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Self-Taught Man Builds Amphibious Motor Home Able to Drive Into Lakes (WATCH)

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Nov 7, 2014

We don’t see flying cars yet, although they are in production, but you can own a fleet of fantastic vehicles that can drive right off the highway and into the water, thanks to a self-made mechanical genius named John Giljam.

An ideal portrait of the American story, Giljam grew up on a farm in upstate New York, but in ninth grade scored 98 on a college aptitude test for mechanical engineering. His father, Harold, was good at fabricating fixes for broken equipment, which sparked John’s interest in creative design. As farmers flocked to pay them, father and son went into business together.

The small welding and fabrication shop soon began building custom firetrucks and ambulances with special apparatus that John, as a volunteer fire fighter, would design and teach to the pros.

“I love the problem-solving,” John said in a telephone interview. “After enrolling in college, I quit after one semester because I was always teaching the professors.”

15 years ago, about a decade after his dad died, he started a new company — Cool Amphibious Manufacturing International (CAMI) — to build amphibious vehicles for the worldwide tourism trade. If you’ve ever been to the Charles River in Boston you’ve seen his vehicles used on the Super Ducks tours.

The South Carolina company, based near Hilton Head Island, has built 75 of these Hydra-Terra tour buses, which are currently whizzing down boat ramps in 17 countries.

taiwan-Hydra-Terra-CAMIphoto — Hydra-Terra in Taiwan

“The fun side is that my wife Julie and I get to go to all these countries. Tokyo was beautiful. We’ve been to Dubai three times; they bought a fleet of five.”

Ingeniously unparalleled, the Hydra-Terra is the only Coast Guard approved “T” Vessel in its class, according to the CAMI website. “It’s foam-filled compartments make it unsinkable even with the drain plugs removed and the full engine room flooded!”

But it was the couple’s luxurious motor home that won CAMI internet fame after an amazing video was posted on YouTube last year showing off their one-of-a-kind Terra Wind. (Watch the video above)

Luxuriously appointed teak and granite cover every inch of their RV that contains a full kitchen, full bath and queen bedroom.

Such a vehicle is for sale, costing upwards of $1.2 million, but after a decade, and two million hits on YouTube, they are still the only ones to own one.

CAMI has also designed an all-terrain search and rescue Amphibious Responder, for helping those in need. The Responder was built to give search and rescue crews a mobile ambulatory that can go over land and water in some of the toughest terrain imaginable.

John’s love of speed inspired him to design a beautiful sports car powered by a Corvette V8 engine, the Hydra Spyder, which can whip through small waves at 46 knots.

Always-Smiling Cashier in Need is Given $500 in Video Surprise

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Nov 7, 2014

California YouTuber Daniel Fernandez surprised a hard working clerk at a store, giving her $500 just for being cheerful and enthusiastic toward everyone she meets every day.

“Debi is the cashier at my convenience store,” wrote Fernandez on YouTube. “She continuously works double shifts with such a positive attitude that I decided to do this.”

In the video he pretends to be buying a greeting card for his girlfriend. When Debi opens it to read the message, five one hundred dollar bills spilled out.

She then notices the card is made out to her, and he explains, “Debi, every time I come in here, you’re always smiling… Every time you ask other people how they are.”

“You deserve this because you are awesome.”

WATCH the video below…

SHARE and SPREAD the Feeling, using the Buttons Below…

Piano Helps Siblings With Autism to Mature, Find Their Voices

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Nov 6, 2014

Justin Brown and his sister Serena didn’t benefit much from traditional therapies to help autistic children. But when they were 8 and 7 years-old, they met Rutgers University instructor Karen Kowalski who teaches piano to kids with special needs.

“I’ve seen my children mature and grow,” said Monica Brown of the alternative therapy. “They’re much more open and much more focused.”

Justin, who was previously mute, has found his voice through music: “I love how music is comforting, because there are some parts of the piece that are happy. That’s when I smile.”

“Piano brought my children back to me,” says the grateful mom from Somerset, New Jersey.

WATCH the video below from Rutgers News…

Florida Voters Approve Billions for Conservation Without Raising Taxes

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Nov 6, 2014

Florida voters have overwhelmingly passed a measure that designates billions of dollars to conservation efforts over the next 20 years, without raising taxes.

The Water and Land Conservation Amendment will funnel up to a billion dollars per year to preservation projects, by using 33 percent of the fees already collected on real estate transactions.

More than 4,000 volunteers worked to gather the 700,000 signatures needed to place Amendment 1 on the ballot Tuesday. It passed with 75% of voters approving.

“Passage of Amendment 1 is a historic victory for protection of Florida’s drinking water sources, the water quality of our rivers, lakes, and springs, and conservation of our state’s wildlife habitat, beaches, and natural areas,” read a statement by Florida’s Water and Land Legacy, a coalition of conservation and civic organizations, businesses, and concerned citizens who spearheaded the campaign. “Floridians overwhelmingly voted Yes on Amendment 1, clearly showing that Florida voters understand the importance of water and land conservation to our state’s environment and to its economy.”

About half of the money will fund Florida Forever, a conservation land purchasing program that saw its budget slashed by 97 percent since 2009.

“Our state leaders, who have been busy starving and dismantling environmental programs for years at the behest of corporate polluters, should take notice of this very clear message from the public they are elected to serve,” said David Guest of Earthjustice, a member of the coalition. “The public wants Florida’s environment protected.”

Florida legislators will now choose which water and land projects to fund, under provisions specified in the Amendment’s text.

(READ more in the Miami Herald)

Top Photo by vladeb (CC license)

US Military Help for Ebola Effort in Liberia Grows, Epidemic Slows

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Nov 6, 2014

Two new U.S. Ebola treatment facilities are opening in Liberia this week. One is a 25-bed field hospital near Monrovia’s airport, specifically to treat local health care workers who get infected. The other is a 100-bed Ebola treatment unit north of Monrovia.

Five more facilities are under construction, and work will begin on 12 more if health organizations provide personnel to run them.

Meanwhile, there were signs in October that the Ebola epidemic may be weakening in Liberia.

(READ the news from NPR)

Photo: US Army in Africa, Nov 4, 2014

There Are 100 Women in Congress for the First Time Ever

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Nov 5, 2014

US Capitol public domain

A major milestone was reached Tuesday night: For the first time in American history, the number of women sitting in Congress will hit triple digits.

(READ the story from Washington Post)

Tinkerbell The Dachshund Rescued Days After Mudslide Engulfs Home

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Nov 5, 2014

Two days after her owner’s home was engulfed in a massive mudslide and all hope was lost in the devastated neighborhood, a dachshund named Tinkerbell emerged alive.

Heavy rains on Halloween night in Ventura, California, triggered the mudslide that trapped Henry Needham waist-deep so that he had to be rescued by firefighters.

His home was a disaster but the worst part was his thought that the 5-year-old dachshund likely died in the torrent of earth.

When the dog was pulled out, there were dozens of neighbors, whose homes had also been ruined, “rooting and cheering,” the man told KTLA. “It was so fantastic, you cannot believe it.”

(WATCH the video or READ the story from KTLA-5)

Photo by a neighbor, Bill Pyles – Story tip from Joel Arellano

Harley-Davidson Mobilizes Bikers to Plant 50 Million Trees

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Nov 5, 2014

Dedicated to the goal of preserving the open road for future generations of riders, Harley-Davidson is mobilizing its riders worldwide to help plant 50 million trees by 2025. The initiative, called Renew the Ride and announced last week, is the latest global mission and call to action for Harley riders.

The Milwaukee-based motorcycle company is rallying its owners and dealers to dedicate time, donations and organizational efforts to help a new partner, The Nature Conservancy, reach the ambitious goal of its global Plant a Billion Trees program.

As part of this initiative, The Harley-Davidson Foundation has committed to contributing a series of annual grants totaling $550,000.

“A central part of motorcycling is experiencing the great outdoors; to see the world from behind the handlebars is unlike anything else,” said Mark-Hans Richer, the company’s chief marketing officer. “We are dedicated to preserving the open road for future generations of riders. Our partnership with The Nature Conservancy gives us an opportunity to mobilize our global community to help achieve this mission.”

The Nature Conservancy is a natural fit for Harley-Davidson since nearly one-third of U.S. Harley owners already belong to or support a conservation organization.

“They are an exceptional community that prides itself on banding together and supporting organizations like ours,” said Geof Rochester, managing director, The Nature Conservancy. “Harley-Davidson has made a major commitment to helping restore some of our planet’s most important places. We are grateful for their assistance and support as we expand the Plant a Billion Trees campaign to restore forests across the globe, one tree at a time.”

Since 2008, The Nature Conservancy’s Plant a Billion Trees program has reforested more than 14,000 acres of land and planted and restored more than 14 million trees in Brazil’s Atlantic Rainforest. The focus has been to restore the world’s most critical forests with special focus in Brazil, and the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in China and the United States.

To launch the partnership, Harley-Davidson riders and dealers planted 1,000 longleaf pine trees in South Quay, Virginia. Renew the Ride has immediate plans to plant 110,000 trees (approximately 200 acres) over the next few months.

The Harley-Davidson community is known for its prowess at local fundraising. Also, nationally it has raised more than $91 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association since 1980 and more than $1.3 million for breast cancer support organizations more recently.

Photos by Luc B (top, via CC license) and Harley-Davidson (bottom)

Entrepreneur, 13, Gets Intel Funding for Low-cost Braille Printer

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Good News Network

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Nov 5, 2014

At just 12 years old, a San Jose, California middle-schooler received funding last month from Intel Capital, the company’s venture capital arm, for his prototype low-cost Braille printer.

Shubham Banerjee , now 13, used legos to create a science project that would slash the cost of $2000 braille printers so that families or schools could educate blind children at a fraction of that cost — using materials currently costing $350.

Through his new company, Braigo Labs, Inc., the youngster offers the printer’s software in Open Source code and makes the design readily available for public consumption free of charge, so that potentially millions of people worldwide can use it and improve it.

Intel was so impressed with the idea that they decided to invest to bring a consumer oriented braille printer to market. The price point for Braigo 2.0 or its launch date cannot be disclosed, since development using Intel’s new Edison chip is still ongoing, but it has the capability of being used with batteries in remote locations of the world.

(READ the funding news from Reuters – WATCH a video and see the original story on GNN)

Story tip from Joel Arellano – Photo from Braigo Labs

Garden, Soil and God: Miss. Soldier’s Recipe for Nobel Nomination

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Good News Network

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Nov 4, 2014

Randy Sandifer’s boyhood hate for the garden eventually transformed into a love and passion for the environment.

“Sandifer joined the Army Reserves in December 2001 and deployed to Iraq after his sophomore year at the University of Mississippi,” reports Fox News.

He volunteered to work with the soil lab and the environmental team, cleaning up pollutants left by U.S. forces. It was his work testing hydrocarbon levels near the local water supply at Iraq’s notorious Abu Ghraib prison that got him nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

(READ the story from Fox News)

Story tip M. Vieira

US College Students Teach Girl Scouts in Syrian Refugee Camp

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Good News Network

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Nov 4, 2014

Will the next Silicon Valley be established by refugee girls in Amman?

A California college student from Silicon Valley helped to start two Girl Scout troops in the Zaatari Refugee camp this year, and will be sharing her skills with 20 Syrian refugees, ages 9-13, so they can earn their computer programming badges.

This summer, Ameera Naguib, who studies Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies at Santa Clara University, began an internship in Jordan with a business consulting company co-founded by Dr. Nadia Al-Alawi who had the idea to bring the Girl Scouts of the USA to refugee girls in Jordan.

It was during her internship that she discovered a grant opportunity through her university’s Center for Science, Technology, and Society to provide the girls with a credit-card sized computer, called the Raspberry Pi, which plugs into a TV and a keyboard.

As troop leader, along with Howlader Nashara from American University in DC, Ameera helped the girls get to know each other and plan the badges they wanted to earn throughout the year.

By the end of the semester, the girls will also learn first aid, self-defense, gardening and financial literacy. The goal is to empower them, as well as help them develop after their exposure to trauma.

Refugees anywhere are exposed to many dangers, which is why Dr Al-Alawi’s Collateral Repair Project is sponsoring more than 20 Girl Scouts and has devoted volunteer services aimed at securing a future for the girls who fled the Syrian civil war three years ago.

Writing help from Elijah Reynolds, SCU

Orphans Win Fishing Tournament, Bring $250,000 Home to Share

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Good News Network

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Nov 4, 2014

Orphans in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico were able to compete in the “World’s Richest Fishing Tournament” after a hurricane struck their area, putting the contest at risk, and a charity paid the hefty entrance fee for anyone who would hire struggling local captains for the event.

The orphans and their caregiver – none of whom had ever fished before – ended up winning the tournament with a prize of more than $250,000, which they are donating to the Casa Hogar orphanage they share with 42 boys.

The success of this year’s Bisbee’s Black & Blue Fishing Tournament looked bleak in the wake of Hurricane Odile, which followed a path of destruction through host city Cabo San Lucas six weeks ago. But a combination of local determination, charitable help from Dallas-based Bisbee’s Fish & Wildlife Conservation Fund, and even some Divine Intervention, made it the most successful Bisbee’s in recent years.

Any other year, the orphanage’s David & Goliath underdogs would not have had the opportunity to fish the tournament due to the prohibitive entry fee. This year, however, Bisbee’s Fish & Wildlife Conservation Fund’s “Cabo Relief Fund” introduced the “Bisbee Cabo Charter Hook-up” as a way to stimulate the economy by putting local charter captains – a group in post-hurricane peril – back to work. An anonymous donor pledged to pay the entry fee through the fund to any team that agreed to hire a local boat. Dozens of the 127 competing teams took advantage of the program entering the contest for the first time.

This wasn’t the only initiative spearheaded by Bisbee’s Cabo Relief Fund, which raised more than $750,000 for food, charter boat repair, and temporary homes to those in need.

2,000 clean water systems were installed, each providing potable water up to 100 people per day for five years, distributed through Waves for Water
15 homes were built, and more will be over the coming months
Local charter boats were repaired
Several tons of food were distributed

“In all honesty, up until a couple weeks ago I thought we were going to rally whoever was here at the time, throw some money in a hat and just go fishing to keep the tournament streak going,” said Tournament Director and Fund Founder Wayne Bisbee. “But thanks to all our fantastic anglers and sponsors, somehow we pulled it off and the results are just insane. We helped put a lot of people back to work, caught some good fish and even gave away $2.1 million in prizes and we’re definitely leaving Cabo in better shape than we found it.”

(Source: Bisbees.com) – Story tip Adam Weinbrom

Town Rallies Around Vandalized Cold Lake Mosque

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Good News Network

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Nov 3, 2014

Heart hands graffiti-Flickr-CC-id-iom-700px

When Mahmoud Elkadri arrived at the mosque in Cold Lake, Alberta, early Friday morning for prayers, he found the words “Go home” and “Canada” spray painted across the front of the building.

“This is our home. My kids have been born and raised in Cold Lake,” Elkadri, who is one of the mosque’s board members, told CBC news. “I have been in Cold Lake since 1996.”

The town made sure the story didn’t end there. Later that morning, dozens of people from the town showed up to help repair the damage, which included two broken windows.

The Muslim Association of Canada thanked the friends and neighbors from Cold Lake.

“Today, we received an overwhelming and heart-felt response of support from friends across the community who assisted in a clean-up following an overnight incident at the local Mosque. We are extremely grateful for that support. It is a reminder of the great country we live in and the values that we as Canadians hold dearly.”

(READ the story and watch a video from the CBC)

Photo by Rotary District 9685 (CC license) – Story tip from Vandana

Afghan Women Dare to Cycle, With Eyes Toward Olympics

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Good News Network

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Nov 3, 2014

Not yet 5am, a small pack of women savor the peace six mornings a week, before the men appear on Kabul’s streets to hurl insults at them for breaking the gender barrier of acceptable female activity.

“These girls are challenging a big taboo in Afghanistan, riding a bicycle,” said Shannon Galpin, an American who is helping to train the team and, through her tiny charity Mountain2Mountain, has drummed up hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment, sponsorship, travel money and publicity.

Their coach, Abdul Sadiq, who, for years was the country’s only professional cyclist, has been trying to get Afghan women on bikes for decades.

(READ the story, w/ photos, from the Guardian)

Photo via Mountain2Mountain by Deni Bechard on instagram

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