A college student named Sara took the chance of a lifetime when she was accepted into a study abroad program in Italy‚ and she’s having a blast. However‚ being 5‚000 away from home meant she had to spend her birthday without her friends and family‚ but her mom decided Sara needed someone by her side for her big day‚ so she flew halfway around the world to surprise her. Sara has been documenting the sights‚ sounds‚ and culture of the country during her trip on TikTok. But her latest post had nothing to do with Italy or her studies. @ssarandipityy core memory for real #studyabroad #birthday #corememories #italy ♬ Bundle of Joy (From “Inside Out”) – Benny Martin A video‚ captured by one of Sara’s friends shows her mom sneaking up as Sara is casually walking down the street. Sara is absolutely blindsided with shock. In fact‚ she can’t even register that her mother is standing in front of her at first. “What?!” Sara gasps. TikTok The mother and daughter jumped into a long embrace and cry until the clip cuts out. “POV: Your mom flies halfway across the world to surprise her little girl for her birthday‚” Sara captioned. She also noted that her mom gave her a new “core memory.” In the comments‚ Sara and another commenter explained that the friend in the video planned the whole thing with her mom. She managed to keep the secret for about a week. “This is the sweetest video to ever exist‚” someone wrote. “Watching this over and over again and in a puddle everytime‚” another added. Remember to share this story and tell your mom you love her! You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Mother Travels Halfway Across The World To Surprise Daughter For Her Birthday. appeared first on InspireMore.

When we believe in Christ for salvation and ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit‚ we are filled with Christ by His Spirit. What does this mean in reality? How does a Christian live out of this truth?

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RIP

As a founding member of the Grateful Dead‚ Bob Weir’s place in rock history would be assured even if he’d never released a single solo record. But he has… not many‚ and not to the same fanfare as old bandmate Jerry Garcia‚ but any true Deadhead worth their salt will have at least a few Weir albums in their collection. Most are understated‚ eclectic affairs – much like the man himself. To understand them and to understand Weir‚ we’d need to rewind the clock to the early 60s‚ when a young Weir was bumming around the San Francisco Bay Area‚ The post Top 10 Bob Weir Songs appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

It’s hard being alone on Valentine’s Day—something that Charlotte the round stingray had experienced for eight years in a row. But this year she decided she wasn’t going to wait for that special someone to celebrate the day of lovers‚ and managed to get pregnant without a man in sight for miles. This Valentine’s Day […] The post Charlotte the Stingray‚ Single for 8 Years‚ Celebrated V-day with ‘Impossible’ Litter of Non-Fertilized Eggs appeared first on Good News Network.

Burlington County Animal Shelter's longest resident finally found his forever home during a Super Bowl-themed event on Sunday‚ February 11.

Justice Department Sues Tennessee Defending HIV Infected Prostitutes

A picture of a heart-shaped lake definitely sounds like something that’s been photoshopped and does the rounds on Facebook every Valentine’s Day‚ but the lovely shape of Spirit Lake‚ Washington‚ is very much real.However‚ it hasn’t always looked this way. Rather than the full heart that we can see in satellite imagery today‚ the lake used to be more like the top half of a heart‚ with east and west arms only narrowly connected. It was also once a popular tourist destination‚ teeming with swimmers‚ sailors‚ and fishers who stayed in the cabins and lodges surrounding the lake.Spirit Lake in 1979‚ pre Mount St Helen's eruption.Image credit: NASA Earth ObservatoryThat all changed with the deadly eruption of Mount St Helens‚ which sits to the southwest of the lake‚ on May 18‚ 1980. The eruption led to an increase in the surface elevation of the lake by nearly 60 meters (200 feet) and the resulting landslide of debris forced its waters out onto nearby land.But gradually‚ water flowed back in on top of the debris‚ creating the broader‚ shallower‚ and very much heart-shaped lake that we know of today. As well as its changed anatomy‚ Spirit Lake is home to a mat of floating logs uprooted by the eruption‚ serving as a reminder of what happened nearly 45 years ago.Spirit Lake as of April 26‚ 2023.Image credit: Wanmei Lang‚ NASA Earth Observatory‚ using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological SurveyLong gone are the days when the lake’s waters would be full of tourists – access to the site is now limited‚ with fishing and swimming strictly prohibited‚ though there is a designated viewpoint that’s open when conditions allow. Instead‚ Spirit Lake is being preserved as a natural laboratory for studying the recovery of landscapes after volcanic eruptions‚ with its undisturbed log mat of particular interest to researchers.“More lakes would have log mats‚ but often logs are removed for recreation and timber harvest‚” said environmental engineer Jim Gawel‚ who studies the lake‚ speaking to NASA’s Earth Observatory. “We would love to learn of other lakes in the world with large numbers of floating logs for comparison to Spirit Lake.”

There is an ancient cave in Somerset‚ England‚ that may hold a complicated secret related to our prehistoric past: evidence of human cannibalism.Gough’s Cave‚ which was formed around 500‚000 years ago‚ is located in Cheddar Gorge‚ which is made of limestone (not cheese) and is located in the Mendip Hills near Bristol. The cave is home to various large chambers‚ impressive rock formations‚ and also contains the Cheddar Yeo‚ the largest subterranean river in Britain. But among these features of natural history are archaeological materials related to human habitation from around 14‚700 years ago‚ and some of this evidence paints a picture of an ancient practice that we tend to like to forget about.Within Gough’s Cave‚ archaeologists have recovered remains of several people‚ including two teenagers and a child who was around 3 years old. Their bones appear to show strong evidence of cannibalism.  According to Dr Silvia Bello‚ from the Natural History Museum in London‚ “The evidence at Gough's Cave points to a sophisticated culture of butchering and carving human remains.”The bones seem to have been chewed by humans. And we’re not just talking about snackish nibbles – some of the evidence suggests that long bones and ribs were cracked open‚ allowing someone to get at the marrow and the bone’s grease. Some bones also have cut marks in them where soft meat was removed. And‚ finally‚ some of the skulls have been hollowed out and transformed into crude cups or perhaps bowls.But one of the most interesting aspects of this find is something that’s conspicuous in its absence. There does not appear to be any sign of violence on the remains prior to death. It seems the people were not likely killed as a result of conflict‚ despite their seemingly grisly end. So what’s going on here?Cannibalism: cruelty or compassion?Well‚ there are two potential explanations. The first is that this is an example of the kind of cannibalistic act we think of today – a cruel and gruesome side of human history. However‚ it is possible that these cases demonstrate a more complex behaviour that was itself the outcome of compassion.To be sure‚ the subject of cannibalism can be hard to swallow. Our pop culture references tend to focus on cruel scenarios and situations concerning serial killers‚ zombies‚ and monsters. This has helped establish the idea as completely taboo‚ despite it being a common feature of many historical cultures throughout history.Our ancestors have been eating one another for millions of years. In lots of cases‚ this was done as a point of necessity – to survive abject starvation – but in other instances‚ it became a feature of our religions and funerary practices. For instance‚ in Gough’s Cave‚ the bodies eaten by other people may have been those belonging to loved ones.The individuals found in the cave would have died during the last Ice Age‚ which means they could have been eaten as a means for survival‚ but this is not a sufficient explanation on its own. This is because there is actually an abundance of animal bones in the same caves‚ which means food was not completely absent. Then there’s the care taken to transform the skulls into drinking vessels.As grim as it seems‚ using skulls as containers is relatively well known among many past cultures. The Vikings and Scythians are two examples of people who had similar practices‚ but the skulls from Gough's Cave are among the earliest examples discovered to date.“The skulls were scrupulously cleaned of soft tissue shortly after death. Marks show cutting of the lips‚ cheeks and tongue‚ and extraction of the eyes. Then the bones of the face and the base of the skull were carefully removed. Finally the cranial vaults were meticulously shaped into cups‚” Bello explained.The care taken to prepare these skulls suggest they held significance beyond simply being used for nutrition. Equally‚ 3D analysis of an engraved forearm bone found in the cave also suggests that it was marked after the meat had been removed.This‚ for Bello and her colleagues‚ is significant. “The sequence of the modifications made to the bone strongly suggests that the engraving was an intrinsic part of the cannibalistic ritual and held hidden symbolic meaning.”You can learn more about the role of cannibalism as a funerary practice here.