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Company Gives Free Storage to Active Duty Military

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Photo via Facebook

A company in Kewanee, Illinois waived the storage fees for a soldier who needed to store his Harley while in the military.

The company policy of Reiman’s Harley-Davidson is to offer free motorcycle storage for all active duty military.

Ontario Students Counter Anti-Immigration Flyer with Positive Message

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Anti-immigration flyer – photo by Nicholas Keung

In May 2014, this controversial anti-immigration flyer began circulated around Brampton, Ontario.

A member of the Facing History education organization in Ontario, teacher Lanny Cedrone, decided to bring the flyer into his class for a discussion.

He had just finished teaching about propaganda in his Grade 11 Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity course at at Louise Arbour Secondary School.

His students, some of them children of immigrants, were outraged that this kind of bigotry existed in their own community. They decided to take action and created their own flyer depicting the smiling faces of Brampton’s diversity. They wanted to show the world that their city is happy with the way it looks.

As many propaganda vehicles do, this flyer used a photo out of context to create a false impression. It used a picture of Sikhs protesting in India, which infuriated the students even more.

“The reality is, the original flyer has misrepresented our experience in our day-to-day lives in Brampton,” student Sonali Prasad, 17, told the Toronto Star.

She and her classmates live normally — and happily — with each other, as different races and cultures coming together. Thus, the main theme of their positive message is UNITY:

 

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The students handed out their “counter-fliers” around Brampton and tweeted about the campaign using the hashtag #ConsiderThisBrampton. Find out more about the project in the Brampton Guardian.

Rewritten from a blog post at Facing History by Ben Gross

FIFA World Cup Begins Today

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World-Cup 2010, Brazil vs Chile by Crystian Cruz (via Flickr with CC license)
World-Cup 2010, Brazil vs Chile by Crystian Cruz (via Flickr with CC license)

The FIFA World Cup begins today, and runs through July 13, with host country Brazil playing Croatia.

This is the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international men’s football tournament that takes place every four years. It is the second time that Brazil has hosted the competition, the last one being in 1950.

Beginning in June 2011, national teams from 31 countries advanced through qualification matches. This month and next, a total of 64 matches are to be played in 12 cities across Brazil in either new or redeveloped stadiums, with the tournament beginning on a group stage.

For the first time at a World Cup Finals, the matches will use goal-line technology, according to Wikipedia.

Orthodontist to the Rescue in Kansas City, Helping 152 Kids

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A special orthodontist is giving thousands of dollars worth of time and service to bring life-changing smiles to children from low-income families.

He has been a major benefactor of the nonprofit program, Smiles Change Lives, headquartered in Kansas City. The group was concerned by a backlog of local applicants — children whose families couldn’t afford dental work.

“It got to the point of there being a two+ year waiting list for children to receive treatment,” said Brooke Vinson, Director of Program Services.


DDS professionals, like Dr. Burleson and his colleagues at Burleson Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry in nearby Raymore, usually volunteered to take a few patients each year.

“Dr. B. wanted to further his investment in the Kansas City community,” said Vinson. “He told us to ‘send them all.'”

Last October, he came up with his own initiative: Share a Smile. For every new patient that starting treatment at the Raymore office, he would treat a Smiles patient for free. As a result, Burleson will be treating an unprecedented152 kids in 2014, eliminating the two year wait.

For his service since 2006, the group recently honored Dr. Burleson with The Distinguished Service Award.

Smiles Change Lives works with over 750 volunteer orthodontists across the United States and Canada. With Dr. B’s help, more than 6,000 children have been treated since 1997. Nine individuals were honored this year as remarkable ambassadors for the SCL mission of providing access to orthodontic care for children in need. Learn more at: www.smileschangelives.org

11-Year-old Invents Non-spill Cup for Grandfather With Parkinson’s

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A young girl has invented a spill proof cup for her grandfather whose unsteady hands were causing him to spill drinks.

Lily Born of Chicago began imaging solutions a few years ago dreaming of ways to help him cope better with Parkinson’s. Then, she had an idea to attach legs onto his tumbler to prevent it from spilling. The Kangaroo Cup was born.

The first ceramic version proved too breakable and uncomfortable to hold so Lilly and her parents went back to the drawing board. This week they have successfully raised money with an online Kickstarter campaign to fund the improvements.


The new cups made with moldable prototyping plastic are stackable, unbreakable, and microwave & dishwasher safe. Still tip-resistant, the new three-legged design has an elevated base reducing the need for a coaster, and is made with BPA-free plastic.

The campaign is essentially pre-selling the 9-ounce cups — for instance, a set of four for $25. They already have raised $37,000 with still 26 days to go.

“Just because you’re a kid, doesn’t mean you can’t do big and great things’, the pre-teen designer says.

WATCH their video below…

In Coma After Horrific Golf Team Car Crash, Survivor Goes to State Finals

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A high school golfer in Grayling, Michigan has overcome terrible tragedy and brain injury to qualify for the state finals where he played last weekend in memory of two fallen friends.

Within a single year Jake Hinkle, after being in a coma from an April 2013 car crash, has persevered in the game he loves so much to become the sole player in the finals to represent the school that lost both its golf coach and a player on that fateful road trip. The accident also left four other members of the Grayling golf team severely injured.

“Our goal for him last May was that he would wake up in the morning and know what city he was in, or that maybe he could hop 25 feet with a walker,” said Jody Hinkle of her son’s state-tournament trip. “That was one year ago.”

Not only did all five boys recover from shattered bones and broken hearts to get back in the game, their team play in the district tournament stunned just about everybody. Jake’s play qualified him to complete in the finals and carry the Grayling banner.

(WATCH the video above or READ the story on Michigan Live)

3,456 Schools Get New Salad Bars

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8.4 million dollars have been raised so far in the Salad Bars to Schools initiative.

Since its launch in 2010, the partnership has granted 3,456 salad bars to 1,097 school districts nationwide.

It was founded by Food Family Farming Foundation, National Fruit and Vegetable Alliance, United Fresh Produce Association Foundation, and Whole Foods Market as part of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign.

40 cyclists will ride up the scenic California coast from Carmel to Lost Angeles in an October fundraiser called The Tour de Fresh. Each Tour de Fresh rider hopes to raise enough money to place one salad bar in a school for — $3,000 for the cost of the bar and accompanying utensils.

Fresh Summer Fruit by Sal Falko (via Flickr with CC license)

Police Officer Dives Deep to Save Dog Submerged in Car

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Officer-David-Harriman-dives-for-doggieOn Saturday, a police officer in Carver, Massachusetts arrived on the scene to see a vehicle completely submerged in eight feet of water.

The driver, Debra Titus, and her dog were able to escape the Toyota truck on their own, but said there was still one dog that hadn’t emerged.

Officer David Harriman, an avid dog lover, quickly removed his gun belt, gave it to his partner, and dove into the murky water. He then managed to open the door and enter the vehicle and retrieve the dog, which was in good health but a little frightened.

A photo of the rescue, posted on the Carver Police Department Facebook page has gotten a thumbs-up from more than 50,000 people, with seven thousand sharing the story with their friends.

Story tip submitted by Lori Strunk on Facebook

Jim Carrey’s Inspiring and Funny Commencement Speech 2014

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Attaining success in life,  Jim Carrey told students in his recent commencement address at a university in Iowa, is about “letting the universe know what you want, and working toward it, while letting go of how it comes to pass.”

“Your job is not to figure out how it’s going to happen for you, but to open the door in your head, and when the door opens in real life, just walk through it.”

“Don’t worry if you miss your cue, because there’s always doors opening. They keep opening.”

”I’m just making a conscious choice to perceive challenges as something beneficial, so that I can deal with them in the most productive way.”

The Maharishi University of Management, in Fairfield, Iowa granted degrees to 285 students (from 54 countries) in the arts, sciences, humanities, and business. The private university featuring Consciousness-Based Education includes a Transcendental Meditation program and organic vegetarian meals.

Climate Caring Northeast Cuts Emissions, Still Enjoys Growth

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Photo by Why 137 via Flickr, CC license

Some critics of the Environmental Protection Agency’s new requirements for power plants argue that forcing emissions reduction will curtail economic growth. But the recent experience of states that already cap carbon emissions reveals that emissions and economic growth are no longer tightly tied together.

The nine states that joined the Northeastern cap-and-trade program and instituted a carbon cap in 2009 — Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont —  have substantially reduced their carbon emissions in recent years. At the same time, those states have had stronger economic growth than the rest of the country.

The E.P.A.’s requirement will likely spur other states to think about joining such a cap-and-trade program, which allows companies to buy and sell emissions permits from each other.

(READ the full story in the New York Times)

Photo by Why 137 via Flickr, CC license

The Biggest Hero in Baseball – Dwarfism Takes the Mound

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Tripp, 11, backs himself into his scooter after his march to the mound – by Allison Profeta

Recently, at her son’s Little League game, Allison Profeta was lucky enough to witness an extraordinary moment. She documented the event in Staunton, Virginia with photos and wrote about it on her blog. Here is an edited excerpt:

My son plays on a team with a 10-year-old boy named Baxter. Baxter’s brother, Tripp, was born with a form of dwarfism known as SED. He is still recovering from a series of major surgeries — one to stabilize his neck, and two for reconstructing each hip. The 11-year-old was in a full body cast for months but now used an electric scooter to move.

To mark the last baseball game of his brother’s season, Tripp was asked to throw out the first pitch. This would require him to get out of the scooter and walk more than 35 feet (10m) to the pitcher’s mound using a walker.

The coach talked to the tiny boy, letting him know what was required. He was to walk from the sideline to the pitcher’s mound, then throw out the first pitch, and walk all the way back.

Tripp’s mom was hesitant. She was unsure that he would have the strength after that long walk to take one hand off of his walker long enough to throw the pitch. Tripp piped up with a confident “I’ll do it!” so his mom stepped back.

This short walk that most of us do without thinking twice, was visibly arduous for Tripp. His walker got stuck in the dirt more than once. He never asked for help. He never faltered.

Photo by Allison Profeta
Photo by Allison Profeta

On the pitcher’s mound, the coach patiently and confidently treated Tripp as equal to all the other ballplayers who’d ever needed encouragement before throwing. His brother handed him the ball, and then ran to home plate as the team’s catcher. The boys on the team all stood in a line with their hats in their hands and the crowd held their breath. They all watched as Tripp became the hero of Staunton in one pitch.

The frail but determined boy returned across the infield with his walker and backed himself into his scooter.

(READ the full story at AllisonRoad)

Photos by Allison Profeta – Story tip by Harmony Moon on Facebook

Bikers Rally for Children

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A biker foundation in Huron, Ohio is bringing some hope and a smile to children who are having a rough time.

The Bikers Against Abused and Neglected Children Foundation is dedicated to helping stop the abuse of children in the Lake Erie region, and to enrich the lives of those who have been a victim of neglect.

B.A.A.N.C. organizes charity events to help provide for children in need with clothing, school supplies, and Christmas gifts. Fundraising events include poker runs, parties, pot luck dinners, and selling candy or ornaments, providing gifts under their holiday Angel Tree.

The nonprofit organization was the idea of local businessman, Joseph Jenkins, the owner of Huron’s Knucklehead Saloon and Gus’s Cafe and Pizzeria.

“We wanted to help the less fortunate, and that led us to notice the rise of abused and neglected in the area,” said Jenkins, who is known as Mojo. “99% of us are bikers.”

The group’s ultimate goal is to build a memorial site in memory of those children who have lost their lives due to abuse and neglect.

(READ MORE at Funcoast.com)

Donations can be mailed to: BAANC, P.O. Box 358, Huron, Ohio 44839 – Email the group at: [email protected]

Story tip by Robin Ann Claudio on Facebook

Teen Finishes 40-mile Walk While Carrying Brother

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A teenager can’t put into words how much his little brother means to him. Instead, the high school wrestler walked 40 miles with his sibling strapped to his back to show his admiration and help raise awareness for the 7-year-old boy’s cerebral palsy.

Hunter Gandee, 14, met with more difficulties than he had imagined during, what was dubbed, the CP Swagger. Heat, rain, fatigue and sores unnerved the brothers over the two days.

The pair, followed by friends, family and even other wrestlers who’d been inspired to join him, were met at the finish line on the University of Michigan campus by thunderous applause and cheers from those who had gathered to see the boys finish the 40-mile trek.

(WATCH the video or READ the story in the Lansing State Journal)

Stranger Halfway Round the World Donates Car to Mom, Son With Cancer

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Jaime Thurston aims to be the catalyst for change in one person’s life every week this year. She achieved that BIG TIME last week when a gift was delivered to a family half way around the world, because they were struggling through two cancer diagnoses at the same time.

In Mid-May Jaime’s website, 52-lives.org, was focused on helping a mother and son in Queensland Australia, who both have cancer. With their 30 year-old car badly in need of repair, Kerry Lumsden had relied on friends to bring her little boy, Kybie, to his hospital appointments.

The website was both asking if anyone knew an auto mechanic who would do it for free, and contemplating whether to raise money for the repair. Suddenly, on a Sunday evening, an email arrived from Scotland from a couple who had read the story on Jaime’s website.

“Since reading this story, (Kybie and Kerry) have been on my mind,” wrote the couple, who remain anonymous. “I would like to buy Kerry and Kybie a car.”

They sent $7000 (AU), and when Jaime called her with the news, Kerry was “overwhelmed that someone she had never even met would be willing to give so much.”

Since the gift was anonymous, Kerry wanted to express her gratitude for all to see on 52-lives.org.

“To the couple in Scotland, I don’t know how to say thank you enough. I was in shock when I received the call, I just could not believe it. From our hearts to yours, thank you so much. And I can only begin to say thank you to Jaime and 52 Lives for the unbelievable support and kindness they have given us. We are not alone on this monster of a journey.”

The family chose a truck to carry his wheelchair and later, his four-wheeler, when he’s healed. A Kind-hearted business, Cricks Auto Group, offered to supply a much more expensive car for the money, as well as a 6-year warranty. Cash donations totaling $190 meant they could also insure the vehicle.

Smog-busting Roof Tiles Could Clean Tons of Pollution, Study Says

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A lab experiment concluded that the two tiles on the left, coated with a titanium dioxide mixture, removed up to 97% of nitrogen dioxide pollution from the air.  (UC Riverside)

University of California students at Riverside say they have discovered an inexpensive roof coating that can eat smog-forming particles in the air and, if applied to the thousands of tiled rooftops in Southern California, could clean tons of pollution from the atmosphere every day.

The coating is made up of titanium dioxide, a common inexpensive compound found in everything from food to cosmetics. For just $5.00 in materials an average-sized residential roof could be coated, the students calculated, and for one year it would break down the same amount of smog particles as what is generated by a car driven 11,000 miles.

The researchers studying at Riverside’s Bourns College of Engineering earned honors and prize money with their research in an Environmental Protection Agency student design competition.

Nitrogen oxide gas emitted by vehicles and power plants, react every day in sunlight to form smog. In the experiment, coated clay tiles removed 88% to 97% of nitrogen oxide pollution from the air, breaking it down into less harmful compounds.

The students calculated that 21 tons of nitrogen oxides would be eliminated daily if tiles on one million roofs were coated with their titanium dioxide mixture. 500 tons of nitrogen oxides are emitted daily in Orange County and the urban portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

The current team of students, Carlos Espinoza, Louis Lancaster, Chun-Yu “Jimmy” Liang, Kelly McCoy, Jessica Moncayo, and Edwin Rodriguez, are all set to graduate this month, but are hopeful a new team of students will continue with this project and test other variables.

For example, they want to see what happens when they add their titanium dioxide to exterior paint. They are also considering looking at applying the coating to concrete, walls or dividers along freeways. Other questions include how long the coating will last when applied and what impact changing the color of coating, which is currently white, would have.

(READ the details from UC Riverside)

 

Dog Stayed By Man’s Side 23 Days After He Died

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Family photo

An elderly man who vanished nearly a month ago was found dead, with his beloved pet Maltese dog watching over him, 23 days after the two went for their final afternoon drive.

“I love that dog,” said the daughter of Jimmy Wilkerson, an 80 year-old resident of Georgia.

“We’re going to take care of BeBe, like he took care of my father, up to the last minute.”

The small dog had scratches and bite marks, probably from fending off an attack by a wild animal.

(WATCH the video below or READ the story from the Detroit Free Press)

Story tip from Lisa Bauman

Pool Repairman Brings Drowned Prairie Dog Back to Life (WATCH)

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Rick Gruber said he would do the same for anybody.

In this case, the drowning victim last month was a tiny prairie dog (or a squirrel, if CNN is correct).

He did what most people would not. He spent 30 minutes trying to resuscitate the animal, performing chest compressions as best he could.

The Phoenix, Ariz. man, whose nickname is now “Squirrel Whisperer,” shot a video of the entire operation hoping that he would catch the moment the juvenile would spit up and come back to life.

“C’mon little guy. You can’t die,” said Gruber, as he tried to revive it.

The treatment worked and the squirrel, or prairie dog, went scampering off into the desert.

(WATCH the video below – READ the story at the Daily Mail)

New Fund Protects Amazon Rainforest for 25 Years

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Kaieteur Falls in Guyana, South America is 4x higher than Niagara Falls and twice the height of Victoria Falls – by Allan Hopkins (Flickr-CC)

An agreement signed May 22 will commit $215 million for expanded protection of the Amazon rainforest.

The move will guarantee funds for the next 25 years to ensure long-term protection of the world’s largest network of protected areas over more than a quarter million square miles (60 million hectares) of the Amazon rainforest.

The Amazon Region Protected Areas program (ARPA), which aims to permanently protect 15 percent of the Amazon, an area equivalent to the size of Spain, will receive money from the Brazilian government, WWF and other partners.

“We convened leading financial thinkers and philanthropic partners to create a plan for a first-of-its-kind bridge fund to ensure ARPA’s inspiring success continues,” said Carter Roberts, president and CEO of WWF-US.

ARPA is considered the single largest tropical forest conservation program in history. Created in 2002,  and coordinated by Brazilian Ministry of Environment it is a joint effort by Brazil’s federal government, regional state agencies, private institutions and civil society.

Hero Who Stopped Seattle Shooter Gets Wedding Gifts And Honeymoon Paid For By Strangers

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Washington state residents were relieved that a 22-year-old college student at Seattle Pacific University tackled a gunman and thus prevented any more killings at the school Thursday.

The young man, jumped up from his desk and pepper-sprayed the shooter when he paused to reload, and quickly subdued him with the help of another man. A police source who saw the security camera video called Jon Meis’s response an “amazing act of heroism.”

News reports revealed that Meis and his fiancé are planning to be married later this month.

Realizing that these should have been happier days for the couple, strangers began buying all the wedding gifts on the couple’s online Target registry, according to a collection of tweets posted by Buzzfeed. When there were no more left to purchase, people began contributing money to pay for a honeymoon — all to say “Thank you”.

The campaign quickly spread online and in local media, after an online fundraising page was set up by a stranger, Jessamyn McIntyre. She set a goal of $5,000 and within hours on Friday the total shot to $6,000.

By Sunday, more than 1300 people had donated $41,400.

McIntyre said, “People asked why I started the fund page for Jon Meis. I don’t know him, and nobody asked me to do it. People found his registry online for his wedding and bought all the presents they could. Then started to wonder what else they could do. The community support for Jon has been so strong, and I wanted to give it a place to continue.”

Jon and his fiancé Kaylie are scheduled to be married on June 21.

Once Polluted, The Milwaukee River is Now Clean and Valuable

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MKE Glow
Milwaukee River at night by CJ Schmit Photography (CC license via Flickr)

30 native fish species, including sturgeon, are now living and swimming in the lower Milwaukee River, another milestone in the rehabilitation of this waterway, an urban center of life.

Buoyed by tougher environmental regulations and $5 billion in improvements, from the building of the deep tunnel system to the removal of dams and reduction in phosphorus, the Milwaukee River is cleaner and more valuable economically and ecologically than at any point in the past 100 years.

(READ the story with photos in the Journal Sentinel)

Story tip from Nancy Peske

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