Global food prices fell in March to their lowest in almost five years as supplies for most commodities, including cereals and meat, remained robust, the United Nations food agency in April. (Reuters)
Teacher Lets Him Shave Her Head During Lunch to Support Bullied Kid
A shy, 4th grade student in Winlock, Washington was having a horrible day, being teased about his newly shaven head, which revealed a scar.
Seeing him crying so moved teacher Tori Nelson that she let him shave her own hair off at recess, while the other students cheered.
This nine-year-old’s worst day quickly became his “best day ever.”
(WATCH the video below or READ the story from KCPQ) – Story tip from Debbie Westbeld
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Scientists Finally Figured Out What’s Making Undersea Crop Circles (Top 10 New Species)
Cartwheeling spiders, pufferfish that make crop circles on the sea bed, and a “chicken from hell” — the top ten list of new species contains fascinating life forms never before imagined.
You have to wonder how we missed spotting them for so long. Maybe some of them were just difficult to catch, like the cartwheeling spider of Morocco. It can tumble end-over-end twice as fast as it can run, making for speedy getaways from predators in the desert.
An Indonesian frog gives birth to live tadpoles instead of laying eggs. The only frog species known to reproduce this way, its discovery instantly creates the need to update every science textbook.
For two decades scientists wondered what was making circular geometric patterns in the sea floor off the coast of Japan. An artistic pufferfish creates the sand art as a nest to attract a mate. Also in Japan a sea slug was found shimmering in shades of red, blue and gold, certainly the most beautiful slug ever seen.
The “chicken from hell” — a feathered dinosaur that lived in the Dakota states alongside Tyrannosaurus Rex — is the only species on the top ten list that’s extinct. The dinosaur’s name comes from the location where the fossils were entombed, the prehistoric rocks of famous Hell Creek Formation.
An international panel of scientists picked the top ten new species from among around 18,000 discovered last year. State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) compiles the annual list to call attention to “how little we know about life on earth” and to promote efforts to protect rare species.
Rounding out the top ten new species are a plant that looks like coral, the X-Phyla, a bone-house wasp, a bromeliad plant, and a nine-inch long walking stick. Best estimates for the number of species yet to be discovered? Ten million!
(WATCH the video below or READ more from ESF)
Pufferfish circle photo by Yoji Okata
Young Grad Leaves Wall Street to Rescue Food For Those in Need
Robert Lee really, really hates to see food go to waste.
That’s why he left his finance job at J.P Morgan to rescue leftover food from various restaurants around New York City and deliver them to homeless shelters. Every day, Robert and a band of volunteers collect the bagels, deli items, and catered food many of us shake our heads at, knowing they’ll be tossed in the trash.
Over the past two years, Rescuing Leftover Cuisine has delivered 100,000 pounds of food to those in need by partnering with 50 food providers citywide.
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The 24-year-old son of Korean immigrants is no stranger to food insecurity himself.
“Since an early age we were moving around a lot. It was difficult even to get food sometimes,” he told CNN.
New York, it seems, is just the first stop; Lee has confirmed that the program is on it’s way to six other cities across the U.S. An app is also currently in the works, which may do for food donation deliveries what Uber has done for “people” deliveries.
For his work, Robert Lee last week was named a CNN Hero.
(Watch the video and READ the full interview at CNN)
Watch This Former Circus Lion Feel Grass Again After 13 Years
You can actually see this circus lion’s face light up the moment he knows he’s free.
This big cat named Will was freed from a tiny cage where he’d been housed for 13 years. When he stepped into the grassy enclosure at Brazil’s Rancho do Gnomos wildlife sanctuary, he kicked up a dust cloud, pawing at the ground and rolled around in the grass.
The sanctuary’s staff believe it was the first time the lion had ever felt grass under his paws.
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The video of Will’s release was shot in 2006, but the sanctuary just published it on Facebook this week.
The sanctuary’s founder Marco Pompeo says Will passed away from natural causes in 2011, but he had five great years of freedom — in the company of other lions — after he arrived at Ranco do Gnomos.
“He loved to lie in grass and look at the sky,” Pompeo told The Dodo. “He was a very happy lion.”
(WATCH the video below)
Story tip Denny Hall
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New Law Bans French Grocers From Throwing Out Leftover Food
France’s National Assembly this week voted on a new zero-waste policy that will require all supermarket chains to convert leftover food into animal feed, energy, or compost, or donate it to charity. Ultimately, the government hopes to slice food waste in half by the year 2025.
Until now, many chains have been dumping their food into bins and “bleaching” it so that nobody else can take it. Now, grocery stores will be expected to sign contracts with various charities in order to give that food new life.
The man who fought for this law, town councilman Arash Derambarsh, deserves much of the credit for its passing.
(READ more from The Guardian)
Photo by Franz Venhaus, CC
Karma Comes Back Around for Man Who Broke Religious Rule to Help Boy
One good deed has led to another for a man who broke a tenet of his religion to help a little boy hurt in an accident.
We told you earlier this week how, even though Sikhs are never supposed to take off their turbans in public, Harman Singh (right) removed his and used it to help an injured boy.
When a New Zealand television news crew interviewed Singh later in his apartment, they noticed his empty rooms held very little furniture.
The staff at the station, spurred by comments from viewers, contacted a local furniture store owner and together they surprised Singh with a reward for his kindness. They showed up with a new bed, sofa, chair and coffee table.
Through tears, Mr. Singh, whose father died last year, said, “This the biggest surprise of my life.”
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He said he knew his father would be proud of him, too.
(WATCH their video below or READ more at TVNZ) Photo: TVNZ video
The Future of Vaccines May be as Simple as Putting on a Band-Aid
Do you avoid getting shots in the arm because you’re afraid of needles? You may soon be able to get a vaccination as easily as slapping on a Band-Aid.
The microneedle patch is an adhesive bandage with up to 100 needles so small you can’t even feel them. Soaked in a mix of vaccine and sugar, you put it on and wear it for 15 to 20 minutes. When you take it off, you’re vaccinated against the flu, measles or rubella.
Its most compelling advantages would be for people in the developing world.
There’s no need for refrigeration to preserve the vaccine and no need to train someone how to use and properly dispose of needles. And people no longer have to travel miles to vaccination centers — health workers can easily go door-to-door to do their job.
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Georgia Tech University’s Mark Prausnitz came up with the idea and has been testing it in the lab. The Centers for Disease Control wants to start human trials in 2017 — and possibly use it to reaching its goal of eradicating measles and rubella by 2020.
(WATCH the video below) – Photos: Georgia Tech University video
Neighbors Step in When Insurance Company Says ‘No’ to 2-year-old Boy
Sometimes, it really does take a village.
Two-year-old Paxton McClung was born with cortical displaysia, a condition that results in epilepsy. He’s gone through several surgeries, but one piece of equipment called a “stander” is needed to further improve his mobility.
The trouble is, insurance companies won’t cover the cost of the $4,300 device.
Paxton’s mother called on the community to participate in a garage sale, and their neighbors obliged: together they raised $3,600 to purchase the stander, which will help stabilize Paxton’s joints, among other things.
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“It will help him build muscle in his legs and his abs so that he’ll be able to hopefully walk, and stand up and crawl and sit up and all the things we’ve been looking forward to,” Paxton’s mother told WSB-TV Atlanta.
The family also set up a fundraising page, where they have raised an additional $3,000, with many donations coming in from strangers, including one for $410, since this news report aired.
(WATCH the video below or READ the full story at WSB)
Story tip by Judy Ritchie
World’s First Blood Test To Diagnose Irritable Bowel Syndrome
A revolutionary breakthrough in healthcare was unveiled that could help millions of people to avoid years of invasive tests, unpredictable pain and misdiagnosis. New blood tests can now quickly and accurately diagnose one of the most common digestive disorders – one that until now, has been nearly impossible to diagnose.
Two simple tests, developed by gastroenterologist Dr. Mark Pimentel of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, finally gives doctors the ability to confirm whether a person actually has developed irritable bowel syndrome – a common disorder that includes bouts of relentless diarrhea, which plagues about ten percent of the world’s population and nearly 40 million Americans.
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“Most IBS patients have been told at one time or another that the disease was psychological, all in their head,” said Dr Pimentel. “The fact that we can now confirm the disease through their blood, not their head, is going to end a lot of the emotional suffering I have seen these patients endure.”
His nearly eight years of research centered around antibodies in the blood that had previously interacted with toxins during food poisoning.
(WATCH the video below or READ more at Daily Mail)
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Angry Birds App Helps Protect Real-Life Eggs of Endangered Species
Dozens of bird species across the South Pacific have been listed as endangered, or nearly so, after non-native rats began eating their eggs. The predators, having arrived on visiting boats, are threatening to wipe out entire bird populations.
This made Angry Birds’ creator, Rovio Entertainment, well…angry.
The popular mobile app swooped in to fight back with their latest installment, “Tropigal Paradise.” It features 26 levels of play, but more importantly raises awareness about — and money for — the endangered birds.
Rovio partnered with BirdLife International in a crowdfunding campaign to raise $150,000 that will pay for boats, bait-spreading helicopters and expert conservationists who will carefully vanquish the rats from the French Polynesian islands of Kamaka and Manui, protecting the eggs of two endangered bird species there.
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BirdLife International has already rescued 30 South Pacific bird species from extinction on islands in five countries.
With 10 days to go, there’s still time to help transform Angry Birds into happy birds and raise the money needed to meet their goal and score a win for the stunning real-life birds of French Polynesia.
And your contributions can earn you rewards — including digital artwork featuring cartoon versions of the real-life birds on the islands, a chance to name one of the characters in the new version of Angry Birds and a photo of a personalized thank-you note written in the sand of Kamaka Island.
(WATCH the video below and READ more at EcoWatch) – Images from BirdLife International
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New Railroad Rules Aim to Prevent Oil Tank Fires in Canada, US
If you’ve ever seen a mile-long freight train and wondered how safe those tank cars were, know this: they are about to get a lot safer.
After recent accidents caused oil tank cars to explode, officials realized it was time to update railroad regulations and give these old tanks an upgrade.
The U.S. and Canada have devised new standards, requiring tougher railroad cars for carrying flammable liquids, and a retrofit plan for the older ones.
Since 2008, the number of crude oil shipments by rail in North America has increased by 4,000 percent, but safety regulations were unchanged.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx says even a 99.9% safety record isn’t good enough. He said the U.S. and Canada “have to strive for perfection” in preventing all tank car crashes and fires.
(WATCH the video below and READ more at NBC News) Photo by Sam Beebe, Ecotrust – Story tip by Carilyn
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America’s Oldest Park Ranger Still Works at 93: ‘Life keeps opening up’
Back in the 1940s, Betty Soskin was a file clerk for a segregated boilermakers union. She waited until she was 85 to join the National Park Service.
Now, five days a week, the 93-year-old takes tourists through Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Park, telling her own personal World War II story and highlighting the historic role other women played supplying the war effort.
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“I tell the story of the African-American workers,” Soskin said in an Interior Department profile. “My job as a clerk in a Jim Crow union hall was a step up; the equivalent of today’s young woman of color being the first in her family to enter college.”
Her mother and great-grandmother both lived past 100, and Soskin has no plans to quit, as long as “life keeps opening up”.
(WATCH the inspiring video below, or READ more from the Dept of Interior) Photos by Dept of the Interior
By Putting Housing First, Utah Reduces Homeless Population by 91%
Utah has slashed chronic homelessness by 91 percent in the last ten years with a simple solution — give the homeless a home.
The turnaround in Utah means that only 178 people remain chronically homeless in the state — so few that Utah’s housing officials know them all by name.
The state adopted a policy called “Housing First” which calls for putting the homeless in housing before addressing the issues that caused their homelessness in the first place.
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Traditionally in social service sectors, homeless people are required to get a job, deal with substance abuse or treat mental health issues first before they can even be considered for housing.
Chronically homeless people are those who’ve been without a home for a full year or homeless three times in four years. They make up only about 10% of the homeless population, but account for about 50% of the costs associated with homelessness.
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It costs more than $19,000 a year to take care of someone living on the street, according to Deseret News, but less than $8,000 to house and help someone through the Housing First plan in Utah.
Since Utah’s dramatic success, other states, including Indiana, Hawaii and Washington state, are considering the model.
(WATCH the NBC News video below) – Photo by Jason Riedy, CC license
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Teen Once Declared Brain Dead Now Graduating From High School
Doctors had once counted her out, but next week, this teen will be walking alongside her graduating classmates to get her high school diploma.
Four years ago, 17-year-old Taylor Hale accidentally slid off a car hood and hit her head, hard, against the pavement.
Declaring her brain dead, doctors told her family she would certainly never wake up, claims her mother, Stacy Henningsen.
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But then something miraculous happened. Hours after the doctors began taking her off medications and life support, Henningsen said her daughter began breathing on her own. Her mother still reminisces about the incredible moment.
“I think about it quite often,” Hennsingsen told NBC News. “It’s definitely a miracle.”
Despite doctors’ uncertainty about Hale regaining her ability to walk, eat, and move, she persevered. Not only is she graduating on time, but also headed to college. She plans to become an event planner.
(WATCH video below or READ more at NBC News)
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This Man Put His Religious Rules Aside to Help An Injured Boy
Religious law states that a turban must always cover a Sikh’s head.
But when a devout follower, twenty-two-year-old Singh Harman, saw a five-year-old boy bleeding from the head at the scene of an accident, he had no reservations about uncovering his own so he could comfort the child.
“I wasn’t thinking about the turban. I was thinking about the accident and I just thought, ‘He needs something on his head because he’s bleeding.’ And I think anyone else would have done the same as me,” he said.
Harman recently reunited with young Daejon Pahia, and took photos while visiting him at an Auckland hospital. The boy’s family greeted him with flowers and a balloon, and showered him with thanks.
(READ more at The New Zealand Herald)
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Peter Dinklage and Coldplay Spoof ‘Game of Thrones’ for Kids Charity (WATCH)
One of the most popular characters on Game of Thrones has teamed up with British band Coldplay to create a musical skit mocking the HBO show as part of a star-studded charity event this week.
In a video teaser for Thursday night’s show, Peter Dinklage who plays the charming “imp,” Tyrion Lannister, sings about being one the few surviving original characters.
“Remember Ned Stark? He was a lot of fun, but he didn’t make it past season one,” Dinklage croons. “Robert Barathion was part of that crew, but he never made it to season two.” (see the video below)
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The pre-taped song is just one of several “Game of Thrones” tunes to be featured on the live 3-hour telethon airing on NBC May 21. Other cast members will perform alongside Coldplay–all in support of the British comic charity drive, Red Nose Day.
This event marks the first time Red Nose Day has officially raised money in a big way in the United States. Julia Roberts, Liam Neeson, Will Ferrell and Gwyneth Paltrow are performing for the show and might even wear the traditional red foam clown’s noses for which the charity is known. For 30 years, British comedians and entertainers have raised more than a billion dollars to lift children out of poverty.
You can also participate by buying red noses at Walgreens pharmacies for $1 each, with all proceeds going to children’s charities.
(WATCH the video below and READ the story from AP)
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Wealthy Couple Buys Search-and-Rescue Ship to Save Migrants at Sea
It’s not uncommon for wealthy couples to sail the Mediterranean in a yacht, but Chris and Regina Catrambone are cruising in a 130-foot ship outfitted especially to rescue migrants at sea.
Moved last summer by the loss of life among thousands of people fleeing North Africa to find a better life in Europe, the Catrambones decided to buy a search-and-rescue ship. The American husband and his Italian wife founded the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) and set out in their vessel – The Phoenix — along with a 20-person crew, and their daughter Maria Luisa, to save lives.
Two infrared camera-equipped drones (pictured at right) allow the crew to scan a nearly 70 mile radius around the ship looking for overcrowded migrant boats or people in distress.
Crew members use large rigid inflatable boats to take life jackets to migrants and bring them aboard their ship.
The Phoenix rescued more than 270 people on its first run last fall. In their first 60 days, the Catrambones and their crew saved 3,000 lives. The Phoenix redeployed just this month and has run the total up to 4,441.
As for where the emigrants go after rescue, MOAS says this on their website, “Our primary aim is to prevent loss of life, not to ferry migrants. However, if a situation arises where search and rescue authorities request MOAS to intervene, we will obey orders from start to finish. This includes disembarkation, the location of which will not be determined by MOAS but by the authorities, and according to the laws of the sea.”
(WATCH the video below and READ more at the BBC)
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This Fancy Old Lady Is Crushing it At the Gym
If you’re one of those people who needs a little extra motivation when it comes to dragging yourself to the gym, just take a look at this lady. Dressed to the nines and clearly well into her glory years, she is absolutely crushing it on that chest press.
When I spotted her at this gym in Astoria, New York, I was ten minutes away from my workout goal on the elliptical, thinking about quitting early.
I think it’s obvious that we all are, officially, out of excuses.
Cuban Cancer Vaccine Could Soon be Available in U.S.
A new cancer vaccine may soon be available to American lung cancer patients thanks to thawing relations between the U.S. and Cuba.
Cuba’s Center for Molecular Immunology created Cimavax to treat lung cancer patients. The vaccine targets epidermal growth factor (EGF), a natural hormone in the body that allows cancer cells to grow. By stopping EGF, the vaccine effectively keeps tumors from growing.
The vaccine is simple enough for a primary care doctor to administer.
The vaccine is a form of immunotherapy treatment — using the body’s own immune system to fight cancer — along the lines of a melanoma treatment Good News Network reported on last month.
Cimavax is only available in Cuba and Peru now, but the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York, has asked the Food and Drug Administration to let them study the drug for safety and side effects — opening the path for it’s use in the U.S.
(READ more from ABC News) – Photo by ZaldyImg, CC license