Easy DIY Home Energy: 4 Ways to Plant a Solar Tree

(Image via: Zedomax)

In our search for the best way to array our new-fangled solar paneling, we’re going back to the oldest design of all. A few years ago the solar tree was little mo…
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Brilliant Bio-Design: 14 Animal-Inspired Inventions

[ By Steph in Animals & Habitats, Art & Design, Science & Research, Technology & Gadgets. ]

Surveillance cameras flap their wings in the sky just like birds and bats. Tiny little hairs on gecko feet help a robot climb a smooth vertical surface. The impact-resistant surface of human teeth inspires light and durable aerospace materials. Just like designs inspired by the sea, insect-mimicking inventions and buildings that look like natural terrain, these 14 examples of biomimicry based on animal and human biology capitalize on the unparalleled efficiency of nature.

A Robotic Arm Like an Elephant Trunk

(image via: festo.com)

Robotics have always been bound by the limitations of the computers of their time, but as computer technology continues to evolve, more complex calculations for a wider range of movements become possible. And the capability of flexible, pliable movement has given way to more advanced designs like this one: a new ‘biomechatronic’ handling system based on an elephant’s trunk. Created by German engineering firm Festo, the Bionic Handling Assistant smoothly transports heavy loads, expanding and contracting by inflating or deflating air sacs within each ‘vertebrae’.

Solar-Powered Bat-Inspired Spy Plane

(image via: inhabitat)

Bats have unwittingly become the inspiration for a government surveillance device. The United States military commissioned the COM-BAT from the University of Michigan College of Engineering, giving them a five-year, $10-million-dollar grant to develop the design. Fitted with a solar panel in its transparent ‘head’, the 6-inch spy plane has wings shaped like those of the flying mammal. The plane must be able to collect large amounts of surveillance data while running on only 1 watt of power.

Bird Skulls Inspire Lighter, Stronger Building Materials

(image via: andres harris)

“Skulls in general are extraordinary impact-resistant structures and extremely light at the same time as they protect the most important organs of an animal body and this performance and physical property can be applied in structure or architecture design,” says architect Andres Harris, who has studied animal bones – particularly bird skulls – extensively in a bid to design a highly efficient bio-inspired surface. Harris imagines mimicking the material for a large pavilion, and the blog Biomimetic Architecture notes that this concept could also be applied to cars.

Bullet Train Has a Nose Like a Kingfisher Beak

(images via: yimhafiz, laszlo-photo)

The kingfisher dives into the water from the air without making a splash, mostly thanks to its highly efficiently-shaped beak. In a stroke of genius, engineer and bird enthusiast Eiji Nakatsu realized that the same shape could solve an annoying problem faced by Japan’s ultra-fast bullet trains, which created a loud booming sound like a thunder clap whenever they exited a tunnel. The nose of the train was pushing air at high speeds, creating a wall of wind that not only made the loud sound, but also slowed down the train. The new, kingfisher-inspired train nose eliminates this problem, making the trains up to 20 percent more fuel efficient.

Bio-Inspired Computer Takes Cues from Cat Brains

(image via: aturkus)

Sure, computer tech has advanced a lot in recent years – but even supercomputers still can’t recognize human faces as well as cats can. The University of Michigan decided to study the feline brain in order to develop an intelligent computer. The idea is that current computers execute code in a linear fashion, as opposed to the mammalian brain, which can process many things at once. Lu is in the process of developing a circuit element that behaves like biological synapses. This ‘memristor’ can remember past voltages that passed through it in a way that is similar to memory and learning in the brain.  Why cats? Computer engineer Wei Lu says it was simply a more realistic goal than mimicking the brain of a human.

Bat Sonar Navigation Helps the Blind Get Around

(image via: gizmag)

It doesn’t have any cool physical features that reveal its inspiration, but the Ultracane wouldn’t be possible without study of the way bats get around in pitch blackness. In the same way that bats can “see” in the dark using ultrasonic echoes that reveal the location of obstacles, the Ultracane warns blind users of objects in their path. A number of sensors on the cane even make it possible for users to sense objects higher than head height.

Radio Chip Mimics the Human Ear

(images via: physorg, lisaw123)

Faster than any human-designed radio-frequency spectrum analyzer, this radio chip also needs very little power to operate. How is that possible? The design is based upon the human ear. MIT researchers looked at the way the cochlea converts sound waves into electrical signals sent to the brain. The sound waves create mechanical waves in the fluid of the inner ear, which activate tiny hair cells that facilitate electrical signals. Rahul Sarpeshkar used the same design principles in his artificial cochlear radio chip, which would make possible wireless devices that can receive cell phone, internet, radio and television signals.

““The more I started to look at the ear, the more I realized it’s like a super radio with 3,500 parallel channels,” said Sarpeshkar.

RoboSwift Micro-Airplane is No Ordinary Bird

(image via: science daily)

Here’s yet another invention to make you paranoid that that little flying creature above your house is no ordinary bird or bat. The RoboSwift, as implied by its name, is based upon the biology of the swift, a family of birds capable of extremely fast flight. Developed by Delft University of Technology, the RoboSwift is equipped with observation cameras that might be used either to study birds, or possibly for surveillance of human activity. Wind tunnel tests have found that its flight is remarkably bird-like thanks to the ability to fold its ‘feathers’ backwards.

Stickybot: Gecko Feet Help Robot Climb

(image via: science daily)

How can a robot climb a smooth surface like glass without using suction cups, which are slow and inefficient? The secret lies in the intricate design of a gecko’s toes. Mark Cutkosky, a professor of mechanical engineering at  Stanford University, developed the ‘Stickybot’ with the same type of dry adhesive that lets those lizards cling to the most improbable of surfaces. This ‘directional adhesive’ relies on millions of hairs on the ridges of a gecko’s foot with split ends that interact with the molecules of the climbing surface.

“Other adhesives are sort of like walking around with chewing gum on your feet: You have to press it into the surface and then you have to work to pull it off. But with directional adhesion, it’s almost like you can sort of hook and unhook yourself from the surface,” Cutkosky told ScienceDaily.

Deer Antlers Inspire Basis of Super-Tough Materials

(image via: stuart.bassil)

What makes the antlers of a deer so bone-crushingly strong? Scientists at the University of York in the UK weren’t sure exactly how the moisture level in deer antlers affects their strength. They studied antlers that were cut just before the stage when stags start dueling, when they need their antlers to be at their strongest, and discovered that during this period, the antlers dry out. Dry, stiff materials are usually brittle and easily breakable, but deer antlers proved to be 2.4 times stronger than wet bone. This revelation seems to have solved a puzzling problem for engineers: making a material that is both stiff and tough. The structure of deer antlers will likely become the basis of incredibly durable industrial materials.

Human Teeth Structure and Aerospace Technology

(image via: diongillard)

Our teeth are only about a strong as glass – so how can they withstand nearly a lifetime of chomping on all kinds of hard foods? Researchers at Tel Aviv University examined thousands of extracted human teeth and found that under stress, the highly sophisticated structure that makes up the exterior of our teeth forms a network of micro-cracks instead of large ones. These tiny cracks are then able to heal over time. If engineers can find a way to replicate this ‘wavy’, multi-layered structure in a synthetic material, they could develop lighter and more crash-resistant aircraft, though the self-healing properties are probably a long way from realization.

Contact Lenses of the Future Inspired by Gecko Eyes

(image via: jurvetson)

Feet aren’t the only part of gecko anatomy that’s got engineers excited. Scientists have discovered that geckos have a series of distinct concentric zones in their eyes that make it possible for them to see colors at night, an ability few other creatures have. These zones have different refractive powers, giving geckos a multifocal optical system that allows light of different wavelengths to focus on the retina at the same time. This makes their eyes 350 times more sensitive than humans, and lets them focus on objects at different distances. The discovery may allow engineers to develop more effective cameras and possibly even multi-focal contact lenses.

Beer-Foam-Like Bird Feather Colors Influence Optical Materials

(image via: steve patten)

The brilliantly colored feathers of the male Eastern bluebird aren’t created by pigments, like most other colors found in nature – that shade of blue is actually produced by nanostructures that self-assemble in much the same way as beer foam. Essentially, they form the same way as materials undergoing ‘phase separation’, when different substances become unstable and separate from each other. Color-producing structures in feathers start out as bubbles of water inside living cells, and are replaced with air as the feather grows. These intricate optical structures, which look like sponges with air bubbles under a microscope, are being used to create a new generation of optical materials in the lab.

Human Eye Inspires Cameras with Wider Field of View

(image via: orangeacid)

The curved surface of the human eye facilitates a wider field of view than has ever been possible using a camera. The challenge for engineers was to transfer microelectronic components onto a curved surface without breaking them. Yonggang Huang of Northwestern University and John Rogers of the University of Illinois built a digital camera of the same size, shape and layout of the human eye, and developed a mesh-like material that hold electronic components onto the curved surface. This technology would enable photographs that are entirely clear and focused, unlike today’s cameras which can focus only on certain areas. It may even enable the development of an artificial retina or bionic eye.

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Oceanic Biomimicry: 13 Designs Inspired by the Sea

How do you design the perfect turbine blade for use underwater, or build a fleet of vehicles that can pack tightly together and navigate around obstacles in a flash? Look to nature – specifically, …
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Filed Under: Green Things
Tagged: animals, art & design, biomimetics, biomimicry, design, development, digital-camera, flying, inspiration, michigan, science & research, technology & gadgets, united-states, university

Brush Your Beak: 10 Amazing Birds With Teeth

September 28, 2010 by admin · View Comments 

[ By Steve in 7 Wonders Series, Animals & Habitats, Nature & Ecosystems. ]

Do birds have teeth? Ask any biologist and the answer will be “absolutely not!”, but “absolute” is a relative term and when one stretches the definitions of what makes a bird or a tooth, birds with teeth aren’t absolutely impossible anymore.

Greylag Goose Grazes Grasses

(images via: Digital Nature Photography and Mike Milo’s Journal)

The Greylag Goose is very common in Europe and western Asia though most people haven’t seen one up close. If they did, they might back away, and quickly. This is no “silly goose”, at least not if those rows of teeth along its upper and lower jaws mean anything. It’s close relative, the Canada Goose, shares the Greylag’s disconcertingly un-birdlike choppers. If you thought a goose’s bark was worse than its bite, maybe it’s time to reconsider.

(images via: Darrell Gallant and Mark David)

Tooth-like serrations called Tomia run along the outside edges of the Greylag’s beak, top and bottom, and help it neatly clip the shoots and grasses that make up the major portion of its meals.

Domestic Goose’s Devilish Grin

(images via: The Nature of Framingham and GooseGoddessS)

Domestic Geese may be white but they’ve sure got a bite; being closely related to the Greylag Goose they share their progenitor’s toothless – but tooth-like – dentition. Just imagine the glint off these pearly… yellows?… when a gaggle of domestic geese swagger into the barnyard. You talkin’ to me??

(image via: Indiana Public Media)

Making like a snake isn’t going to improve the above goose’s popularity much… guess he’ll have to just grin and bear it. Looks like he’s doing exactly that.

Not Your Average Baby Teeth

(images via: Conservation Report and Kintired)

Awww, cute cuddly baby birds! Hear them go “cheep cheep cheep”. Gently touch their warm, soft, downy feathers. Watch them open their tiny mouths wide and… Oh. My. Gawd!! No need to adjust your screen, there’s nothing wrong with this picture… well, not visually but certainly viscerally. Many species of birds have, to a greater or lesser degree, spiky tooth-like rearward-facing spines in their mouths that ensure what goes in won’t get out. Take another look at the above images – I ensure they’ll be in your dreams tonight.

Penguins Use Tongue Fu

(images via: Allan Hansen and ChrisRay64)

Penguins are chock full of amazing evolutionary adaptations that enable them to perform as efficient fish-catching, meal-processing machines that turn speed-eating into a lifestyle. You’d think that snatching fish in mid-swim would be a challenge without a mouthful of teeth to do the snatching with, but penguins have a trick up their natty sleeves… or in their mouths, to be exact.

(images via: PenguinScience and New Zealand Penguins)

The Adelie penguin above is showing off its spine-covered tongue (left) and similarly bristly upper palate (right). The spines function much as teeth would, holding captured fish securely as the penguin prepares to swallow it. The spines are raked backwards just in case any red herrings decide they want to make a break for it. Oh, and if you’re wondering how penguins kiss, the answer is… very carefully.

Toucan Chew

(image via: Liography)

“It’s hard to soar with eagles when you’re surrounded by turkeys…” Or Toucans, for that matter. It’s hard to take toucans seriously – between their ridiculously enlarged beaks and an unfortunate association with Froot Loops breakfast cereal its a wonder they haven’t been laughed out of the rainforest by now. Then there’s this guy, who stands his ground with a hint of a grin… a sinister smile that appears to reveal a brace of bodacious bird bicuspids! We’re unsure whether flashing faux dentition works to intimidate predators but one thing’s for certain: when Toucan Sam channels Yosemite Sam, any fur-bearin’ varmints in the area had best take notice!

Take A Seat, Tooth-billed Catbird

(image via: Oiseaux.net)

The Tooth-billed Catbird is a type of Bowerbird found in the forests of Queensland in northeastern Australia. There are several different species of catbirds but only the Tooth-billed Catbird has a tooth-like bill… and a seriously badass name to go with it.

(images via: Brooklyn Arts Council, Amazon.com and BB the Renegade)

The tooth-like appearance of the Tooth-billed Catbird’s bill really puts it in the catbird seat… wait a minute, what the heck is a “catbird seat”?? Derived from a folk expression originating in the American South, to be in the catbird seat means being in an enviable or advantageous position. Depending upon who you want to believe, the expression was popularized either by humorist James Thurber in his 1942 short story “The Catbird Seat”, or by the legendary late baseball broadcaster Red Barber who often used it when describing situations in which the batter had run the count to 3 balls and no strikes. The more you know!

Breakout The Egg Teeth

(images via: Backyard Chickens, Della Micah and Honolulu Zoo)

When the going gets tough, the tough get… an egg tooth? Yes indeed, birds have evolved egg teeth (an Egg Tooth, actually) on the end of the beak to assist about-to-be-born baby birds in breaking through their eggshells from the inside. Once they’re out, however, the egg tooth either quickly falls off or is reabsorbed. Though known as an egg “tooth”, the actual structure is more like that of a horn or a bone spur.

(images via: Gravityx9 and Ugly Overload)

All birds (except Kiwis) are born with egg teeth and the protuberance is also common to other egg-laying animals including snakes, crocodiles, turtles, certain types of frogs and -wait for it – spiders!

Prehistoric Toothed Birds

(images via: Life In The Fast Lane, Dalje and EMC/Maricopa)

Birds had teeth through much of their history, from the very ancient Archaeopteryx up to the relatively recent Pelagornithidae. These pseudotooth birds, looked a lot like modern seabirds with two major differences: most species were much larger and all had jagged, bony protrusions of their upper and lower jawbones that gave them a decidedly sinister appearance. It’s thought that these tooth-like projections helped the birds grasp slippery fish and squid, but that begs the question: if today’s seabirds also eat these foods, why lose these useful pseudoteeth?

(images via: IO9 and Coolislandsong24)

The last toothed birds died out early in the Pleistocene Epoch around 2.5 million years ago, possibly their specialized lifestyles rendered them vulnerable to severe environmental changes resulting from changing ocean currents and the advent of recurring ice ages. Their huge size may have also contributed to their demise, as some of these toothed birds really pushed the envelope when it came to practical limitations of the size vs flight equation. The extinct toothed bird Pelagornis Chilensis above, for example, had an estimated wingspan of 5.2 meters (17 feet) while the wingspans of other toothed seabirds approached 9 meters (30 feet)!

Fighting, Biting Warbirds

(images via: Spitcrazy, Tomahawks.us and Amazon.com)

Though the term “warbird” can denote most any retired military aircraft, what comes to mind to most folks are the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighters flown with great distinction by the Flying Tigers in World War II. Now these birds had teeth… and were more than happy to use them.

(images via: Wikipedia and WW2Total)

As iconic as the sharkmouth P-40 may be, the actual history of the motif isn’t what most would expect. The first fighter pilots to paint their P-40s in this fashion were not Americans, but British – from RAF 112 Squadron, flying Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawks against Rommel’s Afrika Corps out of Egyptian bases in the summer of 1941. That isn’t the end of the story, either. The pilots from 112 Squadron got their inspiration from seeing Messerschmitt Bf-110 fighter-bombers from the Luftwaffe’s Zerstorergeschwader 76 “Haifisch” (shark) Group, formed in the spring of 1940.

Cartoon Birds & Mouthy Mascots

(image via: Sodahead)

Daffy Duck, Woody Woodpecker, Heckle & Jeckle and more… these classic cartoon character birds were embodied by their creators with a wide variety of exaggerated expressions including some very expressive, toothy grins.

(images via: Upcoming Discs, Dinosaur.org, Railbirds and JohnKStuff)

No one (until now, at least) really questioned why these animated avians had teeth, let alone now you see ‘em, now you don’t choppers – and there’s a very good reason: pointing it out to someone like Duckman might just get you a “What the HELL you starin’ at?!!” in return.

(images via: Seahawks Central, Tom McMahon and HD Wallpapers)

From pro sports to beer leagues to school teams, birds have always been popular mascots but the recent trend is to make them look as fierce as possible. Even historic mascots and logos have gotten buff: check out the helmet logos of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals, for example.

(images via: Chris Creamer, Fiveprime, Sportslogos.net and Sportslogos.net)

Sometimes though, a frown just ain’t enough; baring teeth bestows a much greater degree of ferocity on even the most timid of songbirds. The logos above all feature toothy birds who add some bite to their beaks… just beak cause, that’s why.

(image via: Morriscourse)

Can’t handle the tooth? Saying fangs with faint praise? Think canines belong on canines and ONLY canines? Fair enough, but just remember: birds with teeth really aren’t impossible, just implausible. Or, just maybe… inci-dental.

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8 Exotic and Beautiful Endangered Bird Species

Birds have been known as the harbingers of fortunes, the omens of godly presence, and their flight and habits have fascinated human beings since the dawn of time. Today, pollution, habitat …
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Filed Under: Green Things
Tagged: animals & habitats, british, council, facebook, flight, history, inspiration, journal, nature & ecosystems, nfl, oceans, progenitor, renegade, seattle, spring

A Look Inside: Spectacular X-Ray Nature Photography

August 11, 2010 by admin · View Comments 

[ By Delana in Art & Design, Nature & Ecosystems. ]

The natural world is full of surprises and hidden beauty. It’s so easy to simply walk right by countless amazing things every day without noticing just how many wonders are all around us. That’s part of the inspiration behind Hugh Turvey‘s X-ray art. He looks inside the things most of us ignore, taking an inside view of the natural world and inspiring a truly delightful sense of wonder.

Hugh Turvey is fascinated by the idea of X-ray specs: those novelty glasses often advertised in the back of comic books. The idea that one can put on an accessory and suddenly see a deeper truth appeals to Turvey and inspires his art. He likens X-ray art to the movie “The Matrix;” specifically, when Neo is suddenly able to perceive his real environment.

Although Turvey isn’t the first artist to use X-rays as art, he is one of the most well-known and respected. His art depicts familiar items in wholly unfamiliar ways. Turvey’s X-ray photos reveal hidden characteristics of ordinary things; sometimes amazing qualities can be found in the most unassuming objects.

Originally trained as a designer and art director, Turvey didn’t discover his passion for photography until he was grown. He retrained in his new craft with master photographer Gered Mankowitz and began experimenting with the X-ray art that would later become his hallmark.

These colored X-ray pictures help us get a closer look at the complex beauty of the natural world. Flowers which look so uncomplicated on the surface reveal their hidden inner structures; plants that may look plain and boring with the naked eye take on an exotic and truly wonderful quality when seen in this new way.

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26 Captivating Landscape & Nature Photography Wallpapers

The beauty of nature helps inspire us to take care of our planet. If you don’t have the funds to travel, enjoy these 26 stunning landscape and nature photography wallpapers.
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Filed Under: Green Things
Tagged: art, design, ecosystems, exotic-animal, facebook, gered-mankowitz, inspiration, movie, nature photography, photography, plants

On a Wing and a Prayer: The Recycled Airplane House

July 9, 2010 by thegreenchildrenfoundation · View Comments 

[ By Delana in Art & Design, Home & Garden. ]

When Native Americans killed a buffalo, they used every last part of it. From the meat to the hide to the bones, not a scrap was wasted. That’s the concept cited by architect David Hertz as the inspiration behind the Wing House: a multi-section house being constructed out of a recycled Boeing 747 in the remote hills of Malibu, California.

The project started with a unique site that was once owned by designer Tony Duquette. Duquette was known for incorporating found objects into the structures on his land, a fact which later inspired David Hertz to search for a novel answer to his client’s requests. The current owner of the property wanted a new home with a curved, feminine roof; after some consideration it was decided that the wing of a 747 would provide the perfect area and the desired shape.

The idea developed from there, with Hertz finally realizing that using the entire airplane was a more cost-effective solution than using only one part. Hundreds of retired airplanes have been resigned to the desert where they languish until they are sold for the price of their principal material: aluminum.

Hertz and his team found that they could purchase an entire 747 for around $50,000, an exceptionally reasonable price for the amount of material contained in the huge airplane. The design team decided to use just about every part of the plane to construct a home in seven different sections.

The home will be comprised of the main residence, a guest house, a meditation pavilion, an animal barn and an art studio, among other features. A fire feature and water element make use of some of the more industrial-looking parts of the aircraft.

The design of the home is ultimately meant to be as eco-friendly as possible. The very act of re-using an airplane rather than acquiring all new materials for the home means that plenty of construction-related waste is spared while a huge amount of previously-discarded materials (namely, a 395,000 pound airplane) is kept from ever entering the waste stream. But additionally, the finished home will make use of natural ventilation, radiant heating and solar power to up its eco-friendly factor.

Even with the recycled components, building a massive structure such as this one in the middle of nowhere is never going to be the most environmentally friendly solution possible. Still, if one is going to build a huge house in the hills of Malibu anyway, they might as well make use of one of the many hundreds of massive airplanes currently sitting unused. The Wing House is expected to be completed sometime in mid-2010.

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10 Surprising Reclaimed & Recycled Building Materials

Old airplanes, shipping containers, silos and beer bottles are just a few of the surprising reclaimed and recycled materials that can be used in green building.
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Filed Under: Green Things
Tagged: architecture, argentina, art and design, client, david-hertz, homes, inspiration, recycled, reduce reuse recycle

WGWT Micro Lending new model of mentorship

June 16, 2010 by · View Comments 

EACH BORROWER IS NOT ONLY GOING TO BE WORKING WITH a business analyst, we are also pairing [each borrower] up with a team of mentors: a lead mentor who is their inspiration and motivation, and two content mentors with specific knowledge about their business.

Filed Under: Microcredit News
Tagged: business, business-analyst, content-mentors, each-borrower, inspiration, lead-mentor, Microcredit News, the green children, their-inspiration

Bereaved Childs Writes Book

October 12, 2009 by admin · View Comments 

“I want other children to read it if they lose their daddy like me,” says Milly Bell.

This brave girl mustered up the strength and creativity to reach out to other children who may be in her situation by writing a book that talks openly about the death of a parent.

“My Daddy Is Dying” is being published by a cancer charity in the hope that it will help other youngsters cope with bereavement.

Among Millie’s pieces of advice is a suggestion that those feeling miserable should make a “Happy Feelings Cake”.

“Sometimes you will feel sad so you can make a cake of happy feelings. What you do is each ingredient is a happy thought.

“E.g. if it was me the flour could be my dog Daisy who makes me smile, the egg could be the start of the new beginning, the sugar could be the sweetness of your family or friends and the butter could be a thought about something you are looking forward to.

“When you decorate the cake the toppings can be happy feelings that you had about making the cake. Then you eat it and it makes you feel better because making it sort of takes your mind off feeling sad.”

Millie’s mother Gaynor Appleby, 37, from Exeter, said: “She was absolutely devastated when she lost her dad, and it broke my heart to see her grief. But she has been so strong - and her thoughts have always been with other children.”

Source: DailyMail.com

Beth

Filed Under: Positive News
Tagged: among-millie, being-published, bereavement, cake, children, family, green, happy-feelings, inspiration, making-it-sort, only positive news, situation, sweetness, thoughts

Sunlight through the Clouds

September 20, 2009 by admin · View Comments 

Even in the wake of the most tragic events, positivity can survive, sometimes even thrive. We’ve all had experiences that floored us, only to look back and see how positive change resulted or see how people come together during a horrendous event, like September 11.

This story showcases that positivity can walk with tragedy. One does not negate the other:

Last Thursday, six cars collided on the Niagara Thruway outside of Buffalo, New York, and within moments, bystanders rushed in to save the trapped passengers from the vehicles. When one of the car’s engines caught fire, one Good Samaritan grabbed a fire extinguisher to put out the flames; another used a saw to cut the cars’ frames apart and pull out the unconscious people trapped inside.

“There wasn’t one hero,” Michael Byham, one of the volunteer rescuers, told the Buffalo News. “There was a bunch of people who jumped in.”

Thanks to their quick and cool-headed work, several people were injured, but only one passenger, 7-year-old Asa Hill, who’d been traveling with his grandfather, seemed to be in critical condition—he was immediately rushed to a hospital and placed on life support.

Sadly, doctors soon declared the young boy brain-dead. His parents, Amilcar Hill and Rahwa Ghirmatzion, said their goodbyes to their only child the next day, and gave their blessing for the staff to harvest Asa’s organs, so that he could save the lives of others.

Despite their devastating loss, Hill and Ghirmatzion are choosing to focus on the happiness that their son brought them in his short life. “He enjoyed being loved,” Amilcar Hill told the Buffalo News. “He enjoyed being our baby. He enjoyed being our son, I know that for a fact. He told us, I know it’s for real. He enjoyed his moments with everyone. That’s who he was.”

Hill and Ghirmatzion had been a couple since they were teenagers, and though they’d never gotten married, they were deeply committed to their relationship. But Asa always wanted them to celebrate their love with a real wedding, and asked them several times if they would get married. Though they told him they would, they never got around to following through.

But after Asa died, the couple decided to pay tribute to their son by honoring his request in an unusual way. Rather than using his funeral as an occasion for grief, Hill and Ghirmatzion decided to turn it into a celebration.

More than 1,100 people attended the funeral service on Monday, which was filled with tributes to Asa from family and friends, African drum performances, and dancing. And, to cap it all off, the service ended with Hill and Ghirmatzion walking down the church aisle, pledging their lifelong commitment to one another in a beautiful wedding. Asa’s parents knew their son would have loved it.

“We wanted it to be a surprise,” Hill told CNN. “We knew it would be a joyous moment. You could see how it lifted them, and we figured, why not make it a surprise at the end.”

Source: Gimundo

Beth

Filed Under: Positive News
Tagged: avery-fisher, cars, devastating, inspiration, itzhak-perlman, niagara-thruway, president-john, relationship, rotary, tragedy, united-states

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