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This Chicago couple just did something rare and sometimes unheard of for a homeless disabled man
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A Chicago couple has become a viral sensation for doing one thing helping the poor on a train. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News
Published: Nov 10, 2015, 2:59 PM
In less than a week, a Chicago couple has become a viral sensation for doing one thing helping the poor.

It began when Chicago resident Jack Stankovic noticed a couple on a city blue line train leave some money for a sleeping disabled homeless man, Stankovic noted in a Facebook post, adding that the money wasnt spare change, either.

That post has since been shared more than 70,000 times, as people searched to find the couple.

Eventually, the couple was discovered to be Courtney White and his wife Tanya Prewitt-White, who were coming back from an Alabama funeral when they saw the man on the train, according to NBC Chicago.

The couple told NBC Chicago they gave the homeless man money as a way of paying it forward and didnt expect all the attention.

"We were getting off at Irving Park, and I had grabbed some money to give him," Prewitt-White told The Chicago Tribune. My husband had the same idea, so he already had money out to give him. I handed my additional money to my husband, and he just slipped it all into the gentleman's bag and we walked off."
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News
Published: Aug 13, 2018, 1:39 PM
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.