Beavers are nature’s engineers and got busy in the Brdy region of the Czech Republic, completing a long-stalled revitalization project. The original project was to build a barrier for the Klabava River. Acting as a shield, the barrier would have protected critically endangered crayfish. The project began in 2018 to prevent spillover of sediment and acidic water from nearby ponds. Organizers had a building permit but delayed work due to continuing disputes over the land use. The area was altered and damaged after being used as a military training ground. While the negotiations were in progress and the budget was soaring, beavers took matters into their own hands. By chewing through the red tape, the beavers have saved the Czech Republic about $1.2 million. Surprisingly, the beavers constructed their dams in almost the same spots called for in the building plan. Within days, the animals did what would have taken humans months of work, noise, and disruption. Beavers Have A Future In The Czech Republic Wetlands Beavers are nature’s engineers and environmentalists. Their “construction” projects regenerate ecosystems and benefit local wildlife. Creating the new wetlands added pools and canals, and the final area is about twice as large as the original design. The beaver’s work will help prevent flooding, improve the water quality through natural filtration, and boost wildlife. Image from Wikimedia Commons. Four dams have already been constructed in the gully, and the beavers are busy working on more. Some critics don’t appreciate all the free labor. Farmers complain about the beavers taking down the trees, but they don’t have much on their side. The wetlands area has been a protected site since 2016, and lands that might be at risk are far from the protected area. A Brdy Protected Land Administration (PLA) statement says: “Beaver wetlands are a paradise for many animals and plants. They are stable ecosystems that contribute to the diversity of our landscape. Beavers are returning the landscape altered by humans to its natural beauty.” This project perfectly exemplifies what happens when we let nature do its thing. It is a premier wetland ecosystem that is improving daily and thriving without human intervention. Kudos to the beavers in the Czech Republic for seeing a problem and taking action to correct it. You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Beavers Save Czech Republic $1.2 Million After Stepping In To Complete Dam Themselves appeared first on InspireMore.

It’s been a hard week for Bobby Sherman fans. The former teen icon and 1960s actor has stage four cancer. His wife, Brigitte Poublon, shared the news on Facebook with a heartfelt statement. Brigitte wrote, “To all of Bobby Sherman’s cherished fans, As many of you know, Bobby has been retired for some time and is no longer able to participate in cameos, sign autographs, or make appearances. It is with a heavy heart that we share Bobby has recently been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. During this challenging time, we kindly ask for your understanding and respect for our privacy. Thank you so much for still remembering him. We really appreciate it.” The News Broke The Hearts Of Bobby Sherman Fans Loyal Bobby Sherman followers shared prayers and well wishes with Brigitte on her post. One wrote, “So sad. Praying for him. He was my first concert and my first love. I had every record, and you couldn’t tell my bedroom walls were lavender for all the pictures of him I had on my wall. I hope he feels all the love and prayers we all are sending.” Another shared, “Thank you for letting us know. I loved him in Here Comes the Bride. He has given so much of himself to so many fans over the years; sharing his gifts, talents, and kindness with us.” “I grew up loving Bobby! He was my first crush! Sending love and healing prayers to him and your family! XOXO,” a fan added. This fan and fellow cancer warrior sent Bobby Sherman a message of hope. “Hang in there, Bobby. I also was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer (almost two years ago), and I’m fighting it. My condition has vastly improved to the point where it has decreased in area and has not spread. Don’t look at it as a death sentence, but fight it with all the means out there available. Concentrate on staying strong and having a positive outlook. Good luck and God bless you.” This story’s featured image is by Archive Photos/Getty Images. The post 1960s Star Bobby Sherman’s Family Shares Heartbreaking News appeared first on InspireMore.

'To our LGBTQ community, I know that recent legislation has been difficult'

When Jay Falk and Scott Taylor first saw the white-necked Jacobin hummingbird chick in Panama’s dense rainforest, the bird biologists didn’t know what they were looking at. The day-old bird, smaller than a pinky finger, had brown fuzz all over its body. When Falk and Taylor walked closer to the nest, the chick began twitching […] The post Hummingbird Chicks Observed for the First Time Pretending to be Caterpillars to Avoid Being Eaten appeared first on Good News Network.

UK Police Arrest Parents and Hold Them For a Day For Criticizing School Policies

Robert De Niro just got whacked. Twice.The Trump derangement victim does double duty in the new mob drama “The Alto Knights.” The actor plays both Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, real-life gangsters whose childhood friendship morphed into a bitter rivalry.Of course, Disney didn’t fire Zegler like it did Gina Carano. 'The Mandalorian' star’s crime? She was right of center. Why cast De Niro twice? Who knows? Audiences didn’t bother to ask, ignoring the film during its opening weekend. The $45 million film made just $3.4 million, plus a tiny $1.9 million outside the U.S.That’s moviegoers sending a message without injuring a single horse. We’re not interested in seeing De Niro on the big screen once, let alone twice ...Clooney dumps rom-comsNo more “meet cutes” for George Clooney.The actor, busy lecturing the country on what real journalism looks like, says he’s no longer interested in starring in romantic movies.Why?He’s 63, and rom-coms are a young man’s game.“I’m not trying to compete with 25-year-old leading men. ... That’s not my job. I’m not doing romantic films anymore.”Clooney hardly looks his age, and his 2022 rom-com “Ticket to Paradise” made some cash ($68 million U.S.). It also offered adults over 30 a sweet, credible romance to call their own.That’s refreshing in youth-obsessed Hollywood.Still, anytime an Oscar-winner shows some self-awareness must be applauded. Now, if he can apologize for hiding President Joe Biden’s dementia-addled state last year until the leader’s poll numbers sank ...'Impossible' mathThe term “Hollywood accounting” is already a thing. Now, it’s hitting absurdist levels.Take “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.” The film, the second of the two-part “M:I” cliffhanger opening this May, is already a box-office bust.You don’t need a crystal ball to see that.The film sports a $400 million budget, meaning it will need to make roughly double that, or more, to break even.The previous installment earned $571 million in total, a disappointing tally. Plus, no “M:I” movie has made more than $791 million globally (“Mission: Impossible – Fallout” hit that peak and deservedly so).Hollywood is already having a terrible year at the box office to date, and that was before “Snow White” crashed and burned last weekend. “Final Reckoning” is meant to jump-start the summer movie season.New 'Mummy,' same curse?It still might but not enough to make its studio happy ... Speaking of Cruise, his 2017 film “The Mummy” was a rarity in his film canon. It stunk, underperformed at the box office, and helped stall a proposed “universe” of Universal Monsters movies.So of course, Hollywood is rebooting the classic movie monster.A new “Mummy” is heading our way soon, this time co-starring the lesser-known Jack Reynor. To be fair, Reynor shined in the sublime ‘80s yarn “Sing Street” — if you grew up in the Reagan era, it’s a must-see.He’s still no Tom Cruise.Everything old in Hollywood is new again, even if it’s wrapped in dusty, decaying bandages ...Disney bashes 'Snow White' starHope it’s comfortable under that bus, Snow White.Rachel Zegler made life hell for Team Disney in the run-up to the live-action “Snow White” update. The young star trashed the source material during a red carpet interview, calling the prince a “stalker” and saying the story was “weird.” Later, she wished Trump voters would “never know peace.” She apologized for the latter, but by then, it was too late.Way too late.Now, Disney is leaking bad tidings about Zegler to camouflage the box-office misfortunes of "Snow White."“She didn’t understand the repercussions of her actions as far as what that meant for the film, for Gal, for anyone,” says one insider to Variety magazine. The piece details how Zegler kept sharing controversial views, like “Free Palestine,” while the Mouse House brass cringed.Of course, Disney didn’t fire Zegler like it did Gina Carano. "The Mandalorian” star’s crime? She was right of center. Zegler did far more damage to the Disney brand, but she stayed on the project.Hmmm.Now, Disney is telling the world Zegler deserves the blame for the film’s dismal showing. There’s some truth to that, no doubt, but Disney did itself few favors by refusing to hire little people for the film and, later, backtracking somewhat by adding CGI dwarfs to the feature.The screenplay also turned our heroine into a girlboss. That’s on Disney, not Zegler.Either way, when you’re a 23-year-old star and the biggest studio in Hollywood is trashing you, consider your work prospects bleak moving forward.“Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it’s off to work we go?” Maybe not for Zegler.

The Paris climate agreement was doomed to fail from its inception. It is long past time for all parties involved, as well as the media, to acknowledge this fact.The mainstream media has lamented the Paris agreement’s fate since President Donald Trump’s re-election. Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement during his first term and vowed to do so again after Joe Biden rejoined it. While Trump’s withdrawal was a public rebuke that undermined the pact’s “effectiveness,” the agreement was effectively dead before the ink on the last signature was dry.China’s rising emissions since 2015 all but guarantee that global CO2 levels will continue climbing through 2030 and beyond, no matter what other nations do.The structure of the agreement itself ensured that it would be ineffective in preventing greenhouse gas emissions from rising.As I noted shortly after its completion in 2015, even the architects of the Paris agreement quietly admitted that the emissions pledges made by signatory countries would fall short of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius. At the time, their own estimates showed that if every nation fulfilled its commitment, the combined result would still account for less than half the greenhouse gas reductions needed to meet the 2-degree goal.By 2017, the United Nations confirmed this shortfall. Its report projected that even if every country fully complied with its Paris agreement targets — an optimistic scenario — global temperatures would still rise by 3 degrees Celsius by 2100.The agreement’s prospects have only worsened since. As the BBC has reported, several countries openly acknowledge that they will not meet their commitments. Nations such as Argentina, Indonesia, South Africa, and South Korea — all signatories that previously pledged to curb fossil fuel use — now plan to increase the production of coal, natural gas, and oil. Many also hope to import additional fuel from the United States.These nations are now blaming Trump for their decision, but the data shows that every single country now seeking more fossil fuels had already increased its use long before Trump was re-elected and withdrew from the Paris agreement. In fact, no country that set specific emissions reduction targets in the first Paris commitment period has made significant progress toward meeting its goals.What’s more, of the nearly 200 countries that signed the agreement, only 10 submitted their updated carbon reduction commitments by the deadline — meaning 190 nations failed to comply. Even the 10 countries that submitted their updated commitments failed to meet their previous targets.Two of the world’s three largest carbon dioxide emitters — China and India — have made no firm commitments under the Paris agreement. Instead of pledging to reduce emissions, both countries offered vague assurances that they expect emissions to peak eventually. If carbon dioxide truly drives climate change, China’s rising emissions since 2015 all but guarantee that global CO2 levels will continue climbing through 2030 and the 2050, no matter what other nations do.As Thomas Hobbes wrote, “Covenants, without the sword, are but words, and of no strength to secure a man at all.” Every climate agreement to date has embodied that idea — unenforceable promises with no mechanism to guarantee compliance.The fact is that the Paris agreement was never a binding treaty. Countries set their own emissions targets, but the agreement included no international enforcement. Unless countries pass laws domestically to formalize their pledges, those goals remain legally meaningless — even within their own borders.Ultimately, the Paris agreement demands long-term sacrifice without any clear or measurable benefit. Politicians focused on re-election hesitate to adopt policies that visibly harm their constituents today in exchange for hypothetical rewards decades after they’ve left office. That political reality is why the Paris climate agreement was doomed from the start. Now is the time to acknowledge its failure — without regret. The trillions already spent are sunk costs, but at the very least, we can stop wasting more.

In 1930, a man named Harland Sanders began selling fried chicken from a roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky. That restaurant eventually became the global franchise Kentucky Fried Chicken, more commonly known as KFC. It’s been adored for generations. However, now droves of people are swearing off the restaurant for life — and not because of the MAHA movement. The latest KFC commercial — a blend of creepy cultish behavior and a not-so-subtle insinuation of cannibalism — likely has Sanders rolling over in his grave. Pat Gray of “Pat Gray Unleashed” plays the full commercial. Here’s a brief summary of what transpires in the two-minute ad: A young man walks alone in a misty forest. He suddenly encounters a chicken staring at him from behind a tree. Then, out of the blue, a puffy vest descends from the sky onto a woman. Then, a bunch of people all wearing similar clothing come out of hiding and surround the man and woman, who then levitate to face one another. The man’s clothes are suddenly replaced so that he matches the group. Then, a giant golden egg appears and the cult-like group starts carrying it somewhere, while doing these strange, gyrating movements. The group arrives with the egg at a giant lake of gravy. The woman then carries the man into the lake of gravy and submerges him. When she pulls him back up, he’s a giant chicken tender. She holds him above her head, and the group stomps and cheers in preparation for their next meal. Co-host Keith Malinak says it “feels like a demonic ritual.” On top of that, there seems to be an insinuation that the meat the restaurant uses “is human.” “You dipped a human being in gravy, and he became a piece of fried chicken. ... Wow is that weird,” says Pat in complete disbelief. “That was maybe the king of weird.” “That was insane; that was evil; that was demonic,” says Keith. “They’re not even hiding anymore.” To see the commercial, watch the clip above. Want more from Pat Gray?To enjoy more of Pat's biting analysis and signature wit as he restores common sense to a senseless world, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

SecDef Takes Action on DoD Civilian Workforce

The secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has reportedly agreed to visit areas affected by nuclear waste in St. Louis.