Brian Jarvis sent in this adorable video of a man scrubbing his dog in a tub.
The golden retriever should be the poster boy of how to relax in a tub!
Dog Rescued After 10 Days on High Sea Cliff Ledge (Video)
Funded by charitable donations, the lifeboat crews and lifeguards of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution have saved at least 140,000 lives at sea since 1824.
A week ago, an RNLI crew spotted a sheep on some of England’s highest sea cliffs. Just as they were wondering how it got there, a dog’s head popped up.
A springer spaniel had been stranded for days 30 feet above the water on a rocky cliff just below Foreland Light House in North Devon. The dog ‘Sprigg’ who had been missing more than a week was stuck on such a narrow ledge, he could turn around.
He had been the subject of a major search by his owners, Mark and Susie Sanders, from Wheddon Cross, near Minehead. They and their family had organized search parties and scoured the area around Foreland Point after the dog disappeared during a walk there. They had plastered the area with posters appealing for any sightings while local fishing boats and an animal ambulance team from North Devon had checked along the shoreline.
“I just could not believe it when we had a call to say the lifeboat crew had spotted him and rescued him,” said Mrs Sanders. “It’s amazing: the best news ever. Bless them.”
(WATCH the video below from RNLI)
Photo credit: RNLI
U.S. to Allow Pharmacies to Take Back Unused Prescription Drugs
Until now, U.S. laws have required patients or relatives of loved ones who had leftover prescription drugs in the home to dispose of them in the toilet or trash — the toilet being a terrible method because of our water supply and watershed pollution concerns.
Now, a new Drug Enforcement Agency regulation will allow pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, and other authorized collectors to serve as authorized drop-off sites for unused prescription drugs, reports KTVU.
Under the new policy, long-term care facilities will also be able to collect controlled substances turned in by residents of those facilities.
Prescription drug users will also have permission to directly mail in their unused medications to authorized collectors.
(READ the story from KTVU)
Photo by Charles Williams, CC license
Young Siblings 8 and 10 Help Save Man Who Crashed into Creek
“Keila and Aidan Avila’s desire to pedal just a little bit faster than their father and cousin may have saved a cyclist’s life Friday at Salem Creek,” reports a North Carolina newspaper.
Had the kids not been racing ahead of their father and cousin, they would not have seen a young man of 20 vault through the air, and crash down a steep embankment into Salem Creek, out of sight from the path.
The man may not have been discovered.
(READ the story, with photo, from the Winston-Salem Journal)
Photo by Ian Sane (CC license) – Story tip from Kelly Harrington
After 10 Years in Tiny Cage, Fed Junk Food, Monkey Tastes Freedom
Because of lax exotic animal–protection laws, Maggie the macaque became a pet monkey for a family who wasn’t equipped to care for her. So for 10 years, Maggie was confined to a cramped cage and fed french fries and other junk food. After the initial thrill wore off, they tried to find other living arrangements for Maggie, without success. Finally, when the Indiana woman’s homeowners insurance company threatened to cancel her policy, she became desperate to place Maggie in a better home.
Maggie has made huge progress and was sent to her permanent home at the Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation sanctuary in Kendalia, Texas. Once she becomes better acclimated, she’ll be introduced to the other residents there—and for the first time since she was torn away from her mother’s side more than a decade ago, she’ll get to meet other monkeys face to face. She’ll enjoy fresh and healthy food, climb trees, swim in a pool, interact with her new friends, and finally get to be a monkey.
(READ more at the PETA blog)
Photos by PETA.org
Strangers, Friends Donate Sick Days to Calif. Teacher Battling Cancer
Carol Clark, a sixth-grade teacher who was diagnosed with cancer last year, was forced to use all of her sick and vacation days for treatment.
In 2014 she needed to take more days off for additional tests and treatment. So, using a little-known L.A. School District plan called Catastrophic Illness Donation Program, her husband Dave Clark rallied co-workers to donate their own sick days.
Generous teachers, as well as other county workers, who didn’t even know the Clarks joined the effort and gave up a total of 154 days to aid her in recovery – almost an entire school year.
“It’s people I’ve never seen giving us five days, 10 days,” an astonished Dave Clark told the Times.
23 of Los Angeles’s 30,000 teachers were able to take advantage of donated sick days, thanks to the program.
(WATCH the video below or READ the story from KABC-7 and the LA Times)
Story tip from Tonya Brown Wright
Calif. Earthquake Shakes Loose Water, Parched Creeks Flowing Again
In a parched canyon where creeks were just sand and rock two weeks ago, water is now flowing.
Geologists were surprised to discover the California earthquake in Napa Valley August 24 apparently shook loose impediments to a supply of ground water, which is now trickling freely down several streams.
Three creeks in Sonoma Valley and two more in Napa and Solano counties have dramatically increased water flows since the Aug. 24 earthquake, according to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
(WATCH the CBS/KPIX video below or READ the story from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat)
Photo by David Welch (CC license) – Story tip from Mike McGinley
Phoenix Police Officer Rebuilds Woman’s Home After Finding it in Shambles
On August 17, Officer Glenn Branham responded to a routine burglary call and found that the copper water pipes had been stolen and the house was in shambles. Thieves had ransacked the house, stealing everything of value over the course of several months.
Because Linda Tims had no money or friends that could help to repair the damage, the officer, who had owned a construction company before joining the Phoenix Police Department, stepped up — along with all his friends — in a big way.
Thus far, all the supplies have been donated or paid for by Officer Branham, who has been renovating on his days off.
Branham initially wanted no media attention, but his boss thought the story was too inspiring not to share.
Ms. Tims told ABC-15 News that Branham was her “genie in a bottle” and her “angel” sent to perform miracles.
Channel 15 contacted America’s Best Furniture, which donated a $1,500 gift card and the City of Phoenix Neighborhood Services has agreed to help finish the house.
(WATCH the video below from ABC-15) – Story tip from Tonya Brown Wright
Renovation photos from the Phoenix Police Facebook Page
Adorable Moment Deaf Baby Hears for First Time (WATCH)
Lachlan Lever was just seven-weeks-old when doctors fitted his ear with a hearing aid. Without the device he would never have heard his parents’ voices.
From tears to smiles, this video captured the magical moment when he could hear for the first time.
The video was recorded two years ago in Australia but father Toby just added it to YouTube recently, where it has tallied millions of views.
(WATCH the video below from YouTube)
100 Dentist Chairs Fill Gym on “Mission of Mercy”
A thousand people streamed into the University of Maryland’s gymnasium yesterday where a “Mission of Mercy” began dispensing a million dollars worth of free dental care.
800 dentists and hygienists are volunteering their time during the two-day mobile dental clinic to serve uninsured adults.
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of DC organized the event along with the Maryland School of Public Health to provide cleanings, fillings, extractions, root canals and oral hygiene education.
See more photos from the Archdiocese of Washington Facebook Page
(READ the story or watch a video from WJLA-TV)
Help for a Single Mom Comes From Friends, Pixie Dust and Kindness of Strangers
On July 28th, 2014, Jennifer Hughes and her daughter, Dakotah, we’re driving back home to Lakeland, Florida after attending a charity fundraiser in New Jersey when a semi collided with a metal box on I-95 and sent the object flying into Jennifer’s van. She and Dakotah were thankfully unharmed, but the van suffered major damages. Now Jennifer is in need of a new van, so with the help of friends and family across the country, she is trying to to make this happen.
A few weeks ago, a car wash was set up in Lakeland to help raise money for the campaign. Despite the typical Florida storm that rolled through that day, the car wash saw some business and they were able to raise a few hundred dollars. Then, late in September, Jennifer set up a tent outside popular Lakeland wing joint Mojo’s on Biker Night hoping to collect some donations from big-hearted bikers. One person challenged others on Facebook to participate in the Substitute Plan, where participants find one treat a week that they enjoy – be it a coffee, trip to the drive-thru, etc – then to go without it for one day and instead donate that dollar amount to the cause.
Inspired by this, Jennifer is putting $6 in the fund whenever she gets a case of Diet Coke for herself. In addition, she is planning a scrapbook sale and will be helping out with a friend’s Jamberry Nails party, where the commission will go directly to the wheelchair fund.
“I don’t want anyone to think that I’m just sitting around waiting for funding on gofundme. I’m doing as much as I can on the ground here,” says this hard working mom, who does everything she can to ensure that Dakotah’s quality of life can be the very best. This includes being able to transport her to doctor’s appointments as well as getting her out in the world safely.
In just under a month the campaign has raised just over 10% of its goal. The campaign link has been shared by thousands of people across the country, from Florida to California and in between, including a professional skater, and various Facebook groups who all support Jennifer and Dakotah and want to see them get the safe wheelchair van they so desperately need. Several people have embraced the Substitute Plan, others have donated multiple times. One Facebook group full of Walt Disney World enthusiasts who form the Pixie Patrol have taken to sprinkling virtual pixie dust as they make their donations. To help spread the word further, a Thunderclap has been scheduled for September 14th.
The response has been overwhelming for Jennifer, who expressed her gratitude on the gofundme campaign’s page by posting, “I can’t believe how much this has grown, and I have special people to thank for that!”
More information about Jennifer and Dakotah’s fundraising can be found at GoFundMe
Photo by Nathaniel White
The Largest Animal on Earth Bounces Back From Extinction
Placed on the endangered species list in 1966, the largest animals on Earth are making a comeback, from the equator all the way up to the Gulf of Alaska.
Nearly hunted to extinction in the last century, the population of California blue whales, estimated to number around 2200, is now almost as high as it was in the early 1900s—a recovery being hailed as a conservation success story.
(READ more from the BBC)
Story tip from Joel Arellano
21 Fish You Can Now Eat Guilt-Free in Dramatic Turnaround for Fisheries
Seafood Watch has upgraded 21 species from ‘avoid’ to ‘best choice’ or ‘good alternative,’ including crab, lobster, Pacific cod, grouper and several rockfish species.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation announced on Tuesday a dramatic turnaround for West Coast fisheries, after just 14 years of federal fishery management to restore these economically important fisheries in California, Oregon and Washington.
“This is one of the great success stories about ecological and economic recovery of a commercially important fishery,” said Margaret Spring, vice president of conservation and science for the Monterey Bay Aquarium. “A huge part of the turnaround is reliance on science-based conservation and management practices that Congress endorsed in its 2006 update of U.S. fishery law.”
In June, the global Marine Stewardship Council certified 13 of the trawl-caught groundfish species as coming from a sustainable and well-managed fishery.
“Not long ago many of these species were in collapse,” said Tim Fitzgerald, who manages the sustainable seafood program for the Environmental Defense Fund – one of the organizations that worked with fishermen and fisheries managers on the turnaround. “Thanks to smarter fishing regulations and fishermen’s commitment to conservation, consumers and seafood businesses can now add West Coast groundfish to their list of sustainable choices.”
Frank Lockhart, who led the West Coast groundfish recovery effort for NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries division, pointed out, “Not only has it reduced impacts on the species we need to protect, but it has allowed fishermen increased flexibility to fish more effectively for the species they want – benefiting industry, fishing communities and seafood consumers.”
(READ the report from The Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation)
NFL Team Re-Signs Player to Help Pay for Daughter’s Cancer Treatment
A Cincinnati Bengals player who was cut from the team after not giving 100 percent on the field had a good reason for being distracted. Devon Still’s daughter, 4-year-old Leah, was diagnosed with stage 4 pediatric cancer in June.
But the defensive tackle learned Saturday that the Bengals decided to re-sign Still to their practice squad, allowing him to earn the funds and medical insurance he needs to pay for his daughter’s treatment.
(READ the story from WGGB – Watch a video that starts playing immediately from ABC)
Photo via Still’s Instagram – Story tip from Stacey Evans
Walmart Put Wind Turbines Atop Light Poles
Big Companies, Big Renewable Investments
24 global companies on the Fortune 100 list are realizing the many benefits of renewable energy. They are saving big money while building reputations for fighting climate change and supporting environmental sustainability.
Tech companies like Apple and Google are leading the way, but firms in traditional fields are also stepping up to the challenge: Walmart to Whole Foods, Hilton to Hewlett-Packard, Johnson & Johnson to Sprint – big firms are implementing big plans for wind energy, solar power, energy efficiency.
Walmart-owned Sam’s Club was the first retailer in the U.S. to mount wind turbines on parking lot light poles to support the energy needs of its store (pictured above, in Palmdale, California in 2010).
(READ more from Renewable Energy World)
Photo of the Day – Tess and Ryan Love Good News
Tess and Ryan sent in this photo, saying they LOVE GOOD NEWS!
Thanks, guys! Maybe you will be able to come to our 17th Anniversary Meet and Greet in Chicago on September 28.
Interested in joining us? Get details on my blog.
Man Celebrates Birthday Every Year Giving Away Money on Street Corner
A North Carolina man spent his 59th birthday standing on the corner at a busy intersection in Winston-Salem giving out a wad of $5 bills.
This is the third year Bob Blackley has held up a sign to cars on September 4 offering money — this time giving away $800 to 160 people.
It’s a big surprise to drivers because it looks like the clean-shaven man is begging for money, holding a cardboard sign. Get a little closer and the sign reads: I HAVE a HOME, I HAVE a JOB, COULD YOU USE an EXTRA $5.00?
Many people think they have enough money and tell him to give to someone who needs it more.
(READ the story w/ photo from Fox-8) – Story tip from Kelly Harrington
RELATED: Reverse Begging: Oklahoma Man Gives Away Money at Intersection (Video)
Photo: An Oklahoma man, Doug Eaton, gives away money in 2012
U.S. Agency Pledges Nearly $100 Million in Ebola Aid
“The U.S. Agency for International Development said it will spend nearly $100 million in aid for the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, in what is believed to be one of the largest donations yet to combat an escalating humanitarian crisis,” reports the Associated Press.
The money will pay for shipments of protective suits for doctors, chlorine bleach, and other resources to combat the outbreak in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea
(READ the AP article via the Wall Street Journal)
Bronx School Teacher’s Dream Helps 4,400 Poor Kids Get to College
Concerned about the wide achievement gap that affects children of color, a South Bronx school teacher, Gary Simons, with the support of Columbia University’s Teachers College, made it his mission to help ensure that young lives are no longer predetermined by the zip code in which they live.
He launched Prep for Prep in 1978, an organization that has prepared more than 4,400 students in New York City to study law, medicine and business at prestigious schools like Yale, Brown, Oxford and New York University.
(READ the “Making a Difference” story from CS Monitor)