Since 1985, U.S. college costs have surged by almost 500 percent. Yet Germany’s universities are now tuition-free.
The German government fully funds not only the education of its own citizens, but foreigners as well, with some programs in English.
Other countries do the same. The Washington Post looked at the surprising — and very cheap — alternatives to pricey American college degrees.
(READ the story from the Washington Post)
Photo credit: CollegeDegrees360 (CC license)
A homeless cat named Masha has become a neighborhood hero after she kept warm a baby boy who was dropped off in an apartment building hallway amid frigid Russia temperatures.
The baby, estimated to be 2-3 months old, was left in Masha’s cardboard box, and the feline was only too happy to snuggle for several hours until daybreak when he began meowing loudly to alert neighbors in the city of Obninsk.
When the baby, who was later deemed fit and healthy, was carried to the ambulance, neighbors say Masha “followed him and pitifully meowed and tried to jump into the ambulance to follow the boy.”
The mama cat then “sat for hours on the road waiting for the car to return and bring him back, neighbors said.”
One local resident told Central European News, “We have all spoiled her rotten by giving her her favorite food.”
(WATCH the video above or READ the story from RT News)
A hero Muslim employee from Mali who helped hide hostages in a walk-in refrigerator at a Jewish supermarket during last week’s Paris attacks will be awarded French nationality in a ceremony on Tuesday.
Lassana Bathily has lived in France since 2006 and applied for French nationality last year.
Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, who applauded Bathily’s “act of bravery,” will lead the naturalization ceremony after more than 300,000 people signed an online petition calling for Bathily to be made a citizen.
(WATCH the video above or READ the story from France 24)
A taxi driver in Philadelphia was “shocked and overjoyed” when he received a $989.98 tip on a $4.31 fare 12 days before Christmas.
Taxi driver Oumar Maiga, who always has a smile on his face, was working the late shift for Freedom Taxi service when the generous passenger flagged down his cab for a quick two-minute ride. He asked how Maiga was doing and if he was having a rough night. Mr. Maiga responded that things were OK but the night was a little hectic. After that, the man told him that he would “take care of him” when they arrived at the destination.
When Maiga saw the tip he asked repeatedly if he realized how much he had tipped. The mystery rider told Mr. Maiga that he appreciated how professional he and his cab were.
AFP reported that the driver looked at the tip and said, “Sir, I think you made a mistake.” But he replied, “That’s what I want to give you, I know what I did.”
Freedom Taxi owner Everett Abitbol said the tip “couldn’t have happened to a nicer man,” adding that Maiga had been with the company since it opened in 2011.
“More than 300 mayors have vowed to end military veteran homelessness by the end of 2015. New Orleans celebrated the new year by becoming the first city to do so,” reports the CS Monitor.
On Jan. 2, social workers moved the city’s last known homeless veteran into his new apartment – becoming the first US city to effectively eliminate veteran homelessness. In total, the city has placed 227 veterans in housing since the start of 2014.
The New Orleans model is being hailed by cities around the country who want to end homelessness, not just for veterans, but for anyone needing a permanent home.
Here’s How 11 New Orleans Veterans Got Homes in Time for Holidays
(READ the story from CS Monitor)
Photo courtesy of UNITY of Greater New Orleans – Story tip from Kim Campbell
It doesn’t have to be a sunny day to enjoy NYC’s Central Park. It’s a neat place even on a grey Winter day…
“The great Big City can never spoil
The Dreams of a Boy and Goil,
We’ll turn Manhattan
Into an Isle of Joy!!”
– from the Rodgers-Hart song, ” I’ll Take Manhattan”
(WATCH the video below)
The HIV-1 virus has proved to be tenacious, inserting its genome permanently into its victims’ DNA, forcing patients to take a lifelong drug regimen to control the virus and prevent a fresh attack. In 2014, a team of Temple University School of Medicine researchers designed a way to snip out the HIV-1 genes for good.
The team created molecular tools to permanently delete the HIV-1 from DNA. From there, the cell’s gene repair machinery takes over, soldering the loose ends of the genome back together – resulting in virus-free cells.
“This is one important step on the path toward a permanent cure for AIDS,” said Kamel Khalili, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience at Temple.
Dr. Khalili and his colleague, Wenhui Hu, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Neuroscience at Temple, led the work which marks the first successful attempt to eliminate latent HIV-1 virus from human cells.
The research shows that these molecular tools also hold promise as a therapeutic vaccine; cells armed with the nuclease-RNA combination proved impervious to HIV infection.
The HIV-1 eradication approach faces several significant challenges before the technique is ready for patients, Dr. Khalili said. The researchers must devise a method to deliver the therapeutic agent to every single infected cell. Finally, because HIV-1 is prone to mutations, treatment may need to be individualized for each patient’s unique viral sequences.
The research was published July 21, 2014 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
(WATCH the video below or LEARN more from Temple University News) Story tip from Joel Arellano
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The principal of a school in Harrison County, Indiana, outside of Louisville, KY, where 75 percent of students live below the poverty line, realized her students were so poor that most didn’t have decent shoes.
So, in December, Nissa Ellett decided to hold a fundraiser. She wrote letters to community leaders and parents asking for donations.
Money and notes of support poured in from all over the country, doubling the amount she hoped to raise — enough to buy each child not only shoes, but winter boots with hats and gloves, too.
(WATCH the video below or READ the story from WDRB)
wave3.com-Louisville News, Weather
MULTIPLY the Good with the Buttons below… (Story tip from Kelly Harrington)
Firefighters from FDNY Rescue 1 were practicing water rescues in Central Park Saturday afternoon when a man appeared in the middle of the lake, fell through the ice, and disappeared.
Firefighters hollered to the man to get off the ice because it was too thin, but it was too late.
Luck was on his side, because the team moved together just like in the training videos.
(READ the full story from CBS New York)
Photo: January in Central Park by Gigi_NYC (CC license)
Enlistment has been brisk for 7-Eleven’s first franchise giveaway contest offered exclusively to U.S. military veterans. With the Jan. 25 deadline less than two weeks away, more than 1,200 veterans have successfully applied for the corporate give-away called, “Operation: Take Command.”
The winner will receive a waiver of the franchise fee, valued at up to $190,000, for any of the company’s 7-Eleven convenience stores available in the continental U.S. at the time the contest ends. Interested veterans, who are first-time 7-Eleven franchise applicants, can enter online at www.VeteransFranchiseGiveaway.com through Jan. 25. The winner will be announced in April.
“Not only have we received a high number of applications, but also high-caliber candidates that I think would make great franchisees for 7-Eleven,” said Greg Franks, vice president of the company’s Franchise Systems. “From our veterans, I would expect nothing less.”
Besides their military experience, many of the veterans who have applied have earned college degrees and possess business, retail and management skills.
Many vets are naturals for business:
“We have already had veterans who are so enthusiastic to start their own business, they don’t want to even wait to see whether they win,” Franks said. “They are already going through the 7-Eleven franchising process to select and open a store. And in the true military tradition of selfless service, some have said they want to give up their chance at winning to a vet who might need the franchise fee waiver more than themselves.”
To qualify for the Operation: Take Command franchise giveaway, an entrant must be over the age of 21, a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, an honorably discharged veteran, have excellent credit and at least three years of leadership, retail or restaurant experience. Contestants will go through the same qualification process as all 7-Eleven franchise applicants including interviews, credit evaluation, a leadership test, preparing a business plan and budget, and location preferences.
Top Photo: 7-Eleven franchisee, veteran Charles Williams, Copperas Cove, TX
A teen, who was hand-cuffed at the time, will be honored next week for saving the life of the Fort Lauderdale policeman who had arrested him.
On September 10, 2014, Officer Franklin Foulks was alone with Jamal Rutledge in a holding area filling out paperwork, when he suddenly collapsed. According to a police statement, the defendant “immediately began to kick the security fence and yell to alert officers in the area.”
When other officers heard the teen, they found Officer Foulks lying on the ground clenching his chest and notified rescue services before using CPR and a defibrillator to keep him alive.
According to the Fort Lauderdale police department, Rutledge was being booked on a violation of juvenile probation. The teen and the three Fort Lauderdale police officers will be commended at a ceremony next Wednesday. (WATCH the surveillance video below)
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A 12-year-old from Yukon, Oklahoma, who was stuck at home ill before Christmas decided to write letters to the owners of all 32 NFL teams, asking them which team he should pledge to support. Cade had no team allegiances, until he got a hand-written note back from one of them.
His mom was shocked and delighted when a package came in the mail from the owner of the Carolina Panthers, who has undoubtedly made a fan for life.
The team’s owner, Jerry Richardson wrote, “We would be honored if our Carolina Panthers became your team. We would make you proud by the classy way we would represent you.”
He also sent an autographed helmet, but it was the note that most impressed the young sixth grade athlete, who is now a new Panthers fan.
(WATCH the video below, or READ the story from ABC)
Photo credits: Heather Pope
A report in the Philadelphia Inquirer in November featured a school in Germantown that didn’t have any extra money in their budget to even buy all the paper they would need.
At first, readers responded by sending in reams of paper to Lingelbach Elementary. But then thousands of dollars in donations started arriving — enough to update books in their library and provide supplies to every teacher.
The school, which is 88% black with 56% of students receiving reduced lunches, received a surprise truckload of educational materials and office supplies sent from the Springfield School District in Montgomery County.
Most notably, one anonymous angel gave the school $100,000, a sum that should buy Google Chromebooks for each of the school’s 420 students, kindergarten through eighth grade.
“I was stunned by the outpouring of love,” said principal Marc Gosselin about the donations that poured in from around the country.
(READ the story at Philly.com)
Photo via greatphillyschools.org
Brittney Husbyn had already practiced walking down the aisle with her fiancé Briggs Fussy, but it was 20 years earlier.
The Minnesota man remembers the feisty little girl who couldn’t stand in one place during the wedding of his Godmother in 1995.
But he married her this weekend decades after they served as ring bearer and flower girl as children.
The couple, who didn’t know each other as juniors in high school, started dating, after Brittney recognized his name. Their families, especially the Godmother, who now claims credit for their marriage, were delighted. Each had a picture of them as 3-year-olds hung on their wall or tucked in a photo album.
(WATCH the video from KMSP in Minnesota, or READ the story in the NY Daily News)
Wedding photo by Alix Rae Photography, via Facebook
Benedict Cumberbatch surprised everyone when he photobombed Meryl Streep during the broadcast at Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards.
It was during a comedy bit when Tina Fey asked Michael Keaton to take a picture on his phone of Streep in the audience posing with Margaret Cho, who played the role of a North Korean entertainment reporter.
Suddenly the tall, lanky nominee, Cumberbatch, leaped up in the background, adding to the fun.
(WATCH the video below)
A hilarious short clip shows a chihuahua walking in a Superman costume!
(WATCH the video above)
A little boy dreamed up an idea for his seventh birthday party — a charitable activity which has now captured the imagination of the entire city of Greensboro, North Carolina.
August Spitz wanted to help folks who were homeless, and he LOVED building blanket forts. His mom, Gwen, got permission to use a large space at Glenwood Coffee and Books while August asked his friends to bring blankets to help him build a giant fort. After the party was over, the 64 blankets were washed and donated to a local nonprofit that helps the homeless. But the idea didn’t stop there.
She organized an event on Sunday called “The World’s Largest (in Greensboro) Blanket Fort.”
“The kids had so much fun,” Kathleen Edwards, Director of Programs at the Interactive Resource Center, told the Good News Network. “We operate an emergency shelter and warming center whenever the temperatures drop, and this month we can really use the added blankets.”
‘Auggie’ Spitz, now 8, joined with children from 127 other families for the massive fort-building fun, during which 259 blankets were collected.
The adults strung colorful ropes around the room, and the kids used tables and chairs and clothes pins to make the tunnels and rooms.
“Tomorrow morning — in the same room the fort was built in — roughly 220 men and women, and even some children, will come to use IRC services,” said Gwen. “It will be with great pride that we can tell them that the community came together in this phenomenal way to help.”
(SEE more photos of August Spitz and the blanket fort in the News and Record)
Photos courtesy of the IRC Facebook page – Story tip from Kelly Harrington
The owner of Inkslinger’s Tattoo Shop in Billerica, Massachusetts has quietly become an inspiration to his community.
Billy Pfaff’s shop is often filled with donations he has collected for the homeless — coats, blankets, sleeping bags, tents and gift cards. He personally delivers them to shelters or directly to people on the streets.
Why does he care?
In 2010 he was in their shoes –- living on the streets, and taking drugs — but now it is not unusual for him to invite homeless people and addicts to sleep on the floor of his shop or at his house until they are able to get back on their feet. During the holiday he provided meals and gifts for 14 families in three different shelters.
Now in his fourth year as a successful tattoo artist he shares his proceeds and spreads his motto, ‘Pay it Forward’, on the sleeves of Inkslinger sweatshirts that he gives away and sells. In 2013, he gave away more than $13,600 worth of cash and items to people in need.
His Facebook group has thousands of followers who donate to his mission of helping the homeless. His latest crusade is to raise awareness and legislative action to address the deadly problem of heroin in his state.
(READ the story from Wicked Local)
Photos from Billy’s Facebook page
In November, more than 300 LED lights were illuminated by a Dutch company that makes electricity from harnessing the power of living plants.
This was the first commercial installation for Plant-e, a company that also sells mobile chargers, and rooftop electricity modules fueled by the byproduct of photosynthesis in plants.
Plant-e’s co-founder and CEO, Marjolein Helder, believes that this technology could be revolutionary, especially if implemented on a larger scale. Capturing the energy in wetlands and rice paddies could bring power to some of the world’s poorest places.
Here’s how Plant-e says it works:
Via photosynthesis a plant produces organic matter. Part of this organic matter is used for plant-growth, but a large part can’t be used by the plant and is excreted into the soil via the roots. Around the roots naturally occurring micro-organisms break down the organic compounds to gain energy from. In this process, electrons are released as a waste product. By providing an electrode for the micro-organisms to donate their electrons to, the electrons can be harvested as electricity. Research has shown that plant-growth isn’t compromised by harvesting electricity, so plants keep on growing while electricity is concurrently produced.
(READ more in Yes magazine)
No matter this man’s back story, we just loved this photo
On Christmas Eve in Worcester, Massachusetts, Thomas Joseph Bennett told a reporter “I just want to say, ‘Thank you.'”
A former addict and criminal, he was out on the street holding up a different kind of panhandling sign, and thanking those who’ve helped him in the past:
“My miracle is you. I got a job. To the people who felt my pain, Thank You! My love and respect to u all.”
