The poem’s been shared more than 3,300 times in the past week, as people discover and delight in the fact that it is really two poems in one.
It was written by Brooklyn, New York, 11th grader Chanie Gorkin, who posted the original at Poetry Nation. No one seems to know how a copy wound up hanging in a bar in London, but when Ronnie Joice shared the poem, it “was a good day.”
(READ more at Some Life) – Photo: Ronnie Joice, Twitter; Terry Turner, CC
A street sweeper was so happy to see a little girl’s roadside chalk drawing that he moved his brushes out of the way to preserve it.
Seven-year-old Brielle Pronick was hard at work on her latest chalk mural outside her home, when she noticed her masterpiece was in jeopardy – a street sweeper was heading right for it.
Wendel Lamb, who’s been cleaning the streets of Courtenay, British Columbia for 16 years, saw what was at stake, lifted his truck’s sweepers over the young girl’s art, and went on his way.
Brielle’s father just happened to record the sweet gesture.
“The timing was uncanny as my husband was just taking pictures of my daughter’s art when the street sweeper came around the corner,” Kristen Pronick wrote when uploading the video on the city’s Facebook page. “Please pass on my thanks to the driver, he made her day and she still talks about it.”
Check out what happened recently when City employee Wendel L., operating the street sweeper, came across a chalk art masterpiece. The artist's mom, Kristen Pronick, says, "The timing was uncanny as my husband was just taking pictures of my daughter's art when the street sweeper came around the corner. Please pass on my thanks to the driver, he made her day and she still talks about it." Thanks for sharing this video with us Kristen!
Child advocates cheered the news in April when Malawi, an African nation with one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, raised the minimum age for marriage to 18.
But what about the legions of underage children who were legally wed before the new law took effect?
Last month, one regional chief—a woman— annulled the marriages of more than 300 youth in her district and sent them back to school.
Further, she fired several village heads who had sanctioned the unions.
“They must go to school,” said Senior Chief Inkosi Kachindamoto, of Dedza District who has terminated 330 marriages, of which 175 were girl-wives and 155 were boy-fathers.
Malawi’s new Marriage Act still allows children over 16 to marry with parental consent, but human rights activists are pushing to change that.
“Marriage is often the end for girls like me,” Memory Banda, an 18-year-old Malawian, told The Guardian in February. “But if our leaders will invest in us and give us the chance to be educated, we will become women who create a better society for everyone.”
(READ more from Malawi’s Nyasa Times) UN Photo: Emmanuel Tobey
When New York public school teacher Adriana Lopez was diagnosed with breast cancer, her students wanted her to know they ‘had her back’.
So they sat her on the stage and, with pink carnations in hand, sang Martina McBride’s, “I’m Gonna Love You Through It,” as part of their final class of the year.
For Lopez, who teaches in Staten Island, the heartfelt serenade was overwhelming, hitting just the right note.
“I just felt so supported and from all these little kids, who don’t know what cancer really is,” she told TODAY. “I just couldn’t stop crying.”
Lopez has been a teacher for over thirty years, and said that even though school’s out for summer, people from P.S. 22 have been checking in to see how she’s doing.
Tom Cruise has played a jet pilot, a spy, and a teenager engaged in “Risky Business,” but can he trump Mick Jagger?
One of our favorite regular segments on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show is when he asks celebrities to grab a mic and pretend to be singers performing on stage. “Lip Sync Battle” is so popular it was spun off into its own TV game show.
Cruise did not disappoint his fans Monday night. Using choreographed moves and nearly perfect timing, he performed two different songs, including a classic rock number from his high school days in the 70s.
In the finale, the pair teamed up to recreate one of Cruise’s iconic scenes from “Top Gun” — serenading a woman in the audience with the Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling.”
(WATCH the video below from the Tonight Show) Photo: YouTube
Cats may rule in online videos, but dogs now have their own Instagram, writes the Buzzoid Blog.
A new photo-sharing site called BarkFeed is chock full of hundreds of pictures of pooches—and only pooches. The site, which bills itself as the “Instagram of Dogs” features posts from proud pet parents all over the world.
Caution: adjust your “awww” meters, because you’ll be diving into a dogpile of cuteness when you check out the site.
BarkFeed was created by Bark & Company, the people behind BarkBox, a monthly delivery service of goodies and toys for dogs. Bonus: the company spends 10% of BarkBox profits to help shelter dogs get adopted.
“A dog photo should be something that makes you a little bit happier or laugh when you see it,” BarkFeed project manager Jared Smith told NBC’s TODAY.
Mission accomplished with this tennis lovely below.
There’s no mobile app yet, but you can link your Instagram account to BarkFeed and the site will sniff out your dog photos as you post them.
(READ more at TODAY) – Photos: BarkFeed
Treat Your Friends And Followers, Fetch This Story For Them…
Just when you thought you’d found the answers to all of Dr. Seuss’ riddling, rhyming questions, a whole new bookful has been published in his signature funny font.
What Pet Should I Get? was written at the height of Dr. Seuss’ career, but never released until this week.
Theodor Seuss Geisel, who wrote the Dr. Seuss books, put the manuscript and illustrations aside more than 50 years ago. The author’s widow, Audrey, found the long-lost pages after his death in 1991—then misplaced them—and found them again in 2013.
“I think he set it aside, mostly because he’d gotten involved in other things,” Cathy Goldsmith, a collaborator of Dr. Seuss’ told PBS News. “I think this was one he wrote, and moved on almost immediately to ‘One Fish, Two Fish.’”
Goldsmith worked as a designer and art director with Dr. Suess on his last six books. She helped choose the color style of this latest discovery based on other books he’d written around same time in 1960.
“What Pet Should I Get?” is about learning to make difficult decisions. In the book, two children face the task of choosing just one pet, but like all the animals they see and time is running out:
“We have to pick ONE pet and pick it out soon. You know Mother told us to be back by noon.”
Even in an age of tablets and e-readers, Random House Children’s Books never doubted the new book would be popular. They had originally planned for 500,000 copies in their first printing, but expanded it to one million after it became an instant best seller when it went on sale Tuesday.
Lead singer Dave Grohl’s surgeon did such a great job on the rocker’s leg after it was broken, that he was invited onstage at Fenway Park stadium in Boston to join the Foo Fighters. But Dr. Lew Schon didn’t just take a bow–he sang an entire rock anthem.
After his strident performance of the masterpiece, Seven Nation Army, some are saying he missed his true calling…
The Baltimore, Maryland doctor belted out the White Stripes’ cover to an enthusiastic audience, as a fan shot this video of the surprisingly dynamic performance.
Since Grohl broke his leg during a scary tumble on stage in Sweden earlier this summer, he has been performing concerts while seated on a giant throne, which was designed by the rocker while he was recovering on pain medication. (Click to enlarge the photo)
“What seemed like a setback at the time has turned into this beautiful blessing in disguise,” Grohl told Entertainment Weekly. “This throne and these crutches and these audiences make us play longer and harder than we ever have.”
(WATCH the videos below – the interview, and the song)
Crank Up The Volume, and Share to Let Your Friends See This…
A confrontation of David-and-Goliath proportions ended without incident on Thursday – well, except for going viral on Twitter, after the Boulder County Sheriff’s office tweeted photos of the too-cute standoff between its deputies and a plucky, pint-sized owl.
The deputies had been patrolling near a Colorado campground when they encountered the tiny northern saw-whet owl – standing knee-high to a grasshopper in the middle of the road. Attempts to communicate were met with – what else? – an owlish stare.
— BoulderCountySheriff (@BldrCOSheriff) July 23, 2015
Although Boulder County Sheriff’s Twitter account called the fluffy bird a baby, the Northern Saw-whet Owl is a wee thing at any age, topping out at about eight inches tall when fully grown.
The brief stare-down ended, deputies said, when the little owl just up and flew away.
When Officer Joe Hutson spotted a man in a wheelchair trying to mow his lawn, he and his partner, Officer John Khillah, decided to take over the job.
After sending Officer Khillah to pick up a mower, weed trimmer and leaf blower from the Kalamazoo Public Safety station, the two got to work helping the Michigan man achieve grassy greatness.
Many locals stopped to watch the kindness in action—and the end result, it’s been reported, was flawless.
Photo credit: Downtown Kalamazoo Cops Facebook page – Story tip from Cathie Chansamone Costanzo
In the voicemail, which ABC confirmed came from Bell, she says, “This is Princess Anna of Arendelle. I just wanted to call and say, ‘Hello.’”
She goes on to say her famous sister Elsa, “Has decided to crown you as an honorary princess of Arendelle.” Bell adds, “I think you’ll make a great princess.”
From the look on Avery’s face, she was blown away – and so were her parents, who commented on her CaringBridge page that they’ve watched the video of their daughter listening to Bell’s voicemail dozens of times, just to hear her giggle and see her smile.
(WATCH Avery’s reaction in the video below) – Photo: Kristen Bell Facebook
What if, instead of just seeing your daily commute as a way to get from Point A to Point B, you viewed it as an opportunity to form a fun social alliance with strangers?
For one group of city bus riders, that’s just how the Back of the Bus Club was formed.
It all started twenty five years ago, when a small group of Washington State bus riders started chatting in the back seat. They hit it off and made the morning meeting part of their daily routine, sharing their lives and becoming great friends.
Their chemistry was contagious, and soon other passengers wanted in on the fun.
“They were laughing and enjoying each other’s company,” Edie Burke told King 5 News. “So, I slowly started sitting closer and closer until I was accepted into the group.”
The group has grown to about 20 members over the years, including spouses, and they’ve even hosted monthly dinners and Christmas parties.
“We’re together at least an hour and a half a day,” Cawley told KING 5 News. “Most people don’t spend that much time talking with their family. That’s how we got to be so close.”
Commuters can take a cue from the Back of the Bus Club – look up from your phone, laptop or book and try striking up a conversation. It may be the beginning of a whole new journey.
(WATCH the video below, or READ more at KING-5 News *NOTE: auto-playing audio so adjust your speakers) Photo: KING-TV video
Chalkboards may be meant for temporary messages, but the illustrations adorning the blackboards at this Oklahoma school haven’t been erased in nearly one hundred years.
Construction workers renovating Emerson High School were surprised to find sketches and assignments from 1917 still in tact.
The blackboards had been covered by an earlier renovation, freezing the lessons where they ended for the day.
“I got goosebumps, and then I got tears in my eyes,” Principal Sherry Kishore told KOKH News. “And then I sat in here and just stared because it’s really like walking into a time capsule.”
The school tweeted photos of the discovery:
Counting down until Christmas 1917. Drawings nearly 100 years old found during MAPS construction. pic.twitter.com/2nV7hq8foL
Arizona Cardinals fans are singing the praises of Jennifer Welter, who just became the first woman hired as a coach at any level of the National Football League.
Welter joins the “Birdgang” as a training camp and preseason intern coach for inside linebackers.
She has a Master’s.She has a PhD.She has an #AZCardinals coaching job.She is Dr. Jen Welter.
“I’m proud to be part of the Birdgang,” she tweeted right after the announcement. “Love the football family here at the Arizona Cardinals.”
She’s no rookie, though.
Back in February, she became the first woman coach in any pro-football league when the Texas Revolution of the Indoor Football League named her as a special teams coach.
She was also a groundbreaking player, working as a running back for the team and becoming the first woman in a non-kicking position on a professional football team.
Before that, Welter was a linebacker for 14 seasons in the Women’s Football Alliance, where she played mostly for the Dallas Diamonds. She helped lead them to four national championships, which is two more than the Cardinals have won – their last one was in 1947.
Her extensive resume also includes a master’s degree in Sport Psychology and PhD in Psychology.
(WATCH the TODAY video and READ more at MSNBC) — Photo: TODAY video
Solar energy, you have been outdone: this lamp literally provides hours of light from a glass of water and two spoons of salt.
SALt (Sustainable Alternative Lighting), a company based in the Philippines, has designed a lamp to help illuminate the homes of Filipinos with limited or no access to electricity.
Its innovators say the device is safer than oil lamps, which pose fire hazards, and less expensive than battery-powered lamps.
Engineer Lipa Aisa Mijena of De La Salle University designed the lamp to work on the principle of the “Galvanic cell,” creating electricity from a chemical reaction between the salt water and electrodes inside the lamp.
The lamp can provide a full night of light for up to a year before the electrodes have to be replaced.
It’s also a reliable source of light in an island country where natural disasters from typhoons to floods are common. It can run on ocean water if you don’t have any table salt handy.
The next model on the drawing board will also let people charge their cellphones (pictured left).
The lamp is not on the market yet and SALt hasn’t settled on a price, but the makers promise to keep the cost affordable and to announce its availability soon.
“We are in the process of mass production,” SALt posted to its Facebook page this morning.
Yemeksepeti decided that a portion of proceeds from the sale—$27 million, to be exact— should be split among the company’s 100 employees to reward them for years of hard work. The ecstatic workers took home a payout of $200,000 each.
“Some employees cried, some screamed, some wrote letters of thanks,” Yemeksepeti’s CEO, Nevzat Aydın, told Hurriyet Daily News.
Yemeksepeti CEO Nevzat Aydin
“There were emotions, because you affect the lives of the people. It was a good thing. I wish we could have given them more.”
Aydın said the right offer came at the right time and was a huge increase from an original offer to buy the tech company 15 years ago for a mere $3 million.
Is there a mother on the planet who hasn’t said at least once, “Just try it, you’ll like it!”?
Well, as usual, mom was right. A new study found that those who are willing to try exotic foods are more likely to weigh less and feel better about their health than those who are reluctant to try something new.
Researchers at Cornell University asked some 500 women about their daily eating habits, opinions about exotic foods and their satisfaction with weight and health.
According to the study, the women who identified as more “adventurous” eaters also rated themselves as healthier and more physically active. They also had a slightly lower body-mass index than the more timid eaters.
The verdict: eating out of your comfort zone may lead to a healthier and more nutritious diet.
Go ahead, put crispy cactus tacos on the menu and wash them down with snake wine. Your waistline will thank you.
Photo: CC Adrienne Byard
Invite Your Friends to an Adventurous Dinner – and Share below…
Researchers are cautiously optimistic after an experimental drug called solanezumab seemed to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s for people in early stages of the disease.
After concluding a study with 1,300 people for drug maker Eli Lilly, researchers found that the longer the patients stayed on the drug—and, the sooner they were given it—the slower their dementia progressed.
Currently, there are drugs on the market that attempt to treat symptoms by helping restore functionality to dying brain cells, but there is no cure for the disease.
Solanezumab is unique because it attacks the deformed proteins, or amyloids, that build up in the brain as a result of the disease—and the amyloids are thought to cause eventual brain cell death.
“It’s another piece of evidence that solanezumab does have an effect on the underlying disease pathology,” Dr Eric Siemers of Lilly Research Laboratories in Indianapolis told the BBC. “We think there is a chance that solanezumab will be the first disease-modifying medication to be available.”
Reports from an additional trial are expected to deliver definitive evidence of the drug’s effectiveness next year.
A 12-year-old boy wanted to read so badly that he asked a postal worker if there was any extra junk mail he could spare.
Instead of just giving the boy some advertisements to read, the Sandy, Utah mailman asked him if he ever went to the library. Matthew Flores said his family didn’t have extra money for the bus fare.
Ron Lynch was so moved by Matthew’s eagerness to learn, that he decided to post a plea for his friends on Facebook to donate some used books. He knew he could get a few books from families around town.
Any parent who’s ever flown a spoon-shaped “airplane” into a baby’s mouth knows that sometimes, to get kids to do what’s good for them, you’ve got to make it fun.
That’s at least part of the thinking behind LaBobo, a colorful, frog-themed, portable plastic sink recently introduced in Cambodia, where low access to basic hand-washing equipment contributes to the death of more than 10,000 children a year from diarrheal diseases.
The sinks are produced and distributed by WaterSHED, a nonprofit working to help bring improved sanitation conditions and clean water to countries in Southeast Asia.
“If (people) spend some money on a product they like and actually want to own, it’s much more likely that they will keep using it and form a healthy habit of washing their hands regularly,” WaterSHED regional program manager Geoff Revell told Reuters.
To date, over 10,000 sinks, at $15 each, have been sold by WaterSHED, helping kids in one of the world’s most sanitation-challenged countries to get into the habit of washing up before dinner.
