house plants in your home is virtually a must. Which plants should you go for, however? Aren’t some of them too complicated to take care of?
Here’s one suggestion you probably haven’t considered yet – the Haworthia Truncata! In particular, a variation of these unique succulent plants which looks like tiny gorgeous opals in a flower pot.
Advertisement
Like all succulent plants, these floral gemstones have thick and fleshy leaves and stems that are excellent at retaining water. They’ve evolved that way in mostly arid and harsh conditions such as deserts. Coincidently, that’s also what makes them such excellent house plants as they are very easy to take care of – all they need is to be watered once a week and they don’t even need that much sunshine!
You can look for these plants online if you can’t find them in your local floral shops. Etsy has a wide variety of many Haworthia Truncata types, including the tiny opals that caught our eyes.
How to take care of them?
If you’re a gardening novice and you don’t know how to take care of the more demanding house plants out there, the Haworthia Truncata can be one of the best choices you make. There are very few things you’ll need to worry about, here are some pointers:
Advertisement
Put them in a brightly lit area, they will need to get some sunlight throughout the day.
Don’t put them in direct sunlight, however. Especially if you’ve got one of the very clear specimens that really resemble opals, too much direct sunlight can burn them and kill them. So, while you’ll want some light on them, don’t go overboard.
Don’t overwater them. During the hot water months, you can water succulents like these once a week and during the winter – once a month. Anything more than that would be excessive and you’ll risk drowning the plant. Fortunately, succulents can survive without water for even longer than that forgetting to water them for a couple of days after the designated watering day won’t be the end of the world for them. The general rule of thumb is that if you’re not sure they need water you should wait a bit more. The best way to judge if it’s time to water your succulents is by checking the soil – if it’s dry, then you should water it.
Go for a cactus mix soil. Succulents like these fair best extra coarse soil so that will be your best bet.
And that’s about it! You can find very cheap seed packs of 50 on Etsy or on other websites and try them out. As these are just seeds you can never be 100% sure how the plants will look like in the end but even if they’re not exactly transparent, the Haworthia Truncata plants come in many gorgeous variants.
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dailyhealthpost--2020-08-10--People are Transforming Home Depot Tuff Sheds into Affordable Two-story Tiny Homes

We ’ re aware that title must have sounded like a tough sell but hear us out .
We wouldn ’ t have considered Home Depot Tuff Sheds like a tempting housing option either but Beth and Barry Smith are making quite an intriguing pitch about them .
Home Depot Tuff Sheds are traditionally used for tool storage or for livestock by most people .
And they do a great job for that thanks to their durability , great craftsmanship , and dependability .
After all , they are meant to withstand storms and all types of harsh climate conditions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people like Barry and Beth Smith saw a lot of potential in that .
With Tuff Sheds , the Smiths realized , you can get a durable , reliable home with 300 sq .
ft. of space , a small porch , and a loft .
And you can get all that for $ 19,250 !
Compare that to the $ 120,000 to $ 250,000 average price for houses in the country and you get something that ’ s often up to 12 times cheaper .
Another tempting example the Smiths eventually went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Home Depot with a nice classic yet modern look .
The couple shares their experience and lots of know-how and suggestions on their Facebook page “ My Tuff Shed Home ” and they offer a lot of unique insight .
“ We ’ re not builders and that first project was a real pain in the neck , ” they said in an interview with Tuff Shed .
“ We knew we wanted the next one to be built for us.
” They ended up hiring several separate construction crews for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ construction and were very pleased with the end result .
“ Our Tuff Shed shell was a bit $ 20,000 , including some upgrades , ” Beth revealed .
“ To finish it out , we did a lot of the work ourselves but hired out electrical and plumbing , HVAC , etc .
All in we came in a bit over $ 60,000.
” Even with all the additional work , the finished home still costed two to four times less than a standard , uncustomized , off-the-market , unfurnished house .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s interior , every pen looks like money well spent .
For their first floor , the Smiths went with an open floor plan .
The big dining room connected with the kitchen and the living room in one big space makes for a very charming view .
There ’ s a big couch with TV in the living room , the kitchen area has sizeable counter-tops with nice cupboard spaces , and traditional appliances , as well as a decent-sized dining table with 4 chairs .
On the second floor is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The bedroom is so large and charming , it looks straight out of a magazine .
There ’ s a nice big bed , cuddled between two nightstands , there are big windows and light fixtures , a large colorful carpet , extra seating fixtures , and lots of clothing and shoe space beneath the bed .
As for the bathroom , it too has everything you ’ d want from it – a big sing , a toilet , and a bathtub , as well as plenty of bathroom cupboard space .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2- or 3-room living space , depending on how you look at it , but it ’ s more than worth it at that price and for that construction quality .
And the Smiths don ’ t seem to have any regrets .
“ We still love the size , we love the ease living here , ” Beth said .
“ We still enjoy a generally uncluttered life .
Having a small home with very little overhead has allowed us to pursue a simpler life and to walk away from ‘ corporate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goals.
” Lots of Americans go by the mantra “ Bigger is better ” when it comes to houses and apartments but many people like the Smiths are finding the extra benefits of living in a smaller home .
If that seems puzzling to you , here are a few examples : • Smaller places are very cozy .
We ’ re used to hearing “ Oh , it ’ s so… cozy.
” almost ironically but it is a substantial benefit .
Smaller and cozier homes make you feel safer , almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” .
Plus , the smaller living space means everything is near you .
• They are easier to clean .
Having five rooms sounds fun at first but when you realize you have to clean them every week they start feeling a bit unnecessary .
Very often even a Roomba robot can ’ t help you enough !
A lot of people go so far as to close some rooms off entirely when they don ’ t have any guests so they don ’ t have to clean them .
With a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a problem .
• They are a more affordable purchase .
We won ’ t elaborate too much here given that we already showcased a Tuff Sheds home above .
Long story short , a smaller home can save you hundreds of thousands of dollars just on the initial purchase .
So , nuff said on the Tuff sheds .
• Much cheaper to maintain .
Another factor when you ’ re buying a home , especially a house , is how much its maintenance is going to cost .
A lot of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is to maintain a house .
The lawn , the exterior , the roof , the crawlspace , the HVAC system – all these need annual maintenance which can cost a lot .
But the more compact the home is , the less expensive the maintenance becomes .
• More affordable to furnish and decorate .
Another major expense for any homeowner is the furniture and the decoration .
And sure , small homes will force you to go sparingly with the furniture but in many cases “ less is more ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • Minimalism is stress-free .
We all live pretty hectic and stressful lives today .
And even though our homes are something that should give us relief and peace , they can be quite stressful to maintain and deal with sometimes .
That ’ s much less so with smaller homes , however .
• The smaller spaces inspire creativity and unique design solutions .
Yes , this is us spinning a negative into a positive but it ’ s a positive nevertheless .
Very often in life , especially in the Western @ @ @ @ @ @ @ standard , conventional choices because we have the freedom of not overthinking things .
Smaller living spaces do force us to think more creatively when it comes to how we utilize our space but this also results in many ingenious , unique , and very personal solutions .
• They are easier to personalize .
Speaking of personal solutions , smaller homes also feel more “ ours ” after we ’ ve customized them to our tastes .
Instead of having a standard house that looks just like every other house in your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the U.S. ) you can have something that ’ s truly and uniquely yours .
• They help you say “ No ” to aimless consumerism .
Consumerism makes the world go round , that ’ s definitely true .
But it ’ s not without its drawbacks .
It creates needless clutter in your home , it wastes a lot of money , and it tends to distract us from the things that very often atter much more such as our family , friends , relationship , and overall emotional health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ environmentally friendly .
Another benefit of turning your back on needless consumerism is that you ’ ll adopt a much more environmentally friendly lifestyle .
And even if you don ’ t view that as a major benefit , it ’ s still a nice side benefit at the very least .
Of course , smaller homes do have their drawbacks too – we all need a bit of space for ourselves .
But if the “ bit ” offered by a 2-story Tuff Shed is enough for you like it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maybe that option is worth considering .

We’re aware that title must have sounded like a tough sell but hear us out. We wouldn’t have considered Home Depot Tuff Sheds like a tempting housing option either but Beth and Barry Smith are making quite an intriguing pitch about them.
Advertisement
Home Depot Tuff Sheds are traditionally used for tool storage or for livestock by most people. And they do a great job for that thanks to their durability, great craftsmanship, and dependability. After all, they are meant to withstand storms and all types of harsh climate conditions as well as a house. And people like Barry and Beth Smith saw a lot of potential in that.
With Tuff Sheds, the Smiths realized, you can get a durable, reliable home with 300 sq. ft. of space, a small porch, and a loft. And you can get all that for $19,250! Compare that to the $120,000 to $250,000 average price for houses in the country and you get something that’s often up to 12 times cheaper.
Advertisement
Another tempting example the Smiths eventually went with is this two-story TR-1600 model house from Home Depot with a nice classic yet modern look. The couple shares their experience and lots of know-how and suggestions on their Facebook page “My Tuff Shed Home” and they offer a lot of unique insight.
“We’re not builders and that first project was a real pain in the neck,” they said in an interview with Tuff Shed. “We knew we wanted the next one to be built for us.”
They ended up hiring several separate construction crews for the different aspects of the shed’s construction and were very pleased with the end result.
Advertisement
“Our Tuff Shed shell was a bit $20,000, including some upgrades,” Beth revealed. “To finish it out, we did a lot of the work ourselves but hired out electrical and plumbing, HVAC, etc. All in we came in a bit over $60,000.”
Even with all the additional work, the finished home still costed two to four times less than a standard, uncustomized, off-the-market, unfurnished house. And looking at the Tuff Shed’s interior, every pen looks like money well spent.
For their first floor, the Smiths went with an open floor plan. The big dining room connected with the kitchen and the living room in one big space makes for a very charming view. There’s a big couch with TV in the living room, the kitchen area has sizeable counter-tops with nice cupboard spaces, and traditional appliances, as well as a decent-sized dining table with 4 chairs.
Advertisement
On the second floor is the couple’s bedroom and bathroom. The bedroom is so large and charming, it looks straight out of a magazine. There’s a nice big bed, cuddled between two nightstands, there are big windows and light fixtures, a large colorful carpet, extra seating fixtures, and lots of clothing and shoe space beneath the bed.
As for the bathroom, it too has everything you’d want from it – a big sing, a toilet, and a bathtub, as well as plenty of bathroom cupboard space.
Yes, it’s essentially a 2- or 3-room living space, depending on how you look at it, but it’s more than worth it at that price and for that construction quality. And the Smiths don’t seem to have any regrets.
Advertisement
“We still love the size, we love the ease living here,” Beth said. “We still enjoy a generally uncluttered life. Having a small home with very little overhead has allowed us to pursue a simpler life and to walk away from ‘corporate,’ which was one of our goals.”
Lots of Americans go by the mantra “Bigger is better” when it comes to houses and apartments but many people like the Smiths are finding the extra benefits of living in a smaller home. If that seems puzzling to you, here are a few examples:
Smaller places are very cozy. We’re used to hearing “Oh, it’s so… cozy.” almost ironically but it is a substantial benefit. Smaller and cozier homes make you feel safer, almost like you’re “tucked in”. Plus, the smaller living space means everything is near you.
They are easier to clean. Having five rooms sounds fun at first but when you realize you have to clean them every week they start feeling a bit unnecessary. Very often even a Roomba robot can’t help you enough! A lot of people go so far as to close some rooms off entirely when they don’t have any guests so they don’t have to clean them. With a smaller home, that’s not a problem.
They are a more affordable purchase. We won’t elaborate too much here given that we already showcased a Tuff Sheds home above. Long story short, a smaller home can save you hundreds of thousands of dollars just on the initial purchase. So, nuff said on the Tuff sheds.
Much cheaper to maintain. Another factor when you’re buying a home, especially a house, is how much its maintenance is going to cost. A lot of people don’t realize how expensive it is to maintain a house. The lawn, the exterior, the roof, the crawlspace, the HVAC system – all these need annual maintenance which can cost a lot. But the more compact the home is, the less expensive the maintenance becomes.
More affordable to furnish and decorate. Another major expense for any homeowner is the furniture and the decoration. And sure, small homes will force you to go sparingly with the furniture but in many cases “less is more”. More savings, in particular.
Minimalism is stress-free. We all live pretty hectic and stressful lives today. And even though our homes are something that should give us relief and peace, they can be quite stressful to maintain and deal with sometimes. That’s much less so with smaller homes, however.
The smaller spaces inspire creativity and unique design solutions. Yes, this is us spinning a negative into a positive but it’s a positive nevertheless. Very often in life, especially in the Western world, we get used to the standard, conventional choices because we have the freedom of not overthinking things. Smaller living spaces do force us to think more creatively when it comes to how we utilize our space but this also results in many ingenious, unique, and very personal solutions.
They are easier to personalize. Speaking of personal solutions, smaller homes also feel more “ours” after we’ve customized them to our tastes. Instead of having a standard house that looks just like every other house in your neighborhood (and in every other neighborhood in the U.S.) you can have something that’s truly and uniquely yours.
They help you say “No” to aimless consumerism. Consumerism makes the world go round, that’s definitely true. But it’s not without its drawbacks. It creates needless clutter in your home, it wastes a lot of money, and it tends to distract us from the things that very often atter much more such as our family, friends, relationship, and overall emotional health and happiness.
They are more environmentally friendly. Another benefit of turning your back on needless consumerism is that you’ll adopt a much more environmentally friendly lifestyle. And even if you don’t view that as a major benefit, it’s still a nice side benefit at the very least.
Of course, smaller homes do have their drawbacks too – we all need a bit of space for ourselves. But if the “bit” offered by a 2-story Tuff Shed is enough for you like it’s enough for the Smith family, then maybe that option is worth considering.
Advertisement