Check Out the 10 Most Amazing Acts of Kindness on GNN For World Kindness Day

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Nov 13, 2017

Want an uplifting pick-me-up to start your work week? Because in honor of today being World Kindness Day, we’ve compiled 10 of the most popular stories about kindness from throughout the year.

From tales of compassionate celebrities, to customer service reps who go above and beyond the call of duty, here are your favorite good deeds from 2017.

10) Teen Boys Filmed Giving Duvet to Homeless Man and Tucking Him In

The building’s security camera captured Szymon, Wojtek, and Marcin of Nysa, Poland tucking in a cold homeless man on a park bench with a duvet last winter.

9) Customer Admires Chick-fil-A Employee So Much, He Built Him a New Home

Ever since Bryan Smith met Shakeel Williams at Chick-Fil-A, he couldn’t help but feel inspired by the youth’s kindness and disposition – so, as a gift to his beloved restaurant server, Bryan built a house for the young man and his family.

8) Humorous Judge Dismisses “Ridiculous” Ticket When Woman Parks 2 Seconds Early

A woman named Sarah had received a ticket for parking in a no-parking zone with restrictions from 8:00AM to 10:00AM. When did the unlucky driver receive the ticket? At exactly 9:59AM, two seconds before the zone restrictions were up.

Chuckling, the Providence, Rhode Island judge Frank Caprio couldn’t stop joking about the frivolous penalty: “What does justice demand in this case, is it jail?”

7) Woman Changes Homeless Man’s Life After He Stood on Same Street Corner for 3 Years

Victor Hubbard had been standing on the same street corner waiting for his mother to return for the last three years – that is, until Ginger Jones Sprouse finally decided to step in and lend a hand.

6) Woman Invites Lonely Widower to Dinner “Date”, He Arrives With Suit and Flowers

Ellie Walker was heartbroken when she heard that Edwin Holmes would be spending Christmas Day alone – so she invited him to dinner over the holiday break.

Then, when he showed up for the “date”, he arrived wearing his best suit with flowers in hand, reducing Ellie to tears.

5) Crowd Hangs On to Suicidal Man For 2 Hours Until Help Arrives

During rush hour near Golders Green, North London in May, this man climbed over a bridge railing so he could leap to his death – but passerby immediately rushed to grab him through the bars so he wouldn’t be able to jump.

4) Air Canada Pilot Overhears Distressed Mom on Plane, Then Drives Her to Husband’s Bedside

In response to a family emergency, Antonella Dicintio boarded an Air Canada flight leaving from Toronto for Ottawa to see her husband who had fallen into a coma while at a work conference.

Pilot Matthew Guetta was already flying the plane when he overheard the young mother talking on the phone.

“He offered to personally take me, once he landed the flight, to Ottawa General Hospital to be by my husbands side,” she told Good News Network.

3) Guy Sacrifices Tesla to Save Unconscious Driver, Elon Musk Offers to Repair It

41-year-old Manfred Kick was driving down the Autobahn – a federally controlled highway with no mandated speed limit – when he saw a Volkswagen swerving dangerously across the road. Curious, Manfred peered into the car’s windows only to find that the driver had fallen unconscious against the steering wheel.

2) Plane Passengers Are Left “In Awe” of Woman’s Kindness Towards Agitated Boy With Autism

Rochel and Bentzion Groner were on a plane back from chaperoning a trip to Israel on Friday, and the flight was expected to take eight hours. After a three hour delay and one hour in the sky, many of the passengers were already exhausted.

Then, a young boy with autism started having a meltdown.

Rochel told Good News Network she had only one thought: “I gotta help this kid.”

1) Mall Opens its Doors for Stray Dogs During Winter Storm

Despite the heavy snow that pummeled Istanbul back in January, the city’s stray dogs were safe and snug thanks to a generous local mall that opened its doors to the homeless pups.

Want to see more stories about kindness? Check out our Kindness tag on GNN for more uplifting articles on compassion.

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Woman Given Terminal Cancer Diagnosis to be Saved, Thanks to Ex-Husband’s New Wife

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McKinley Corbley

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Nov 13, 2017

Divorce can be a messy affair, and dealing with an ex’s new significant other can be even worse – but after she was given a terminal cancer diagnosis earlier this year, a mother of two has been given a second chance thanks to a financial windfall from her ex-husband’s new wife.

41-year-old Nicola “Niki” Hitchen was first admitted to the hospital with severe abdominal pain back in March. While doctors initially said that she had pelvic abscess and sepsis, they later found a tumor in her cervix.

Because physicians said that they could not treat the cancer until her infection cleared up, the tumor jumped from stage 2 cancer to stage 4 in just seven weeks, and doctors said that it was too late to start treatment.

CHECK OUT: 8-Year-old Helps Buy New Wheelchair For His Best Buddy When Insurance Fails

Hitchen, however, refused to give up. In July, the mom from Chester, England began treatment at the Chemothermia center in Istanbul, Turkey – and the therapy was shockingly successful. The tumor in Hitchen’s cervix has all but disappeared, and the tumors throughout the rest of her body have also shrunk considerably.

But the 41-year-old started running out of money – the innovative treatments cost her family almost $100,000 (£80,000) and she still requires maintenance trips to the center, each of which comes with a hefty $13,000 (£10,000) price tag.

Hitchen mentioned her dire financial straits to her ex-husband’s new wife Clare, who was not about to let Hitchen suffer alone.

MORE: Public Raises $100K For Widower Selling Kindling to Pay Wife’s Medical Bills

“Niki recently told me that they have big ‘decisions’ to make as the money is running out and she may not be able to continue with her life saving treatment,” says Clare.

“I feel this is not an option. The boys need their Mum and she deserves the chance to watch them grow into men and have their own families.”

Clare, who is now the stepmom to Hitchen’s 14 and 12-year-old sons, started a JustGiving campaign to raise funds for her husband’s previous wife.

The page has already raised $38,000 (£29,000) for Hitchen’s treatments.

“To all those who have donated anonymously or not, small amounts, large amounts, every penny is truly appreciated,” says Clare on the crowdfunding page. “The fact that you have come here to support Niki is fantastic and she is completely overwhelmed by the love and support coming through from friends and complete strangers.”

Click To Share The Inspiring News With Your Friends (Photo by Clare Hitchen)

93-Year-old Eats Lunch Next to Picture of His Late Wife Every Day: ‘True love never ends’

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Good News Network

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Nov 13, 2017

It’s a tale as old as time, and it is touching hearts all over social media.

Clarence Purvis made headlines in September after he was seen eating lunch at a restaurant in Reidsville, Georgia with a portrait of his late wife Carolyn Todd.

According to WTOC, Clarence and Carolyn got married one year after they started dating in 1948. The relationship blossomed into 63 years of happy marriage until Carolyn passed away in 2013.

CHECK OUT: Grandpa Spends 12 Years Cuddling Tiny Babies Who Have to Live in Intensive Care

During those final years, the senior couple would eat lunch at Smith’s Restaurant every day. Now, even after Carolyn’s passing, 93-year-old Clarence still eats lunch across from her portrait every day of the week.

Additionally, he estimates that he visits her grave at the local cemetery at least 125 times a month.

While some people have said that Clarence should try and move on from his wife’s death, he remains adamant that “true love never has a happy ending, because true love never ends”.

“Ain’t nobody loved one another more than me and my wife loved one another,” Clarence told WTOC. “She was always with me when we were livin’. She’s with me now.”

Clarence isn’t the only widower who is content to live in the past – Charles Evans created a whole museum dedicated to his late wife in Starkville, Mississippi after she passed away in 2011.

(WATCH the video below)

Click To Share With The Loves In Your Own Life – Photo by WTOC

World’s Coolest Library Opens in China and It’s Breathtaking

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McKinley Corbley

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Nov 13, 2017

Book lovers, pack your bags – one of the coolest libraries in the world has just opened up in China and it is absolutely gorgeous.

The Tianjin Binhai Library, also called “The Eye of Benhai” because of its mirrored spherical centerpiece depicted above, has opened up in the Binhai Cultural District of Tianjin earlier this month.

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The 5-story library features a dazzling futuristic interior with rippling shelves and layered terraces that double as steps and seats.

For the more practically-minded viewers who are eyeing the books that are out of reach on the taller shelves, don’t worry – the designers used aluminum plates instead of actual literature on the higher terraces in order to keep up with the library’s aesthetic.

The library spans over 34,000 meters (366,000 square feet) and can hold as many as 1.2 million books.

The lower levels are made up of children’s play areas, lounges, and reading rooms, while the upper floors are mainly offices and audio, computer, and meetings rooms.

Designed by the Dutch architecture firm MVRDV in partnership with Tianjin Urban Planning and Design Institute (TUPDI), the library was completed after just three years of construction.

The library is a part of the city’s effort to improve the region’s cultural infrastructure. According to MVRDV, the building acts not only as an education centre but as a connector from the park into the cultural district.

(WATCH the video below)

Click To Share The Incredible Photos With Your Friends (Photos by MVRDV)

Scuba Diver Fighting Cancer Sees Cute Pufferfish Swim Up to Her and Refuse to Leave Her Side

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Good News Network

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Nov 12, 2017

PT Hirschfield has found a way to bring light to each day by scuba diving.

According to Storyful, she was diagnosed with terminal cancer three years ago and has since been using scuba diving as a form of release.

She recently went for a dive in Rye Pier on Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay in Australia. Little did she know that she was about to meet a new friend just beneath the surface.

In a video posted on October 20, 2017, PT is swimming around in the beautiful scenery when she is greeted by a small pufferfish. The tiny animal’s smile is almost human-like!

The pufferfish spots the camera PT is using to film her surrounding and seems mesmerized. The fish continues swimming near PT and refuses to leave the scuba diver’s side.

For about 10 minutes, the sweet pufferfish smiles for the camera and keeps the scuba diver company as she explores the ocean. They take countless selfies together and bask in the amazing moment.

After all, it’s not every day you see a wild animal getting so close to a human in such a friendly manner.

Click to WATCH dynamic duo in action, and don’t forget to share the cute story with your friends…

When Grandma With Alzheimer’s Can’t Do Her Puzzles, Teen Comes Up With Perfect Solution

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McKinley Corbley

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Nov 12, 2017

Mary Frates has always adored doing word searches, but after dementia set in as she aged, the 86-year-old found herself unable to participate in her favorite pastime.

Saddened by his grandmother’s inability to tackle word searches, 17-year-old John Frates came up with a perfect – and simple – solution.

The teen from Needham, Massachusetts created a custom set of word puzzles with three key differences from normal puzzles: a bigger font, simplified words, and no more backward or diagonal answers.

While there are already word puzzle collections with larger letters for readers with poor eyesight, no one has ever modified the words to include seniors with Alzheimer’s or dementia.

“Every time I showed her a new word search, her eyes lit up,” John told Good News Network. “I think she likes the puzzle titled ‘Vacation’ the most since it brings back lots of fun memories.”

Mary’s reaction to the puzzles was so positive, John presented the word searches to other seniors residing at The Falls at Cordingly Dam nursing home where his grandma lives. He then conducted a scientific study on how the word searches could benefit elderly patients with dementia and presented his findings at the American College of Lifestyle Medicine 2017 Conference in October.

“The amount of interest from health and wellness professionals was surprising,” says John. “Everyone was shocked by the complexity of word search books currently marketed with ‘larger fonts’ against the simplistic approach I took to make the game more enjoyable.”

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With the help of Mary’s memory care community, Benchmark Senior Living, John published the puzzles into a book called “Grandma and Grandpa’s Word Searches”. What’s even better is that all of the proceeds from the book will be donated to Alzheimer’s research.

John told GNN that the best part about publishing a book was his grandmother’s reaction to the finished product.

“When I showed her the book, she was really excited because she was the one who originally suggested that I publish it so other people could enjoy it, too.”

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“Watching the seniors succeed with my book and engage in conversations about the subject matter showed me the effect it can have on countless others, not just my grandmother,” says the teen.

“My goal for the book is to help as many seniors and their families as possible, giving them a fun and rewarding activity that helps relieve stress. My secondary goal is raising money for the Alzheimer’s Association.”

Click To Share The News With Your Friends

Lost Senior With Dementia Found in Cornfield, Thanks to Police Drone

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Good News Network

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Nov 11, 2017

When this 81-year-old woman with dementia went missing last weekend, police crews were struggling to find her through the difficult terrain.

Luckily, the force had begun using an aerial drone for reconnaissance only six weeks earlier.

25 minutes after being deployed, the robot spotted a splash of purple amidst the brown and green colors of a nearby cornfield a few hundred yards from her home.

Officers from the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina then located where the woman had settled and managed to reunite her with her worried husband.

She emerged unharmed from the mishap.

“The family expressed their gratitude for the quick response,” Sheriff Robert Graves posted on the office’s Facebook page. “I am very proud of all of our team.”

(WATCH the video below)

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This Photo of an Old Man and His Kitten is Making Everyone’s Day

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Good News Network

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Nov 11, 2017

We have no idea who this man is, where he is going, or why he is carrying a kitten in his arms – all we know from this image is that he may be the most content man ever to ride a bus.

A Reddit user by the name of “Cagedragehere” posted a photo of a Turkish senior sitting happily in transit with a black cat cradled in his arms.

The picture, which was taken in Istanbul, shows the man beaming at the feline in such a way that can only be described as pure happiness.

While the details behind the photo are unknown, many other Reddit users say that they aren’t surprised that the picture originated from Istanbul; a city famous for its stray animals.

One commenter remarked on how the city doesn’t just extend its kindness to animals, either.

“The people of Istanbul are just really wonderful,” says the user. “I was there for a bit in 2015 and I once watched four lanes of traffic stop to help a girl who’s balloon had gotten loose.”

SHARE The Purrrrfect Moment With Friends (Photo by Cagedragehere)

Man Gets Anonymous Apology and $40 From Kid Who Scratched His Truck– But Damage is Invisible

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Good News Network

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Nov 11, 2017

If you’re a car owner, you know how important it can be to maintain your vehicle’s engine.

But the exterior of the car also matters. Even though you want your vehicle to look as good as possible, you can’t always be around to keep an eye on it. Some things are out of your hands, and total strangers can damage your vehicle when you’re not around.

John Zelnio of Moline, Illinois got a letter in the mail earlier this week from one of those strangers. The letter was clearly from a kid, and it was an apology for having scratched his truck with a skateboard.

It read: “Mister, I want to say I’m sorry. My friends and I were running across the street where your truck was parked, and my friend pushed me into your truck and I scratched your truck with my skateboard.”

Enclosed with the letter was $40 to cover the cost of the damage, with a promise of more money to come.

But there was one problem that left John confused: He could not find any damages on his truck!

He went public with the letter in hopes of finding the youngster behind the touching gesture and returning the money.

CLICK to watch an video about this honest note, and restore your faith in today’s youth…

Watch Emotional Meeting Between Woman and the Man Who Received Her Late Husband’s Face

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McKinley Corbley

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Nov 10, 2017

It has been a little over a year since Lilly Ross agreed to let doctors use her late husband’s face in a facial transplant after he committed suicide – and now, after seeing the results, she is glad she did.

Andy Sandness, another man who had tried to take his own life, had been living in shame of the misshapen face that he was left with as a result of his attempted suicide 10 years ago. Then, in 2016, doctors found him a match for a facial transplant.

Thanks to a 56-hour surgery at Mayo Clinic, he now wears the face of Lilly’s high school sweetheart, Calen Ross.

Having had his image restored to normalcy, Andy says that he has never been happier.

CHECK OUT: After Daughter’s Death, Dad Bikes 2,000 Miles To Hear Her Heartbeat One Last Time

“I wouldn’t go out in public. I hated going into bigger cities,” said Andy, according to ABC News. “And now I’m just really spreading my wings and doing the things I missed out on; going out to restaurants and eating, going dancing.”

Coincidentally, Andy and Rudy did not just share the same mental health issues and enjoy the same hobbies – they also were so genetically similar, doctors say that they could have been cousins. Andy is also the first patient to ever undergo such a surgery at the clinic.

The clinic orchestrated a meeting between Lilly and the recipient of her husband’s visage this week. Though they both were nervous about the strange circumstances, their introduction was extremely cathartic for both of them.

WATCH: In Twist of Fate, NFL Star’s Organs Go to the Ailing Sports Hero Who Inspired Him

“I wanted to show you that your gift will not be wasted,” Andy told Lilly.

Lilly and Andy plan on becoming closer during the coming years since he is now “basically family”. He also plans on contributing to a trust fund for Lilly and Rudy’s 18-month-old son Leonard.

“Meeting Andy, it has finally given me closure,” says Lilly. “It made me proud.”

(WATCH the video below)

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217 Skydivers Jump From Plane To Form Incredible Human Chain Midair And Break World Record

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Good News Network

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Nov 10, 2017

Skydiving is bound to be an incredible experience, but for these 217 adrenaline junkies, their most recent dive wasn’t just an incredible experience — it was also a world-record-breaking event.

According to Caters News, the skydivers hoped to break the world record for “the largest ever group to complete two and three different formations while free-falling.” Instead of just jumping from the plane and enjoying the view, the group wanted to dance in the sky and create a spectacular show for those on the ground.

So, 217 skydivers piled into 10 planes, flew 19,000 feet above Eloy, Arizona, and jumped. While they were technically hurtling toward the ground at 120 miles per hour, none of them seemed particularly worried or pressed for time.

Instead, they appeared calm, cool, and collected enough to create some pretty amazing formations in the sky as they made their way down to the ground.

You can watch the footage of the stupendous stunt by CLICKING the link below…

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Remember the Ice Bucket Challenge? Now, the Hot Pepper Challenge is Raising Thousands for ALS

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McKinley Corbley

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Nov 10, 2017

You remember the Ice Bucket Challenge? The goofy YouTube trend where people dumped buckets of ice water over their heads in order to raise money for ALS research? Well, the fad ended up raising over $115 million in charitable donations, which is largely credited as the financial drive behind the most recent breakthrough in treating the awful disease.

Now, there is a different kind of challenge that is raising thousands of dollars for ALS research: the Hot Pepper Challenge.

Andrew Rea is the host behind the popular YouTube cooking show Binging With Babish. The YouTuber made a video about his Hot Pepper Challenge idea last week because one of Rea’s earliest subscribers and fans, Garmt van Soest, passed away from ALS in late October.

CHECK OUT: Ice Bucket Challenge Leads to ALS Breakthrough, Researchers Announce

“He reached out when I only had a few thousand subscribers, offering me encouragement, ideas, and inspiring words,” says Rea. “He started fundraisers, spoke at events, and continually inspired and enlivened everyone around him, including myself.”

So when Rea got a text from Van Soest saying goodbye, he was heartbroken; but he also felt spurred to do something positive in memory of his friend.

“I saw him take the Ice Bucket Challenge back in 2014, and that was a huge movement that everybody participated in to help raise funds and awareness for ALS. So I thought why not take that in a different direction?” says Rea.

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“The ‘hot thing’ right now, so to speak, is to eat super spicy peppers on camera. So, why don’t we put some purpose behind all this pain that we’re putting ourselves through and create the Hot Pepper Challenge?”

Rea then posted a video of himself eating a ghost pepper – the second hottest pepper in the world next to the Carolina Reaper – to kick off the challenge.

The host says that it works similarly to the Ice Bucket Challenge: if you participate, you nominate three of your friends to eat a hot pepper. If they refuse to do it, then they’re encouraged to donate to ALS research. The spicier the pepper, the less you’re pressured to donate.

Rea also created a GoFundMe campaign for the challenge’s proceeds, which has already raised roughly $19,000 over the course of a week.

“I hope that this will help raise funds and awareness for the ALS Association, a great organization doing important work researching the disease,” says Rea. “Moreover, I hope that I can play a small part in helping to spread Garmt’s message of strength and hope.”

(WATCH the video of Rea’s Hot Pepper Challenge below)

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Muslim Father Forgives Man Involved With Son’s Murder, Hugs Him in Court

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Good News Network

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Nov 10, 2017

While some people might say that you have to fight fire with fire, this Kentucky father is taking a softer approach.

Earlier this week in Lexington, a sentencing hearing was held in court for Trey Relford, a man convicted for his involvement in the robbery and death of 22-year-old Salahuddin Jitmoud in 2015.

Salahuddin’s father, Jitmoud, addressed the courtroom during the sentencing – but he surprised the witnesses by saying that he forgave Relford for his role in the crime.

“I’m angry at the devil, who is misguiding you and misleading you to do such a horrible crime,” Jitmoud told Relford on Tuesday. “I don’t blame you. I’m not angry at you. I forgive you.”

According to WLEX, Relford tearfully responded by saying: “There’s not much I can really say. I’m sorry about what happened that day. I cannot do [anything] to give that back to you.”

MORE: Man Who Shot Up Mosque Goes Back For Forgiveness, Finds Hugs Waiting

Jitmoud then embraced Relford in the middle of the courtroom.

The event was so emotional, in fact, the judge had to call for a recess.

After Relford was sentenced to 31 years in prison, the compassionate father reportedly whispered to “do good deeds” once he gets out of prison and that he has “confidence that Allah is forgiving.”

(WATCH the video below)

Click To Share The Emotional Story With Your Friends – Photo by WLEX

Couple Builds Fancy Chicken Coop Shaped Just Like a UFO and the Birds Love it

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Good News Network

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Nov 9, 2017

You can definitely file this story under “stuff you don’t see every day.” Though there are plenty of people who claim to have seen a UFO, I’m sure not many have ever seen a UFO-themed chicken coop!

In Boise, Idaho, a couple spent the entire summer creating this cosmic coop in their yard. A video of their creation has already garnered over a million views on Facebook, and it’s no surprise why!

“We kind of brainstormed how we were going to build that classic shape, and the first discussion was out of wood,” Ellen DeAngelis told CBS Philly. “But we really wanted something a little bit more curvy so we decided that satellite dishes were going to be perfect for what we needed.”

Well, their decision was definitely successful, as the chicken coop — complete with flashing lights — definitely resembled a UFO.

According to the couple, the coop is climate-controlled. Perhaps most surprising is the fact that the chickens seem to love it!

The birds go in and out of the UFO almost as naturally as they would a regular coop – although, Ellen and her husband planned to install an automated ramp so that the chickens wouldn’t even have to walk to get back inside.

Click the link below to see footage of the alien coop in action with flashing lights and all…

Bird Is The Word: Click To Share The Out-Of-This-World News With Your Friends

Fans of Netflix ‘Stranger Things’ Series Inundate Museum With Mountains of Cash

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McKinley Corbley

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Nov 9, 2017

A science museum in the Midwest has received a huge financial windfall thanks to the fans of the hit Netflix original series “Stranger Things”.

In the first episode of the newly-released second season, the character of Dustin Henderson can be seen rocking a purple sweatshirt from the Science Museum of Minnesota that is emblazoned with a brontosaurus skeleton and a caption reading: “Thunder Lizard”.

The museum immediately became flooded with phone calls and emails from fans asking where they could buy the sweatshirt.

WATCH: Hamilton Star Pushes Awkward Celebrity Photo Fundraiser to $1 Million For Puerto Rico

Despite the sweatshirt only being sold in their gift shop back in the 80s, the museum brought the sweatshirt back and started selling “Thunder Lizard” crew necks, tee shirts, and hoodies for $15 to $40 a pop, depending on the size.

Within hours of announcing the merch sale on Twitter earlier this week, the museum website crashed. Since it got up and running again, the institution has reportedly garnered over $400,000 from the clothing sales.

Considering that the “Stranger Things” gang members are zealous young scientists, we think it is safe to say that they would be excited about their contribution to the museum’s funding.

CHECK OUT: Snoop Dogg Surprises Jimmy Kimmel With Generous Donation “For the Next Kid”

“For us, we’re just relishing this opportunity to be connected to the popular show, especially one that has characters that are interested in science,” says Kim Ramsden, the public relations director at the Science Museum of Minnesota, according to CNBC.

“As a non-profit, all of the proceeds will go back to our mission of science and education and inspiring other young kids like Dustin on the show and his friends to have an interest in science.”

If you want to get your own “Thunder Lizard” shirt, the museum’s online store has an unlimited supply – but they have reportedly sold out of almost all of their in-store sizes, as of Tuesday.

Friends Don’t Lie, But They Do Share Good News With Each Other: Click To Share

Guy Makes Hilarious Commercial to Sell His Girlfriend’s Used Car–and Bidding Soars

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McKinley Corbley

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Nov 9, 2017

Max Lanman knew that a description on Craigslist would not do his girlfriend’s 1996 Honda Accord justice. So instead of making a boring ol’ internet ad, he filmed his own car commercial for the automobile – and it is hilarious.

The cheeky minute-long video is shot in almost the exact same style as typical modern commercials that you see on TV. A silky-smooth voiceover describes the car as a “one of a kind” vehicle for “people who have life figured out, but just need a way to get somewhere”.

WATCH: Need a Laugh? Watch Award-winning Short Film About Forcing a Cat to Go to the Vet

Lanman says that he not only shot all of the advert’s footage himself, but they also got someone to do an original score. He admits that while it did take him and his friends over 200 hours of work to finish the commercial, they had all agreed that they mostly just wanted to have fun with it.

The Accord, which is fondly dubbed “Greenie”, was being sold with 141,095 miles on it at a bidding price of $499. The fine print at the end of the video states that while the cat, Papa Puff Pants, and the coffee pot are not included in the sale, eBay bidders get 0% APR financing.

After the commercial went viral, however, Lanman and his now-fiancé Carrie Hollenbeck were shocked to find out that Greenie had wracked up over $150,000 in bids.

“It started to take on a life of its own,” Lanman told CNBC. “eBay called us to reassure us that, you know, they were monitoring it, they were aware of the story, they loved the video and they were actually removing fraudulent bids. So we were in this sort of weird state where, previously we were thinking, ‘There’s no way this is going to be real,’ and then thinking, ‘Wait, is this real?’”

Unfortunately, a worker from the product department had deleted the auction because they had not seen the advert and had trouble believing that a ’96 Accord could sell for so much money.

Delighted by the commercial’s success, Lanman and Hollenbeck are hoping that if Greenie garners as many bids as the last auction, they will be able to use the money for a down payment on a new home – or to simply pay for the wedding.

(WATCH the funny video below)

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Digital Nurse Combats the ‘Fake News’ People Get When They Google Their Cancer Diagnosis

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Good News Network

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Nov 8, 2017

In order to combat the excessive amount of “fake news” concerning cancer treatment, this charity has just appointed a digital nurse to dispel myths about cancer on the internet.

The digital nurse in question, Ellen McPake, says that because patients will often Google their diagnosis out of anxiety or stress, it is now her job to educate social media users about their disease.

According to the Macmillan cancer charity in the UK, over 42% of people with cancer have looked up information about their diagnosis online, often because they say they didn’t fully understand what their doctor had them told about their condition.

MORE: Grandpa Spends 12 Years Cuddling Tiny Babies Who Have to Live in Intensive Care

Other statistics have shown that about one-third of cancer patients say they were “in a daze” following their diagnosis, making it hard to understand information about their condition.

“Once the doctor says ‘cancer’, people automatically then shut down and they don’t take in the information that they’re given,” McPake told the BBC. “So they go home, speak to the family. And then they’ll sit online that night and get themselves in a frenzy with what they’re reading.”

In addition to answering questions on social media, McPake will host a monthly question and answer session for different kinds of cancer on the Macmillan charity website. November’s theme will be based on head and neck cancer; December will be based on dealing with the emotions surrounding the disease.

Professor Jane Maher, Joint Chief Medical Officer at Macmillan Cancer Support, says: “It’s completely natural for people to want to Google their diagnosis when they’re told they have cancer. But with countless unverified statistics, fake news and horror stories on the internet, ending up on the wrong website can be really worrying. This can leave people pinning their hopes on a dangerous bogus cure or underestimating the benefit of routine treatments.”

Click To Share The Good News With Your Friends (Photo by Daniel Sone, CC)

Groundbreaking Gene Therapy Saves Dying Boy Who Blisters With Every Touch, May Save Others

By

McKinley Corbley

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Nov 8, 2017

A revolutionary treatment has been used to save the life of a young Syrian refugee who suffers from a rare and terrible skin disease.

The disease, which is called junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB), is estimated to affect only 0.37 people per million. Those who do have the incurable genetic condition, however, are often called “Butterfly Children” due to how their skin can blister, burn, and fall off at the slightest touch. Almost half of the children who are diagnosed with the condition do not make it past adolescence.

The 7-year-old patient in question, whose name was not released in order to protect his privacy, was first admitted to the Ruhr University Children’s Hospital in Bochum, Germany two years ago with blisters covering 80% of his body.

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Doctors tried treating the boy with antibiotics without any success. They also attempted using a skin sample from the boy’s father for a skin graft, but his body rejected it.

With the boy struggling to hang on in such a “devastating” condition, physicians were sure he was going to die.

In a last effort to save him, they reached out to Michele De Luca from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy.

De Luca and his team are renowned for using a specific kind of gene therapy technique to conduct two successful skin grafts in the past – but no one had ever attempted to graft as much skin as the boy needed to survive.

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Once the team agreed to take on the patient, they took a small sample of the boy’s healthy skin and found the broken gene that caused his JEB. After correcting the “LAMB3” mutation, they then used the sample to grow large sheets of skin similar to the kind that doctors use for burn patients.

A few skin grafts later, the boy was released from the hospital in February 2016 following eight months in intensive care. A little over one year later, he is playing soccer like a normal kid.

Though he still has small amounts of blistering on the non-grafted areas of his skin, he has no sign of scarring, due to how JEB only affects the outermost layer of the epidermis.

It is unknown how his skin will fare in the future, but since De Luca’s two other skin graft are still healthy 12 years after their operations, he remains optimistic. Additionally, the treatment is extremely promising for curing other Butterfly Children of the nightmarish disease in the future. Clinical trials are reportedly now underway.

“After this 10 years of struggling to accomplish all these rules and paperwork and bureaucracy, the moment you see a patient like this, you understand it was worth it to do it,” says De Luca in his report of the treatment published in Nature.

(Note: the photo used at the top of the article is a representational picture of John Hudson, another boy who lives with JEB who GNN reported on earlier this year.)

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Noise-Canceling Noodle Fork Uses App to Drown Out Slurping Sounds–Watch, it Really Works

By

McKinley Corbley

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Nov 8, 2017

This new piece of tableware sounds almost like something out of a Seinfeld episode – but it’s actually real.

In order to address the loud slurping sounds that people make when enjoying a serving of noodles, a company has made an electronic fork that plays noise-canceling sounds through your phone whenever you make a loud slurping sound during your meal.

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The Otohiko fork has been programmed to recognize the sound of slurping through a microphone in its handle. When it detects the slurp, it sends a signal to an app on your smart phone that plays a more pleasant sound over your slurping.

“The more you slurp, the more fun you have,” says a video advertisement for the Otohiko.

Nissin, the company responsible for Cup Noodles, says that they created the Otohiko as a means of addressing “noodle harassment” in Japan.

According to Nippon, “the Japanese, who generally frown on noisy eating, consider it proper and even preferable to suck up one’s noodles with a loud slurping sound”. Thus, the phrase “noodle harassment” was created on social media to describe when travelers are made uncomfortable by the loud slurping sounds made by Japanese people when they eat noodles.

Whether there are many people who actually experience that cultural barrier remains to be seen – but the Otohiko is still a hilariously creative solution for the problem.

The fork is currently available for preorder on Nissin’s website with a release date of December 15th, 2017 – just in time for Christmas.

(WATCH the video below)

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Little Girl’s Dancing Goes Viral as She Steals the Show From Her Choir

By

McKinley Corbley

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Nov 8, 2017

This 6-year-old girl is taking “dance like nobody’s watching” to a whole new level.

A video of Loren Patterson dancing at her children’s choir performance is going viral after her mother Jennifer posted it to Facebook in October. Two weeks after being published, the clip has already wracked up 42 million views.

While the rest of the kids in her group can be seen standing perfectly straight as they sing “Old Church Choir” by Zach Williams, Loren can be seen shimmying, boogying, and waving her hands in the air like she just doesn’t care.

Just to clarify, there is nothing wrong with preferring to stand still while singing those high notes – but Loren’s dance moves are infectiously fun.

Jennifer, who also sings in the First Baptist Church adult choir in Dickson, Tennessee, says that it was Loren’s first performance in front of the 2,000-member congregation.

“Around here she sings all the time, she’s always dancing around, she makes up her own songs about Jesus,” Jennifer told TODAY. “That’s just her personality; she’s so bubbly and she’s been that way all her life.”

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Loren’s dancing has touched so many people, social media users have reached out to Jennifer to say that her daughter’s vivacious performance has inspired them to have more fun in their day-to-day lives.

The 6-year-old’s performance also has another very important lesson for everyone: be yourself, and don’t be afraid to dance like nobody is watching.

(WATCH the video below)

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