When Dave Reynolds’ family laughed at him for falling off the toilet in the dark, he created a glow-in-the-dark toilet seat and laughed all the way to the bank.
The Pennsylvania man had been trying to sit on the toilet in a new house and wound up falling into the bathtub. He wasn’t seriously hurt, just a bruised body–and ego, after he became the butt of family jokes.
He called up his friend Tom Fittler and together they came up with a way to manufacture glowing seats that give off just enough light to let you safely navigate any bathroom, without lighting up the whole room.
A craft beer maker in Florida has created a six-pack ring that feeds animals instead of endangering them.
Saltwater Brewery has replaced the dangerous plastic rings with their own innovation–a 6-pack carrier made out of the wheat and barley waste leftover from making beer. The rings are as strong as the usual plastic ones, but are biodegradable and even safe for animals to eat.
The brewery was founded by fishermen and surfers who have close connections to the sea. They realized that even if you cut plastic rings to keep animals from getting entangled in them, birds and turtles still eat plastic–so they were going to figure out a way to keep the litter from piling up.
It’s expensive to make the edible rings, but Saltwater Brewery president Chris Gove says if other breweries adopted the idea, mass production could bring the cost down to be competitive with plastic.
This adorable dachshund named Arvo wanted to go to sleep, but needed its teddy bear to cuddle with.
At first the stuffed animal seemed too big to pull into the dog’s kennel, but persistence and determination can often turn the seemingly impossible into the doable.
When she was 14-years-old Nicole was hospitalized for months to treat her Anorexia. While hospitalized, only Nicole’s parents were allowed to visit and only at very specific times. Nicole was suddenly cut off from her friends, school and everything else that was in her life.
She received stuffed animals as presents. Those stuffed animals were a tremendous support. “Reminders that there are people in my life and they care about me and want to help me get through this,” she said.
Nicole explained that since the stuffed animals made such a difference to her, she decided to provide handmade teddy bears to other kids through her nonprofit Cubs for Coping.
“We want to let these kids know that someone cares. We want to provide support for whatever they’re going through.” she says.
A bold cancer therapy that uses the polio virus to attack a form of brain cancer has been so successful, it’s been given “breakthrough status” from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The status means hundreds of patients can receive the treatment, before testing is even completed, or the FDA has finally given its approval— a process that can normally take years.
Glioblastoma is usually fatal within just months of diagnosis, but Duke University researchers developed the treatment that has resulted in quick and complete recoveries among patients in clinical trials.
The researchers took samples of the polio virus and removed its ability to cause the disease. They then spliced in part of the genes from the common cold virus.
This creates a whole new virus — PVS-RIPO — which can only grow by feeding on the abnormalities found in diseased cells. As a result, it destroys cancer cells while ignoring healthy ones.
Cells in the polio virus have a natural receptor that can attach to almost all tumor cells. This lets PVS-RIPO break into the cancer cells, and once inside, it strips tumors of their protections against the immune system.
The process unleashes the full power of the immune system directly against now-defenseless cancer cells.
One patient diagnosed with Glioblastoma in 2011 and treated with the therapy saw her tumor shrink for 21 straight months until it disappeared. Three years later, she is completely cancer-free. She was one of the patients featured on a recent news report on 60 Minutes.
(WATCH the video below from 60 Minutes) — Photo: 60 Minutes
When Lynn Murphy, a homeless mother of four, saw the police cruiser pull up, she thought the trooper was there to remove her for panhandling. She was surprised when Bonin offered her the choice of the two meals instead.
The trooper then sat with her on the side of the road and talked with her while they both had lunch.
Bonin never told his superiors or fellow troopers about the good deed, but a passerby snapped a photo of the scene and passed it along to the state police.
“Yes, Trooper Bonin, we know you do not want or expect publicity,” the Massachusetts State Police wrote on its Facebook page. “We know you didn’t want to be noticed, but you were, and the job is proud of you. We commend you for your selfless act, and for ‘doing the right thing’ for someone less fortunate than most people.”
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Youthful entrepreneurs like this one should be lifting their glasses to toast the Louisiana legislature after lawmakers unanimously voted to protect their sidewalk lemonade stands.
Legislators were appalled when they learned that city police had been ticketing kids for not having a business license to run the entrepreneurial stands.
State Senator Gary Smith of Norco introduced the bill that exempts any business making less than $500 a year from an occupational license. Lawmakers in both the house and senate unanimously passed the bill, and Governor Bill Edwards will be signing it into law.
It’ll take effect August 1, during some of the hottest days of summer when a glass of lemonade will taste the best.
(Photo: Pat Long, Twitter) Declare Support for Doing This in Your State: Share It…
Moses Kamara has been a Manchester United fan for a quarter century. When he finally got the chance to fly 3,000 miles to see the English Football heroes play in person, a bomb scare threatened to crush his hopes.
“It’s my dream and I’ve been saving for a year,” the 40-year-old told CNN after the match was cancelled. “I was sad – I just cried.”
Moses is a security guard at the airport back home so he understands the decision to put safety first, even though he realized his goal would not be realized.
Or, so he thought. Manchester United fans heard about his plight and rallied to his side helping him stay in the UK.
They raised money to reschedule his airline ticket, gave him accommodations and food, and best of all, a fan donated a ticket to see the cup final at Wembley stadium. He even gets to see another match before the final, so will be enjoying two, instead of one.
When a Dutch inventor got bored with walking on his treadmill, he decided to take it on the road — and turned it into an electric bike.
Bruin Bergmeester created the “Lopifit” — a unique “walking bike” that can go 34 miles on a single charge.
Walking on the treadmill begins turning the drive gears, and also starts an electric-assist motor. A steady, strolling pace lets riders ramp up the speed to that of a regular bike with a fraction of the effort.
The $2,500 Lopifit bike features a battery that can be charged in four hours, and right now is available in parts of Europe, the Mideast, Canada, and the U.S.–but Bergmeester is recruiting dealers around the world, now that production is, well, “up and running.”
The weather wasn’t windy, but her wind chimes were making a racket. When she looked out, she saw a young moose operating the chimes and appearing to enjoy every note.
A retiree’s new career is devoted to creating a “seed bank” of endangered rhinos in Australia to save their species from extinction.
Former sales executive Ray Dearlove immigrated to Australia from South Africa 30 years ago, and has launched an effort to have 80 rhinos follow the same route to his adopted country.
A demand for rhino horn in Asia has led poachers to hunt the animals faster than they can reproduce. Deerlove’s solution is simple — move them out of the reach of the illegal hunters — creating a biological insurance policy for the species’ survival.
His plan to airlift the animals is ambitious — it will cost $44,000 to fly each rhino 6,800 miles to Australia. He plans to reach his goal of bringing all 80 rhinos into the country within four years. Dearlove founded the Australian Rhino Project in 2013 to raise the money and deal with the complicated logistics of moving the giant animals across the Indian Ocean.
The first of six rhinos will leave in August after a two-month-long quarantine. They’ll spend another two months quarantined in their new country before being released to a safari park.
Rhinos without Borders has moved roughly 100 of the animals from South Africa to the relative safety of neighboring Botswana in recent years, but Dearlove’s plan would put an entire ocean — not just a few miles — between the poachers and their quarry.
“I thought Australia is one of the safest places on the planet to start this breeding herd,” Deerlove told ABC News. “With the eventual intention that they would be repatriated to Africa when those [poaching] issues are sorted out.”
(WATCH the video below) — Photo: Australian Rhino Project
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Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation Friday ending greyhound and any other kind of dog racing in the state.
“Greyhound racing has run its course in Arizona,” said Governor Ducey. “It’s heartening that these beautiful greyhounds will soon be off the track and in loving homes. For any families looking to adopt a new canine companion this summer, I encourage you to consider one of these gentle and intelligent dogs.”
Although the new law, unanimously approved by the state legislature, allows for racing until the end of the year, the Tucson Greyhound Park–the last such establishment in the state–will be ending its live dog races by the end of June, according to the governor’s office–and the animals involved will be ready for adoption this summer.
An active adoption movement in the U.S. has assisted retired racing dogs and found homes for them as pets, with an adoption rate of over 90 percent.
Arizona becomes the 40th state to outlaw the activity, according to the Denver Post, since Gov. Hickenlooper signed a measure that prohibited commercial greyhound racing in Colorado in 2014.
In recent years, several state governments in the United States have passed legislation to improve the treatment of racing dogs in their jurisdiction–and four more states hold no greyhound races, despite the “sport” being legal there.
In the remaining states where it is practiced, the profitability has declined rapidly. The total amount gambled on greyhound racing nationwide declined by 67% between 2001-2011.
In Florida, where 12 of the 22 operational dog tracks in the US remain, the financial decline is even more significant– 72% between 1990 and 2013. RACE This Story to Your Dog-Loving Friends… Click to Share. (Photo by AngMoKio, CC)
President Obama awarded the Medal of Valor, to thirteen public safety officers who have exhibited exceptional courage, regardless of personal safety, in the attempt to save or protect human life.
Since 2001, police, firefighters and other first responders have been nominated by their agencies and recommended through the Medal of Valor Review Board.
“It was your courage and quick thinking that gave us our safety,” Obama said at the White House. “Although, this particular moment for which you are being honored is remarkable … we know every day you go out there, you have a tough job.”
One of the recipients whose stories were described in the ceremony, which was held today during National Police Week, is a fallen officer posthumously honored. Philadelphia Police Sergeant Robert Wilson III was shot in a video game store robbery during which he confronted two gunman, and moved away from customers and shopkeepers to keep them safe.
The other recipients of the 2014 Medal of Valor are:
Officer Mario Gutierrez (Miami-Dade Police Department, FL)
For bravery and composure while enduring a violent attack. Officer Gutierrez sustained multiple stab wounds while subduing a knife-wielding assailant who attempted to set off a massive gas explosion that could have resulted in multiple fatalities.
Patrolman Louis Cioci (Johnson City Police Department, NY)
For courageously resolving a volatile encounter with a gunman. After witnessing the murder of his fellow officer, Patrolman Cioci pursued and apprehended the gunman at a crowded hospital, thereby saving the lives of employees, patients, and visitors.
Officers Jason Salas, ad Robert Sparks, and Captain Raymond Bottenfield (Santa Monica Police Department, CA)
For courage and composure in ending a deadly rampage. Officer Salas, Officer Sparks, and Captain Bottenfield placed themselves in mortal danger to save the lives of students and staff during a school shooting on the busy campus of Santa Monica College.
Major David Huff (Midwest City Police Department, OK) For uncommon poise in resolving a dangerous hostage situation. Major Huff saved the life of a two-year-old girl after negotiations deteriorated with a man holding the child captive at knife point.
Officer Donald Thompson (Los Angeles Police Department, CA)
For courageous action to save an accident victim. While off duty, Officer Thompson traversed two freeway dividers and endured first- and second-degree burns while pulling an unconscious man to safety from a car moments before it became engulfed in flames.
Officer Coral Walker (Omaha Police Department, NE)
For taking brave and decisive action to subdue an active shooter. After exchanging gunfire, Officer Walker single-handedly incapacitated a man who had killed and injured multiple victims on a shooting spree.
Officer Gregory Stevens (Garland Police Department, TX)
For demonstrating extraordinary courage to save lives. Officer Stevens exchanged gunfire at close range and subdued two heavily-armed assailants preventing a mass shooting.
Officer Niel Johnson (North Miami Police Department, FL)
For swift and valorous action to end a violent crime spree. Officer Johnson pursued a man who had shot a Miami police officer and two other innocent bystanders, withstanding fire from an assault weapon, and apprehended the assailant.
Special Agent Tyler Call (FBI)
For his heroic actions to save a hostage. Special Agent Call, who was off duty with his family, helped rescue a woman from her ex-husband who had violated a restraining order and held the victim at gunpoint.
Deputy Joey Tortorella (Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, NY)
For placing himself in grave danger to protect his community. Deputy Tortorella confronted and subdued a volatile gunman who had shot and wounded his parents inside their home and by doing so prevented the gunman from threatening the safety of students at a nearby elementary school.
A 14-year-old member of one of the rarest mammal species on the planet gave birth to a female calf at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in their Indonesian National Park home on May 12.
The baby Sumatran rhino weighed 45 pounds and started her life healthy and active. The International Rhino Foundation shared a video of the birth on Facebook and YouTube.
Currently, there are fewer than 100 of the critically endangered Sumatran rhinos still alive. But hopes are high for a further uptick in the population because in November a male Sumatran –the last one in the western hemisphere– was transported to Indonesia to help save his species.
The 8-year-old hero, named Harapan (“Hope” in Indonesian), left Ohio and traveled nearly 10,000 miles to this same sanctuary at Way Kambas National Park. Harapan was born at the Cincinnati Zoo in a captive breeding program that has provided some of important breakthroughs for rhino reproduction in captivity.
The day Superstorm Sandy hit the coast of New Jersey, Palma and her family were standing in their home in a foot of water. They knew they had to evacuate immediately.
“Trying to get out was a nightmare,” says Palma of her escape from the neighborhood. “The street was flooded and we had to drive on the neighbors’ lawns.”
Palma’s family evacuated to her mother’s home five miles to the south, and after the storm had passed, the family came back to their home to survey the damage.
“It was like a war zone. Utter devastation,” said Palma of her neighborhood. She watched her neighbors walking around their destroyed properties inspecting the damage and crying over everything they had lost.
Palma discovered her house had been submerged in three to four feet of water. From the force of the water, the house’s contents had been pushed into the kitchen. The front porch had floated away and was sitting down the block. The fence was gone. She never imagined she could lose everything in just one night.
Palma and her family remained displaced for the next three years, two months, and two days. The process of applying for aid from the state, institutions designed to support people in need after a disaster, was frustrating and slow. After a year of wading through bureaucracy, they were told they did not qualify for support.
At a loss for what to do next, Palma heard from a friend about A Future With Hope, an International Relief Teams partner organization, that was rebuilding homes for those in need in New Jersey. It took just 10 months and she was home again in a brand new house built by IRT volunteers.
Palma is incredibly thankful to these two organizations for working together to give her back her life. She knows without their support, she would still be homeless. Rebuild Your Friends’ Faith In Humanity… Click To Share
This cat staged an escape worthy of Indiana Jones — surviving disaster in a kitchen appliance.
Crews fighting the Fort McMurray wildfire in Alberta, Canada found Tux the cat in the middle of a home — where everything else was destroyed – sheltering inside the stove.
They believe a gas explosion blew out the glass on the front of the oven and Tux hopped inside before another blast toppled the stove, trapping the cat, but at the same time protecting him from the heat and flames.
Firefighters bandaged Tux’s paws and put his picture out on social media where Jody Lishchynsky recognized her feline friend, and was reunited soon after.
The Lishchynsky family had only about 15 minutes warning of the fire’s approach, and in the chaos, Tux was trapped behind the fire line.
They had been gathering what they could carry, when the fire jumped the highway and raced toward them.
The family loaded their dog and what they were carrying into the truck, but when they turned to go back and rescue the cats, the fire had already encircled the house.
They took refuge at a relative’s cabin, where they later were surprised to find a photo of Tux online – along with the story of his amazing survival strategy.
“I don’t know why that fireman looked in that stove,”Lishchynsky told the Canadian Press. “That’s just beyond me. Sure enough, there’s the little frigger.”
Since Tux’s return, the Lishchynskys learned that at least one of their other cats, Sky, escaped the fire as well.
When a classroom of fifth-grade students sat down to take a big test, each child was met with a personal message of encouragement printed on top of their desk.
Teacher Chandni Langford wrote the notes by hand with dry-erase markers, giving each of her charges in in Woodbury, New Jersey one last dose of confidence before they would dive into a test that measure their progress toward college and careers.
The messages were in line with the “growth mindset” education concept followed at Evergreen Avenue Elementary School—the idea that hard work and dedication can bring students the same successful results as intelligence and talent.
“So many of my students have shown tremendous growth over the year,” Langford told TODAY. “I wanted to make sure they know I’ve noticed.”Encourage Your Friends With This Story, Share It…
An Ohio mayor, Tom Scarnecchia, will be giving up $34,000 a year to help reduce his city’s deficit.
The shortfall in Niles has risen to $130,000. WKBN News reports the town is in “a fiscal emergency, and the state requires that the budget be balanced.”
The city council, too, is discussing cutting their own pay by 50 percent.
“I think that him making that personal sacrifice should show the citizens that he’s doing the very best he can. He loves Niles,” Councilman Barry Steffey told WKBN.
A Northern Irish woman only discovered in 1989, that she had an older sister—and finally embraced her for the first time at the arrivals gate of Dublin airport on Tuesday.
27 years ago, Lesley Fagan’s mother told her she had a sister, who had been placed up for adoption, but searches since then have been futile.
She recently learned that other twins had been reunited through Facebook, so, Fagan posted an online appeal that eventually led to her sister.
Once considered permanent, tattoos are now removable through laser treatments, which is good news for those who no longer want to be associated with gangs or lifestyles from their past.
For the last four years, hundreds of inmates in the custody of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department have taken advantage of the Tattoo Removal Service, a joint program of the Inmate Services Bureau, the Medical Services Bureau, and Homeboy Industries.
The highly successful service uses advanced technology to benefit inmates who commit to bettering themselves while in custody so they can re-enter their communities with a truly “clean slate.”
The removal service incentivizes inmates to engage in structured academic or vocational training, and life-skills classes offered by the Bureau’s Education Based Incarceration unit, thus becoming eligible for tattoo removal treatments.
Inmates regret having gotten tattoos for varying reasons. Some acquired their first tattoo as young as eleven years old, before they could make a wise decision. For others, a tattoo not done by a skilled professional has produced an unsightly or distorted image. And almost all inmates have experienced the negative social stigma attached to some tattoos—especially when they are offensive or prominently displayed on the face, neck, or hands.
Perhaps most importantly, many employers adhere to stated or unstated no-tattoo policies that can limit a former inmate’s job opportunities.
The city’s Tattoo Removal Service is overseen by trained medical personnel who use a medical-grade laser that breaks down the tattoo ink. If the removal process takes longer than the inmate’s sentence, officials coordinate with Homeboy Industries to complete the removal at no cost to the individual.
2,248 inmates have benefited, so far –and, at no private or public cost.
The Inmate Welfare Fund – which pays for essential health, welfare and educational needs of the inmates and is funded by “collect only” pay phones, inmate vending machines, barber shop, and hobby-craft sales– fully pays for all the tattoo removal expenditures, incurring no additional outlay from the Sheriff’s Department or the public.
Having received overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants, the tattoo clinic, along with the associated academic, vocational and life-skills training, stands as one of the Sheriff Department’s most powerful means of helping inmates secure employment, gain community acceptance, and reducing recidivism.
