Lofty Matters

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Hope you’re having an awesome holiday weekend (here in the US). Here’s a serving of GOOD news to keep up the positive vibe!

Diaper Saves Baby’s Life in Fall

A disposable diaper saved the life of an 18-month-old baby by breaking his fall from a third-floor apartment window in San Paulo, Brazil Thursday.

Caua Felipe Massaneiro survived a 30-foot fall when his diaper happeed to snag on a security spike that was embedded in the concrete wall around his apartment building. The baby dangled from the spike for a bit and then the diaper opened and he fell to the ground. Obviously, he could have been killed by one of those spikes as well.

The baby suffered minor fractures and was said to be in stable condition.

The father is quoted as saying: “It wasn’t the diaper that saved him, it was God.”

In the year 1926, Francisco Garcia married the beautiful young Paulina Calvillo. Eighty-two years later, they preside together over a large and happy family.

He just turned 100. She’s 98. They remain inseparable. They were both born in and lived in Mexico until 1984, when they moved to San Antonio to be with their children.

He was 17 and she was 15 when they married in a small, simple ceremony at a church. Because of limited money there was no big party after the wedding. They had a dinner with a few friends.

The couple saved and finally was able to buy their own farm that would be their home for the next 59 years. They raised cattle and chickens and pigs.

The couple had 10 children, seven boys and three girls. Over the years they endured their share of heartache. One baby was stillborn and another son was stung by a scorpion as a toddler and died. Very recently another son died of cancer.

Together they’ve had 44 grandchildren, 60 great-grandchildren and 16 great-great-grandchildren. There are no divorces in the family - at all! Apparently the commitment that characterizes the couple has been passed down to their heirs.

When asked the secret to his long marriage, Francisco has one, simple answer: “The Lord.”

Study Finds Monkeys Enjoy Giving To Others

Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center have determined that capuchin monkeys find giving to be a satisfying experience.

Researchers exchanged tokens for food with eight adult female capuchins. Each capuchin was paired off with either a relative, an unrelated familiar female from her own social group, or a stranger (a female from a different group).

The capuchins were next given the choice of two options. The selfish option,which rewarded that capuchin alone with an apple slice; or a prosocial option, which rewarded both capuchins with an apple slice. The monkeys predominantly selected the latter option when paired with a relative or familiar individual but not when paired with a stranger.

It is believed that prosocial behavior is empathy based. Empathy increases in both humans and animals when social closeness is increased.

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