Home may be where the heart is, but for 36 lucky veterans, it’s on a street where Tim McGraw has bought each of them a house.
It is fitting that on America’s Independence Day week we introduce you to the country singer who is providing financial independence for veterans with thirty-six mortgage-free homes. He’s handing out one per stop on his current nationwide tour.
McGraw already has given away 108 homes to deserving military families in the last three years, after he formed a partnership with Chase Bank and Operation Homefront.
“Launching our Homefront program made last summer so much more special than I could have originally imagined,” McGraw said. “I can honestly say that I got as much or more out of the experience than the veterans who received the new homes and assistance.”
“These are people who have given us security for a lot of years, and we’re able to do that back for them in a small way,” McGraw said of the veterans who have moved into the homes in 30 states.
The Shotgun Rider Tour began June 6 and six veterans are getting ready to settle into their new homes. Next stop, Raleigh, North Carolina, on July 10.
TV game shows have been giving away cars for years and Oprah took the gimmick one step further giving away 276 at once – one to every member of her studio audience.
Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal announced last week he was giving away his $32 billion fortune to charity. This first gift, spread out over ten years, will eventually help 100,000 low income people in his country, estimated the businessman.
Within minutes of tweeting his plan to give away the 10,000 cars and houses, thousands of people had contacted his Alwaleed Philanthropies Foundation.
The foundation has already put families in 1,240 housing units, with plans to provide roughly 1,000 new units per year for ten years. The homes are being given to needy families who don’t qualify under the Kingdom’s Housing Ministry.
The foundation plans to deliver about 1,000 cars per year for the families.
“Given the world’s current economic and social conditions,” the prince wrote on his website, “and the devastating effects of war and natural disasters around the world, more collaborative efforts are required…in the effort to alleviate poverty in the most deprived communities.”
Prince Alwaleed last week directed Alwaleed Philanthropies to use the bulk of his fortune, working in concert with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Carter Center, and the Weill Cornell Medical College to fund schools, eliminate disease and pay for efforts to empower women–an issue he has been involved in for years.
Richard Avanzino was a bit of a wallflower as a kid. He didn’t have any friends to speak of—well, friends on two legs, anyway.
His friends with four paws were his true pals, and because of them, he vowed to dedicate his life to helping dogs everywhere.
And he did: millions of them, in fact.
It all started back in 1976, when Avanzino arrived at the San Francisco SPCA. At the time, the primary discussion within the humane movement was how to best kill the animals, but that all changed after he encountered Sido.
Sido was a Collie mix whose owner had passed away in 1979 and specified in his will that he wanted the dog to be put down….but Avanzino had other ideas.
“We said we wouldn’t let it happen—and we were sued, and it became a celebrity issue.”
The SPCA was successful and won Sido’s right to life, and the right to life for animals everywhere. It was established that dogs and cats would no longer be property, but sentient beings.
“It was decided that if there’s a way to save their life, it should be done,” said Avanzino, who is now 72 years old.
By the time the case was done, 3,000 potential adopters had come forward to adopt Sido. Avanzino, however, would be keeping her for himself, and she would live happily with him for 11 years.
Rich and Sido on the courthouse steps
Avanzino continued his advocacy work on a national level while working at the SPCA until 1998 when he joined Maddie’s Fund, a nonprofit that awards millions of dollars in grants toward increased community lifesaving, shelter medicine education, and pet adoptions across the U.S.
As its president, he revolutionized animal sheltering by housing dogs and cats awaiting adoption in cozy, home-like settings rather than cages, setting a new standard of sheltering practices—and not just the cute, young ones, either.
“We’re out to dispel myths, like that it’s too expensive to take care of dogs with injuries and illnesses, or ones who are at first poorly behaved, or that there are not enough homes,” Avanzino said of the organization’s core mission. “We collaborate with organizations to focus on a single goal of proving an adoption guarantee.”
With its endowment of $300 million, the nonprofit’s main goal is to turn America into a “No-Kill Nation,” with one of its key events being Pet Adoption Days. The unique catalyst sparking the adoptions is the promise of free grants to shelters for every animal that they can place. For pets who are harder to place, these adoption weekends can mean the difference between life and death.
“People stood in line for hours, showing up at 4, 5, 6am to get in line to adopt those pets because they knew they needed to be safe,” he said of that event.
According to Avanzino, 71% of Americans who have currently pets think that they deserve to have the status of “family member.”
“When we ask, ‘If you were stranded on an island would you pick a human or a pet as a companion, 60% say they’d rather have a pet than another human being” he said. “The American people are there with us and that’s why I think it’s so doable to provide this adoption guarantee.”
In fact, over the past ten years, animal welfare has seen an incredible amount of
“Though the country went through the worst recession, with foreclosures and people losing jobs and economy distress, the humane community has been able to place companion animals with a success rate that has never before been achieved,” he said.
Before Maddie’s Fund was started, less than $1 million from foundations was contributed to animal welfare, nationally. This year, more than $100 million is coming from foundations.
Of the 180 million pets currently living in American households, the shelter and rescue community accounts for 39% of them—what makes that statistic particularly interesting is the fact that it’s up 15% from ten years ago.
In large part, that’s also thanks to the Internet. Decades ago, animal rescue was done through the media, classified ads, and word of mouth. People talked about it at parties, in places of worship, and by encouraging folks to go to shelters. These days, with the addition of social media and web databases, its much easier to get pets placed with foster homes or through adoptions.
In March 2015, Avanzino was named to Dog Fancy’s list of “45 People who have Changed the Dog World” and was awarded the Assisi Award by the New Zealand Companion Animal Council in 2014.
“When people hear about adoptions, they’re seven times more likely to get their next companion from a shelter or a rescue,” Avanzino said. “Today, our movement knows that no-kill is doable. The only discussion if there is any is how soon and when. The atrocities of times gone by is behind us.”
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Adidas is partnering with an environmental group to create footwear from recycled ocean waste. The concept shoe is made of yarns and filaments from illegal deep-sea gillnets and other ocean trash.
Parley for the Oceans is an organization trying to eliminate plastic pollution in the world’s waterways.
“We are extremely proud that Adidas is joining us in this mission and is putting its creative force behind this partnership to show that it is possible to turn ocean plastic into something cool,” said Parley for the Oceans Founder Cyrill Gutsch.
Meanwhile, the athletic brand says this is just the beginning: on the heels of the concept shoe, Adidas says there will be more consumer-ready ocean plastic products coming later this year.
A new look and confidence boost is all it took to get one musically-gifted man off the streets and performing again.
Last week, we introduced you to Donald Gould, who was a U.S. Marine musician that wound up homeless in Sarasota, Florida.
A stranger had posted a video of Gould playing a street piano, and the scruffy-yet-talented musician’s performance got more than three million views in just four days.
Gould’s instant fame resulted in offers of new clothes, a makeover and a paying gig at a local restaurant.
“I got a lot of new respect out here today,” Donald Gould told Inside Edition. “I feel pretty confident that I can do it, as long as I keep myself together, you know.”
Gould says his transformation has also given him the confidence to try to reunite with his son – who he hasn’t seen in more than 15 years.
Insulin pills and an artificial pancreas are two new tools being tested for preventing and treating diabetes. Each could free patients from daily blood tests, needles and insulin pumps.
Currently, more than 400 children and adults are taking part in a trial spread across the U.S. and eight other countries to find out if insulin pills can prevent diabetes.
In diabetes, the immune system attacks and destroys cells in the body that make insulin naturally, so researchers believe that taking insulin by mouth may “trick” the immune system into leaving these insulin-producing cells alone.
This trial follows a smaller study by different scientists which found that the pills appeared to keep the immune system in check. Because that study was too small to be conclusive, the U.S. Health Department stepped in to fund a larger, international trial.
People at high risk of developing Type 1 diabetes can sign up to enroll in the study at its TrialNet site. The first results from the trials are expected in 2017.
Meanwhile, researchers at the University of California Santa Barbara have run computerized tests on an implantable “artificial pancreas” to do the job for the organ that naturally produces insulin in healthy bodies, but fails to do so in people with diabetes.
This one’s for the dogs. The very famous, well-groomed dogs.
As part of a beautiful photography book series called Rover Works, those who can afford a price tag in the thousands pay to have their pup pose for a studio portrait to be featured in the book. Proceeds are given to animal rescue operations across America and, so far, the project has raised $1 million.
The project is the brainchild of photographer Andrew Grant, who has been living on the road with his girlfriend Amanda and their Chihuahua, Riley, for the past two and a half years. They meet with shelter dogs, set up a portable studio, and make portraits to help find them loving homes, before moving on to the next city. To date, they have self-published 4 books and are currently working on the 5th edition.
A number of particularly famous celebrity dogs have already appeared on their pages—see if you can guess which dog belongs to which celebrity!
Heidi Klum? Ewan McGregor? Mario Lopez? Steven Spielberg? Or, Jamie Lynn Sigler?
1. Leroy
2. Sid
3. Max and Freddie
4. Julio
5. Bean
Answer Key:
1) Steven Spielberg, 2) Ewan McGregor, 3) Heidi Klum, 4) Mario Lopez, 5) Jamie Lynn Sigler
When participants make a $5000-$50,000 donation to have their dog included in the book, they make a donation to one or multiple rescues that Rover Works partners with. They also donate books to Children’s Hospitals for kids in isolation that can’t have pet therapy visitors.
Photos: RoverWorks
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The Beatles’ drummer only wants two things for his 75th birthday today: peace and love.
Today at noon he wants everyone to raise that peace sign, which has become the star’s signature move.
“This is just a gentle peace and love reminder that on July the 7th, my birthday, all I ask for is at noon, wherever you are in the world, you just go ‘Peace and Love, Peace and Love’ and that will make my heart sing,” Starr says in a video posted to his Facebook page.
Starr hosts his annual “Peace and Love” event in front of the iconic Capital Records building in Los Angeles just before noon Pacific Time today. Rock and roll performers Joe Walsh and Edgar Winter, along with Starr’s wife of 34 years, actress Barbara Bach, are among those expected.
While a band plays some of Starr’s songs, celebrities and audience members will flash the peace sign while saying—you guessed it—“Peace and love.”
Starr, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this spring as a solo act, has been hosting the annual event since his 65th birthday and has set up a charity, the Peace and Love Fund at the David Lynch Foundation that works to heal trauma and stress through meditation.
The 75-year-old released a new album, Postcards from Paradise, in March and plans to spread “peace and love” on a 22-city fall tour with his All-Starr Band in the U.S. and Canada starting in October.
(WATCH the Facebook video below and READ more at Pollstar) – Photos: Ringo Starr Facebook; Portal Foca, CC
Baltimore restaurant owners have been banking on restaurant week to bring in much needed revenue to pad out the losses they suffered during the curfew imposed in April and May.
One restaurant owner, however, has other plans: give the food away for free.
Michael Tabrizi, owner of Tabrizi’s restaurant, is partnering with local shelters to bring homeless folks in for a special meal each night from July 20-25.
“These people don’t only suffer from hunger, but also from hopelessness, they feel that they don’t have any dignity anymore,” Tabrizi told Baltimore Magazine. “We want them to come in and feel like they’re cared for.”
The restaurant, which normally does a lot of business hosting wedding parties and other affairs, will completely shut down for those five days.
Farming in the Occupied Territories is not easy. Land confiscation aside, Palestinians face restricted access to water; sporadic land ownership; and overworked and polluted soil. This all contributes to many leaving their land in search of easier ways to support themselves and their families.
When I recently traveled to Palestine, I was surprised to learn how dependent Palestinians have become on Israel to survive. With a lack of work and an aid-reliant economy close to collapse, occupation has normalized. Making enough money to survive is the current battle. Of those that qualify for the hard to get work permits, many thousands of Palestinians make the journey into Israel to jobs, some even working on the construction of the separation walls and settlements that rob them of their land.
Murad Al Khuffash challenges this set of circumstances by engaging in permaculture, working with nature to create sustainable, self-sufficient ecosystems for growing food.
“Permaculture has a lot of benefits for Palestinians living under the occupation” he says, “If everyone starts to grow their own food in their garden or backyard then they won’t have to work in Israel or abroad. They will have their own food.”
After escaping the violence during the second intifada, Murad traveled to the US, working for several years in the fast food industry and agriculture. He returned to his homeland in 2006 to inherit his fathers land and begin his permaculture adventure. The farm, not more than 1 square kilometer in size, dwells directly beneath the hilltop settlement of Ari’el, in the ancient West Bank village of Marda.
Initially, the site had only 12 olive trees and some almonds. Less than 10 years later, the farm is a color-wheel of plants and living things. A network of winding paths and spiraling beds take you into a microcosm of fruit trees and veg patches, herbs and flowers, bees, insects, chickens and pigeons, all working together for the farm, ticking every box of organic and biodiversity values.
Everything in the farm has been designed around a single principle: Working with nature not against it. “Permaculture is returning to the roots, to our forefathers knowledge and wisdom,” Murad explains, “If you give to the land, the land will give to you.”
The evidence is in the farm where nothing is wasted. Weeds and organic waste are used to mulch beds and feed chickens; scrap wood and branches are used as apparatus to support plants; and food waste and manure are collected to make compost. The compost, together with nitrogen-making companion plants are then used to fertilize the beds for planting. Similar plants and crops are introduced to produce organic pesticides, attract pest-controlling wildlife and others to assist in pollination. These tactics are helping Murad to operate chemical-free and at low cost while growing and selling healthy produce.
The long term goal is to be completely self-sufficient. Organic seeds and seedlings are, at present outsourced–but locally–and while able to save and reuse some of his own seeds, Murad hopes to one day get his own seed dryer, increasing self reliance and sustainability.
“Seeds are native. That’s important.” Murad explains as he stores new seeds into the ever-growing collection in an old fridge. “Soon I will have all the seeds I need and can start drying them.”
The ambition doesn’t stop there. Murad hopes to also add fish and aquaponics to the farm, as well as some goats and a cow.
The farm of course needs lots of water with the climate here being so hot. Water, however, is very expensive and Israel limits the depths of Palestinian wells. To tackle this insecurity, Murad has created his own water supply. Last year the farm was awarded funding from the EU to build a 30×3 meter cistern on the farm. The tank supplies nearly all the water the farm needs and can be filled up when connected to the village’s ancient spring. The cistern also forms the foundation for the yet to be built volunteer guest house and learning center, although more funding is needed for that.
With funding and scholarships from such organizations as The Danish Permaculture Institute, the farm now offers courses that aim to spread the news about this alternative method of farming. With many agricultural and environmental engineers already attending the courses at Marda Permaculture farm, plans are underway to extend into the community educational workshops for both children and adults, aimed at promoting food sovereignty, healthy living and empowerment.
Marda Permaculture Farm, a model and center for sustainable agriculture in the occupied territories, attracts international volunteers and solidarity activists for its non-violent resistance through permaculture.
This summer, on his first visit to the UK, Murad will be attending the International Permaculture Convergence UK conference to talk about his work.
If you’d like to learn more about permaculture in Palestine, you can go to Love Volunteers or Permaculture News to read about the green revolution.
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This family’s black and white pit bull pup, Jules, is obsessed with anything new, especially babies—and she loves watching the new chicks just born on the farm.
“There’s a few words Jules knows, and babies is one of them,” said her dad, the farmer. “The first thing she does in the morning when she wakes up is she wants to be with them.”
WATCH what happens when Jules is finally let into the baby bird cage in the video above.
Three of America’s iconic landmarks are leading the way toward eliminating landfill waste from all national parks.
As part of their centennial celebration, Yosemite, Grand Teton and Denali National Parks will be part of a pilot program with Subaru – the first automotive plant to recycle 99.99% of its waste.
The National Parks Conservation Association said the three parks are already diverting 42% of their 16.6 million pounds of trash from landfills through recycling and composting. The plan is to study Subaru’s practices to further reduce the amount of waste generated by the parks, its concessioners and visitors.
Over the years, Subaru has shared its zero landfill techniques with hundreds of businesses, schools and organizations to help them reach their own zero landfill goals.
No amount of money could ever make up for 24 years of wrongfully imprisonment, but the financial support of hundreds of strangers can go a long way toward helping a man make a new start.
Jonathan Fleming was sentenced to 35 years in prison for a 1989 shooting in New York, one that happened while Fleming was actually more than a thousand miles away.
Fleming was on a family vacation at Disney World in Florida at the time, but he couldn’t prove it— until earlier this year, when lawyers found a phone receipt showing he was, in fact, in Florida at the time of the shooting.
When Fleming was released from prison in April, he only had $93 dollars to his name. That’s when Wall Street banker Alex Sutaru, a man he’d never met, stepped in and set up a crowdfunding site for the newly exonerated Fleming.
In a matter of months, 900 people from more than a dozen countries chipped in more nearly $50,000 to help Fleming pay his bills while he searched for a job.
Fleming had never before heard of crowdfunding and couldn’t believe strangers would donate money for him to rebuild his life.
“I was terrified, and I had no idea how i would be able to survive,” Fleming wrote in a thank you statement on the Indiegogo site. “And then, in a moment, I became one of the luckiest people alive.”
Today is the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday, and he’s celebrating it with a three-day forum centered around compassion. His Holiness is using the three days to lecture on education, creativity and climate change.
The festivities kicked off Sunday in Anaheim, California, with a star-studded assembly that included Hollywood actors Sharon Stone and George Lopez as well as Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi of Iran.
The Tibetan word “lama” means guru, a fitting title for the man who has dedicated his life to teaching us how to be happy. In honor of his 80th birthday, we’re bringing you eight more reasons to love this guru of happiness.
In his acceptance speech in 1989, the Dalai Lama said, “No matter what part of the world we come from, we are all basically the same human beings. We all seek happiness and try to avoid suffering. We have the same basic human needs and is concerns. All of us human beings want freedom and the right to determine our own destiny as individuals and as peoples.”
The Dalai Lama has long had an interest in science. As a child he taught himself to fix broken machines, from cars to clocks and movie projectors. He spoke in September, 2010 about human neurology and the intricate distinctions between mind and body that led him to be a founding benefactor for Stanford’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research.
At the 2009 opening of the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values on the MIT campus, he urged professors to teach ethics and compassion without a basis in religious belief.
He told the audience gathered in Anaheim Sunday, the only thing he wanted for his 80th birthday was that people exercise compassion toward one another. This video from his lecture on compassion was posted to His Holiness’ Facebook page.
In just a few hours, His Holiness the Dalai Lama will turn 80 years old. He asks no gifts, only that we live #WithCompassion. Today, in front of tens of thousands of people, he shared why. We look forward to continuing the celebration tomorrow with University of California, Irvine, Center for Living Peace and Honda Center!
The Dalai Lama brought his message of peace and compassion — and his trademark humor — to Hawaii in April, 2012, celebrating the coming together of two native cultures. Similar to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the indigenous culture of Hawaii has its own inherent spirituality– and “Aloha” means more than hello.
The Dalai Lama actually co-wrote a best-selling book to explain how we, too can be happy. He says that “the very motion of our life is towards happiness.” The Art of Happiness shows us how to cope with day-to-day anxiety, insecurity, anger, and discouragement– and how to smile more often.
Speaking at the U.S. Capitol in July, 2011, the Dalai Lama suggested a roadmap to world peace that begins at an individual level, with each one finding inner peace by feeling compassion.
He broke his regular schedule, normally planned seven years in advance, and accepted an invitation from the Muslim community in April, 2006, to discuss how to mitigate religious extremism, to celebrate unity and denounce religious intolerance.
(READ more about his Forum at the LA Times) – Photos: Sun Star, Christopher.Michel, Luca Galuzzi, Jack Hubbard, via CC; and International Campaign for Tibet
A beloved character on the long-running PBS children’s show is leaving Sesame Street after 44 years.
Sonia Manzano has played ‘Maria’ on Sesame Street since 1971, and became the first Hispanic actress to be featured on a national TV show.
Since then, millions of young viewers have grown up watching her and pals Grover, Oscar the Grouch and Big Bird, and learning life lessons along the way. Here are some of our favorites:
Maria Taught Us About Helping Others
….And Tried to Convince Cookie Monster to Eat Right
Maria Rapped About How to Take Good Notes
….And Sang About Synonyms
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Hope Holland spotted a familiar picture online that showed two young brothers in a bathtub. It was a photo she, herself, had taken in 2000 — it was a picture of the son she had been missing terribly for 15 years.
The Campbell, California woman spent more than a decade looking for Jonathan, after his father fled with him to Mexico when he was only three.
True to her name, she never gave up hope that she’d see him again, but was shocked to find him suddenly on Facebook.
“Tears uncontrollably fell down my face, my hands were shaking, my body was shaking,” she wrote later on a GoFundMe page set up to take care of all of the expenses involved in bringing Jonathan back to the U.S.
“I scrolled through picture after picture, crying,” she said as she looked at his other photos from a life with him she’d missed out on. “It was like flashes of little movie trailers, giving me insight to pieces of his life.”
For many of us, a trip to the market is all about satisfying the taste buds and satiating our bellies.
Yet, grocery stores are brimming with food items that are packed with healing nutrients. Since there are so many more potential benefits to be enjoyed by the food we eat, why not make the market your own personal pharmacy?
Here’s how to use them to your advantage, boosting your health the natural way.
The damage control “drupe”
Otherwise known as the plum. This incredibly antioxidant-rich fruit uniquely contains phenols, which protect against free radical damage.
The functional fiber
In addition to being delicious, avocados are also powerful detoxifiers due to the unique way these high-fiber fruits combine with oils. Thus, avocados help our organs to function better. Science now indicates eating one a day may lower bad cholesterol, too.
The heart pepper
Chili peppers containing capsaicin have been shown to decrease the risk of heart attacks and strokes in individuals. An added benefit: capsaicin revs up our metabolism to help us burn fat and lose weight.
Heart healthy and anti-inflammatory, garlic and onions are loaded with beneficial sulfur compounds. They’ve been known to reduce joint pain and swelling, help lower cholesterol, and could even help you lose weight.
The fat that burns fat
Pure virgin coconut oil is a special fat made up of medium-chain triglycerides, which are immediately used for energy, rather than stored as belly fat. It also boosts digestion and nutrient absorption.
The cancer fighter
Tomatoes are packed with lycopene, which has been clinically proven to protect our bodies from prostate cancer. They also provide cardiovascular support and promote bone health.
The anti-aging agent
Stocking your freezer with frozen berries is an easy and cost-effective way to get your daily dose of nutrients, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds. Throw them in a morning smoothie and you may even reduce the rate at which your body ages.
The natural pick-me-up pair
If you can’t have caffeine, try this alternative: a green apple and a glass of H2O. They’re going to give you more energy, for a longer period of time, than a cup of black coffee.
The anti-inflammatory superstar
Pineapple contains key enzymes that help break down proteins and eliminate those acids that build up in our bodies and eventually lead to disease and ailments.
Adopting these functional foods into your regular shopping routine will ensure your body is nourished, protected, and actually thriving. What healing recipes will you cook up?
Photos: CC: Trishhhh, arash rk, Maja Dumat, Danielle Scott, Marc Wellekötter, tungl
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After dozens of bikes were stolen in Rochester, New York a community group experienced an outpouring of support from neighbors who donated 400 bicycles to the organization who gives them away.
“The theft happened over the weekend at Conkey Cruisers, a program that promotes exercise in the city with bikes it donates to kids and adults,“ reports KEHC-TV. “A bike drive was held in hopes of replacing what was lost and they got– and so much more.”
“The bike represents freedom at a young age,’’ says a Conkley Cruiser leader.
Lego’s half century of toy dominance was built on petroleum-based plastic. But now the Danish company is investing millions into finding a way to produce a quality toy that is also good for the environment.
By 2030, it hopes to have eliminated from its supply chain all the extraction and refinement of oil used in its toys. It won’t be easy though.
LEGO plans to open a new sustainable materials center within the year and hire 100 new employees focused specifically on finding new materials for their toys and packaging.
