UNBIASED - November 5, 2024: GOOD News That Has NOTHING To Do With The ELECTION. Take A Break And Enjoy This Episode Full Of UPLIFTING News.

Episode Date: November 5, 2024

Welcome back to UNBIASED. In today's episode we're talking about GOOD NEWS that has NOTHING to do with the election: Just a *FEW* Election Notes, Nothing Serious (0:07) Trick-or-Treaters Give Back on Halloween (2:48) New Brain Study Shows Impact of Physical Activity on Neurodegenerative Diseases (5:45) Woman Who Received Double Lung Transplant Marries Donor's Brother (8:48) Scientists Create Suit to Help People Move Better (10:01) I Asked YOU to Share Good Things That Have Happened to You Recently and Here's What You Said (10:57) Quick Hitters: Boeing Workers Vote to End Strike, Meta Halts Possible AI Data Center Plans Over Bee Species, Supreme Court to Hear Louisiana Congressional Districting Case (15:45) Listen/Watch this episode AD-FREE on Patreon. Watch this episode on YouTube. Follow Jordan on Instagram and TikTok. All sources for this episode can be found here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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a couple of election-related notes, but then I figured because most of us are just so exhausted from really, you know, election related things. I actually want this episode in particular to be an escape from that. So tomorrow we'll get back to regularly scheduled programming, but I think for today, let's do it. No one else is doing and talk about some good news that has nothing to do with the election. What do you think about that? I am 120% on board. Now, I know some of you won't listen to this episode until tomorrow, and that's fine.

But for those that will be listening to this within the first few hours of its release, let's talk through some things in preparation for tonight. This is my little short election note segment, and then we'll get into good news. So number one, a lot of people have been asking me how I'll be tuning in to the results tonight, and here's my answer. I will be switching between all of the channels to get a grasp on what everyone is saying, but I'll mostly be watching NewsNation. NewsNation is the most nonpartisan of the outlets. Some people say they lean slightly right, but honestly, I haven't really seen that. They have anchors and hosts from all across the political spectrum, so it's really nice to hear them sort of have these conversations and debates amongst themselves

during the broadcast. So that is where I will be. Now, let's talk through the pathway to the presidency. I shared a graphic to Instagram last night, which I'll put in the sources section of this episode, but I really just want to say this about it. The pathway to the presidency is just one big math problem, right? You can think of it like this. Each state has a certain value attributed to it, and the winner has to get any combination of states that adds up to at least 270. Some states are already projected for certain candidates like New York to Harris, New Jersey to Harris, California to Harris, Texas to Trump, Missouri to Trump, Montana to Trump, etc. So it's really the battleground states

that are unknown yet important. That's Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina. So those are the states you're going to want to keep an eye on tonight, assuming there's no surprise flips anywhere else in the country. And again, I do have that graphic for you that lays out the different pathways to the presidency in the sources section of this episode. So yeah, whether you are tuning in to the results tonight or you're opting for a more relaxing night, all the power to you, and we will check back in with each other tomorrow. Now, our first story today is incredibly heartwarming. I am taking this story, by the way, from the Good News Network, which I, you know, I want to give credit where credit is due. So a woman named Amy Schmidt and her son,

they love to dress up together for Halloween and hand out candy. But this year, Amy's son was hospitalized two days before Halloween. So Amy left a note on her doorstep that said, quote, my son is in the hospital. Sorry, no candy, end quote. And as the night went on, a group of trick-or-treaters approached Amy's door for some candy only to be greeted by the note. But instead of turning their backs and walking away, the kids actually started to take candy out of their own buckets and put it onto Amy's porch for her and Jacob. Later in the night, six-year-old Mia did the same. She saw the note and after going back home, after collecting her first run of candy she asked her

dad if she could go out again and get more candy and after she made her stops the second time around she told her dad that she wanted to give all of the candy that she had gotten that second trip around to Jacob so her and her dad walk walked back to Amy and Jacob's house and dropped off Mia's candy now I'm going to play a little clip for you. And those that are just listening, you know, to this, to the audio version of this episode, you can at least appreciate the audio component, but for those watching on YouTube, you will also get to see that ring camera footage of these trick-or-treaters sharing their candy. So here is that clip.

7 News Detroit reporter, Megan Daniels talked to the mother of that neighbor about the small act of kindness that had a huge impact. It's overwhelming of all the love I got. And I don't even know half of these people. I give them this. Amy says she's been in the hospital with her son since Tuesday. But because she and her son love to dress up and hand out candy on Halloween, she didn't want the neighborhood kids to be disappointed. I left a note just saying that my son was in the hospital. We don't have any candy, sorry.

She says she started getting notifications from her doorbell camera that there was movement detected. And when she checked it... Ton and tons of kids are dumping baskets of candy out for my son. It was the most heartwarming surprise for Amy Schmidt and her son Jacob. It's just amazing of what the parents have raised these kids to be. To do that even without your parents there is just remarkable. And Amy says she and Jacob can't be more thankful for their kind neighbors. It was just so like thoughtful, like going beyond that extra mile for somebody.

In Woodhaven, Megan Daniels, 7 News Detroit. So that was the clip. It's just so, so sweet. And of course, if you are listening to the audio version of this episode, you can always go watch that video later by clicking the YouTube link in this episode description. The next story is another one from the Good News Network. In a new study, scientists trying to better understand how physical activity protects against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other forms of dementia, have found that it's because exercise makes the brain larger. Now, to be clear, researchers and scientists have known that physical activity protects the brain from these neurodegenerative diseases, but the purpose of

this study in particular was to really understand the mechanisms behind it, you know, the reason why. So I'm actually just going to quote this story. It says, quote, light physical activity, number of steps taken per day, and number of city blocks traversed per day are all modalities that have been used to measure connections between physical activity and preventing these diseases, showing that even pedestrian non-athletic, non-sportive activity can be neuroprotective in some cases. One of the main culprits in a positive sense for this effect is brain-derived neurotrophic factor, BDNF. BDNF is released into the brain during periods of exercise where it lowers neuroinflammation, improves synaptic connection, and performs other functions too numerous to list here. The study benefited from the use of a deep learning neural network

that allowed for multiple MRI scans of the same brain to be analyzed rapidly. 10,000 patients, and their brains of course, with an average age of 54, but ranging from 18 to 97, who were half men and half women, made up the study cohorts. Exercise was self-reported, which is an inevitable flaw when conducting large population studies like this one, but participants were asked how many days of the week they engaged in 10 minutes or more of moderate or vigorous intensity exercise. Now, previous studies quantified moderate and vigorous intensity through heartbeats per minute. This study simply defined moderate as being engaged in physical activity and still being able to talk, but not being able to sing. Vigorous was defined

as being in a state where only a few words could be spoken before pausing to breathe. 10,125 brain MRI scans were examined, and it was determined that a higher number of days of moderate to vigorous physical activity predicted larger normalized brain volumes in multiple regions, including total gray matter, total white matter, hippocampus, frontal cortex, parietal lobe, and occipital lobe, end quote. Brain matter and size are all predictors of better cognitive and neurological health as we age, while neurodegenerative diseases are often found in less dense brains. Quote, while 75% of participants reported doing some regular physical activity, many didn't meet standard exercise guidelines, yet still showed brain benefits. This adds to the growing evidence that even modest physical activity can protect brain health.

End quote. Pretty interesting study. And this next story is another really heartwarming one. A woman named Jennifer Skaggs was born with a rare genetic disorder that made it hard to breathe. And she used an oxygen tank for a very long time, but she eventually needed a double lung transplant. After waiting four months, she got a call in 2019 that she had a donor. And when she found out about the donor, she posted

this tearful message online. It's definitely bittersweet because I know that some beautiful young lady had to pass away in order for me to get my lungs. I don't know that I'll ever know who you are, but thank you. After Jennifer's successful surgery, she wrote to the donor's family to thank them and eventually ended up meeting them. Jennifer bonded with the whole family, but especially bonded with the donor's brother, Travis. And what started out as a friendship between the two quickly turned into something more. And today, Jennifer and Travis are married. Here's what they had to say in an interview with ABC News. She lives on. I think it helped a lot with the grieving process and, you know, left a little bit of hope.

I get to carry Jill with me every day, and I am so very thankful for the gift of life that she gave me. So, so sweet. Now, some other good news. A group of Swedish scientists have developed an innovative suit that enhances mobility for Parkinson's, stroke, and cerebral palsy patients. Again, if you're watching on YouTube, you can see the suit in action, but essentially the suit uses electrical stimulation to reduce tremors and muscle tension with 58 adjustable electrodes. It works by stimulating opposing muscle groups. So as an example, if the bicep is tense, the suit will stimulate the tricep to

relax the bicep. The difference in movements when these people have the suit on and off is just absolutely incredible. The suit consists of pants, a jacket, and a detachable control unit, which aims to relieve pain, relax spastic muscles, activate muscles, and increase blood circulation. And again, if you're just listening to the audio version of this podcast, yet you want to watch the video at a later date, you can always find that YouTube link in the episode description. Now, as our final little good news segment, before we get into a few quick hitters. I asked you guys on Instagram this afternoon to share some good things that have happened to you recently. And I want to share them on here in an

effort to remind everyone that good is all around us. So keep in mind, all of these submissions that I'm about to read came from you guys. Danny said, I went to vote today and my car battery died after I was done. And a sweet older man was so happy to come out and help me today and my car battery died after I was done and a sweet older man was so happy to come out and help me jumpstart my car. Becca said she passed her professional engineering license exam. Congratulations, Becca. That's amazing. Ashley said her and her husband are in the process of closing on their first home. Congratulations, Ashley. Some of my best memories actually are from DIYing the renovations on my first home which I will say there's still a work in progress but some of my best memories

so I'm wishing the sweetest memories for you in your new home Katie got a totally unexpected and unprovoked raise at work last week that is awesome congratulations Katie I hope you treat yourself to a little something nice Melissa had her first ultrasound for baby number two today, and the baby is looking great so far. We love that. Congratulations, Melissa. Kitten, I hope I'm saying that right, K-I-T-T-O-N, just moved from contract work to full-time and is feeling incredibly thankful. I am so proud of you. Keep crushing it. Scout finished his first 100K run last month. I can't even do a 5K. That's amazing.

Maggie finally got back surgery and says it's changed her life. I love that. Wishing you a speedy full recovery if you're not fully recovered already. Kim bought land to build a house in the future. How cool. Congratulations, Kim. And I don't have this next person's name, but they paid off their mortgage. That is fantastic.

Congratulations. Nina found out she's pregnant. Congratulations, Nina. Kelsey passed the bar exam. I know how good that feels. Congratulations, Kelsey. All of your hard work has paid off. Please go treat yourself to something nice because I'm sure you've been holed up just

studying nonstop. Ben is an ex-restaurant owner and just won a court case against a sleazy landlord. That's great. We love a nice win against a sleazeball. And Carter had a great date night with his wife this weekend with dinner, drinks, and music. It's the simple things in life. I absolutely love that. Now, I'm actually enjoying this segment

so much that I'm going to pull up this story that I posted and do some of the most recent responses I've gotten because I think this is really fun. It's making me feel really good to read all these and I hope, you know, it's making you guys feel good as well. So let's see. What do we have here? Danielle got a job promotion and brand new apartment. Someone got to visit Japan and see their U.S. Marine Corps son and his fiance. Someone else says the boys team I coach was runner up at cross country state this past weekend. Someone said I saved my marriage. That is phenomenal. Someone else said can't think of something big and good right now, but I really love my life and I'm so blessed. That's, you know what? You don't, you don't have to think of

anything big and good right now. Just feeling grateful is, is, is just great in and of itself. Someone said, I graduated from physical therapy after breaking my shins in the Navy. Someone said, my dad brought me lunch today since I have COVID and feel horribly ill. Parents are something else, You know, we got to be grateful for them. Started a new job that's better for me and my family. Congratulations. Let's see. At lunch, I invited an elderly lady to join me. I thoroughly enjoyed the chat. It made me feel good. That's great. I'm sure you made her feel just as good. That is awesome. Humanity can be so beautiful sometimes. Someone said, I had a slice of chocolate cake the other night and it was divine. We have to treat ourselves, guys. Someone

said, husband got approved for 90% military disability with a likelihood of getting 100%. That's great. Someone said, let's see, been struggling with PTSD and anxiety, limiting my life, but I recently planned a solo trip. Good job. Congratulations. I am very proud of you. I hope that you have an amazing time on that trip. Someone felt their first baby boy kick for the first time. I could go on and on. I mean, there are so many responses here, but I will leave it at that. Maybe I'll share screenshots of more of them to Instagram later tonight but I hope that that segment made you feel just as good as I felt reading these I think you know it's important

to remember that even when it's hard to see the good or even when we have we're in the midst of such a controversial time there is good happening all around us and you know we just have to be grateful for these things so congratulations to everyone. All of these made me so happy. And now we're going to do just a few quick hitters, and they are news-based, but I will keep my promise, these are not election-related. First, Boeing's 33,000 production workers voted to end their seven-week strike yesterday after approving a 38% pay raise over four years. Originally, workers were seeking a 40% pay raise, but the agreed upon 38% is up from Boeing's 25% offer in September. Workers can return to work as soon as tomorrow or as late as November 12th, but analysts have said that the strike has cost Boeing an estimated tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue per day. And a potential nuclear power supply deal for a Meta AI data

center was obstructed by the discovery of a rare species of bee on the land where the project was planned. According to a report from the Financial Times, Meta had planned to partner with an existing nuclear power operator to provide energy for a planned AI-specific data center. However, last week at a meeting, CEO Mark Zuckerberg told Meta that the discovery of a bee species would have complicated the project even further, which had already been complicated by other issues in the environmental and regulatory process. Meta says it will continue looking for deals within the low-carbon sector and has not ruled out nuclear energy supply agreements.

And finally, the third and final, the Supreme Court will hear arguments early next year over a redistricting map in Louisiana that created a second-majority Black congressional district in the state. Now, Louisiana's legislature draw a new congressional map back in 2022, and that map was struck down by a federal district court, which held that the map probably violated, or likely is the word, likely violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act because only one of the state's six congressional districts was a majority Black district, despite a third of Louisiana's population being Black according to the most recent 2020 census. The legislature went back to the drawing board and created a new map, which provided for two majority black districts, and now this map is being challenged. On appeal, a three-judge panel

agreed with the challengers in finding that the new map was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, and now it'll go before the Supreme Court. That concludes this episode, but I do just want to say three things before we leave each other. Regardless of what happens tonight and in the coming days, we are in this together. We all want the best for this country, and we all have more in common than it seems sometimes. Remember that. Have a great night, and I will talk to you tomorrow.