After years of giving to her children, one of them gave back on her 70th birthday and now the world knows how happy it made her.
A touchingly doting son decided to show his love by buying the mother who raised him and his five siblings a new Mercedes for her 70th birthday.
“This is such a wonderful present. I can’t accept it.”
WATCH the video above that he posted on YouTube
Chamindu Amarsinghe was speechless this week to hear he will get $81,597 of the cash he found while cleaning the toilets at a Melbourne television station.
The immigrant found a sanitary bin flush stuffed with $100 notes, too many to count, and immediately called his supervisor.
For his honesty, the the cleaner-turned-fast food worker, who’s now studying IT in New Zealand, was rewarded with most of the money.
(READ the story and see a photo in the Herald Sun)
A rejuvenated Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden has meant more visitors and volunteers at a facility that not long ago was on the verge of closing.
Renovations inside the domed conservatory last summer included more than 1,000 new plants; upgrades to the facility’s conference and learning spaces; new programming for adults and children; a new restaurant; and a living, growing wall made up of 1,716 plants that are changed seasonally.
A grand opening is planned for October to include a vast stretch of water and outdoor gardens.
A mixed up cat in County Offaly, about 70 miles from Dublin, has adopted three ducklings and is raising them as her own. In the process she has baffled animal experts.
RTE Radio’s “Mooney Gone Wild” show featured the cat, known as the White Cat, who went missing with the three ducklings after they were born. Ronan and Emma Lally who own the farm feared the worst, but the cat had other ideas rather than having a tasty lunch.
She began mothering them and the ducklings appear to be suckling from the cat along with her regular kittens.
Cats and ducks are usually enemies in the animal kingdom but the cat and ducklings and kittens are all getting along fine.
Animal experts interviewed simply cannot believe it.
“We got some duck eggs from a local lady and put them under a broody hen,” Emma told the show.
“Three of the ducklings survived. But then they disappeared and Ronan blamed the cat.”
Later the feline was seen carrying one of the ducklings in her mouth to the safety of her litter. She has continued raising them since.
(READ more from the Independent)
DON’T Keep the Cat Love to Yourself—Share the Love on Social Media…
In America today, a home or business goes solar every four minutes. That’s what the White House did today as President Obama announced the completion of a solar panel installation on part of the roof.
Thousands of homes will go solar in the next few years, and electricity bills will be lower for more than 1 billion square feet of buildings.
Every component of the White House solar array was made in America.
“Solar is getting cheaper and is getting easier to use,” said the President speaking in California.
President Jimmy Carter also installed solar panels at the White House in the 1970s that provided hot water, but President Ronald Reagan had them removed.
(WATCH the video above from the White House)
She was seven years old in March when she performed in her first audition on Norway´s got talent.
Since then, Angelina Jordan has been asked to appear on other television shows. Always in bare feet, she emulates Billie Holiday and other jazz singers with perfection befitting an old soul.
WATCH her sing Fly Me to the Moon and see her original performance of Gloomy Sunday below. (Turn on the subtitles for translation of judges from Norway’s Got Talent.)
Her website – www.angelinajordanofficial.com – has more videos.
Jared Hill wanted to take his girlfriend Emily Jarrell to her Senior Prom in Manassas, Virginia. The only challenge was that Jared’s immune system was still weak from his recent chemotherapy treatment for cancer.
He was instructed by his doctors to wear a surgical mask for the entirety of the high school dance to be held May 3 at an elegant off campus manor house.
Fortunately, Emily & her Osbourn Park High School Choir friends devised a plan to make Jared (pictured, center, next to Emily in red) feel more comfortable behind the protective mask.
It may not be a new fashion trend but these youths, who all donned protective face masks, showed a sense of unity that the whole community could admire.
Indeed, the heartwarming story was highlighted by a Northern Virginia newspaper and the local FOX News affiliate in Washington DC.
“It’s great to see our youth care for one another and to help out a friend in need,” said Emily’s father, David Jarrell. “Kudos to a great group of kids!”
InsideNova lists the students in the Jarrell photo, from left to right, to be: Lilly Sanusi, Malik Moultrie, Megan Onyundo, Ciarra Crowe, Kyra Davis, Niamat Sekhon, Cierah Frederick, Sabine Stewart, Jared Hill, Emily Jarrell, Traci Hurt, Simone Beaty, Scott Rhodes, Matthew Thatcher, Jackie Fleming, Deanna Knox, Alex Powell, and Noah Rhodes.
(WATCH the video below or READ the story from Fox-5)
Longwood University may rate as one of the best colleges in the South, but that doesn’t mean the faculty thinks itself too fancy to extend a little Southern hospitality to a family in need.
The 175 year-old college heard that the father of one of their students was dying of lung cancer, and doctors feared he wouldn’t be able to fulfill his final wish — to experience his daughter’s graduation. But Brittany Inge received a call from the provost of the school with an offer that gave the family a special day to remember forever.
Monday morning the family gathered in a stately room on the Farmville, Virginia campus and watched Brittany receive her diploma from Longwood University President W. Taylor Reveley IV. The graduate who majored in elementary and middle school education wants to work as a teacher.
“I had no idea Longwood would go out of their way,” Bob told WRIC the Richmond television station. “It takes special people and special organizations to make this happen.”
Source: WRIC-TV
A Boston-area family is bringing happiness to the elderly, the sick — and now to good friends battling cancer.
Their organization, Catching Joy, has delivered more than 2,000 of cards to their young friend, Bennett, who is battling leukemia. For his tenth birthday, Catching Joy asked people around the world to send hand made cards.
(WATCH the video below to see the surprise)
As a new grandmother, Abigail Lowe wanted to be around for her growing family but knew her health was on the decline given her sedentary lifestyle and 238 pound frame.
She took action in 2006 and after gastric bypass surgery lost a hundred pounds. She has been able to maintain a healthy weight of 160 pounds for more than two years.
Her own daughter, inspired by Lowe’s success was motivated to also undergo weight loss surgery last September. She’s lost 146 pounds so far and now eats so much healthier.
“Coming from 343 pounds I feel like a whole new woman,” said Maile Daly, a mom of three.
Because they live an ocean apart, the TODAY show surprised the mom, who hasn’t seen her daughter since the surgery. As a Mother’s Day gift, they brought out the now-healthy daughter in a sweet reunion moment. The also gave the pair new clothes to fit their new sizes.
(WATCH the video below or READ the story at TODAY)
Sixty-four-year-old Glory Rigsby felt her life was missing a meaningful achievement, so she decided to do something about it. This week , the Gulfport woman will don a cap and gown and walk across the stage at the Coast Coliseum to celebrate earning her GED.
“I enjoyed the experience,” said the former maid. “I always started and stopped…I finally accomplished what I set out to do.”
(READ the story and see the photos from the Sun Herald)
Deputies said things could have been much worse for a missing autistic child if their K9 hadn’t been able to track him down.
Maverick led them to the missing child who was knee-deep in freezing cold Ward Creek surrounded by thick bushes and downed trees.
(WATCH the video below, or READ the article from KPTV)
In return for a $5 Starbucks gift card, commuters in a Chicago area train station were asked to participate in an experiment. Instead of remaining isolated, like most commuters do, they agreed to talk to the stranger next to them.
The behavioral scientists, Nicholas Epley and Juliana Schroeder, report that by the end of the train ride, commuters who talked to a person nearby reported having a more positive experience than those who had sat in solitude.
The New York Times reported, “Most people imagined it would be difficult to start a conversation. They estimated that fewer than half of their fellow commuters would want to talk to them. But in fact, not a single person reported having been snubbed. And the conversations were consistently pleasant.”
“People enjoy connecting with others,” wrote the researchers in the Chicago Tribune. “The pleasure of conversation was not just restricted to friendly people; we found the same results among introverts and extroverts.”
“If connecting with others is more pleasant than sitting alone,” ask the authors, “why the strong preference for quiet cars, silent cabs and empty rows on airplanes?”
Psychologist Jeremy McCarthy, author of The Psychology of Spas & Wellbeing: A Guide to the Science of Holistic Healing
In a University of California study, commuting is associated with fewer positive emotions than any other common daily activity. If we learn from psychologists and their many studies, which say that connecting with others is the most important determinant of happiness, maybe we will start more conversations in subway cars.
(READ the article in the New York Times)
Benjamin Olewine is a regular at the Peachtree restaurant where Melissa Mainier of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania worked for years as a waitress. Melissa knew she wanted to be a nurse and was wracking up a lot of debt to put herself through school.
Mr. Olewine is also Chairman Emeritus at a food distribution company where he made millions over the years and now, at 92, is busy giving away much of it.
One day he told Melissa that he wanted to pay her tuition. After much protesting by Melissa, he did end up paying her tuition bill — and every one afterward for years .
(WATCH the video below, or you can READ the story at CBS – *WARNING: The video starts playing out loud after a few seconds.)
Born with only one leg, Nico Calabria didn’t let his disability keep him from any sport he was passionate about, especially soccer (football). Now Powerade is making him the face of their advertisements during the world cup games in Brazil. The touching and powerful ad shows a little boy growing through every stage of life with a disability but his championship spirit keeps shining through.
Whether skating, swimming, or playing basketball, Nico excelled in athletics as a boy and he continues to astound teammates, competitors, and fans with his talent today.
WBZ-TV in Boston interviewed the 19-year-old high school graduate.
Calabria told them. “It really is all about attitude and the way that you approach your problems.”
Powerade said they reached out to clubs and schools looking for players who were making an impact through soccer. Nico, an inspiring choice for company spokesperson, will be flown to the Brazil in June to catch some games.
(WATCH the WBZ story below or READ it here)
As her sight was dimming, Texas high school pole vaulter Charlotte Brown’s determination grew. Despite being blind, she has qualified for the state championship.
“There are a lot of things to admire about Charlotte,” Lester said, “but the most important thing is her teammates love her. Yeah, she has had a lot to overcome and a lot of obstacles, but she puts her teammates above herself, and that’s the stuff I’m very impressed with.”
(WATCH the video or READ the story at ESPN)
A good guy biker in Vancouver sees a blind man in the road and does a U-Turn on a beautiful day so he can go help him.
“We need to fix this now don’t we,”said Motorcycles Vancouver on YouTube.
I often drive to the ocean (which surrounds Brooklyn) to sit and meditate, to brood, to seek inspiration or healing. Everyone has their individual place that is that kind of source for them. For some people it’s the mountains and for others it’s the forests, but for me it has always been the ocean where I’ve found my spirits restored.
On this particular day, I came to brood. I had just asked my husband for a small sum of money to go food shopping, and he shrugged and told me there was none. I had just given him the small advance I had gotten for “Small Miracles From Beyond” and was shocked to learn that it was already gone. My husband has been unemployed for some time, and while my heart almost always goes out to him, sometimes I get mad that he isn’t trying. This was one of those days.
So I was sitting on a bench, brooding about life’s unfairness, when out of the corner of my eye, I saw a homeless man with a long, scraggly white beard scavenging through the garbage cans scattered throughout the plaza that abuts the sea. There was still nip in the air and everyone else was tightly bundled up in jackets and scarves, but he wore only an undershirt and shorts several sizes too large engulfing his emaciated frame. A battered suitcase–which probably held all his earthly possessions–stood nearby. I felt pained by his plight and watched as he pulled out a large bag of potato chips from one of the trash bins, and ate hungrily. He seemed ravished.
Then I watched, astonished, as he stopped eating, considered the flocks of pigeons, birds and sea gulls assembled on the plaza, walked to where they were clustered, and scattered the rest of the potato chips on the sidewalk in front of them. I could not believe what I had seen. The crumbs glinted on the sidewalk like shards of light.
“Sharing is heaven,” he proclaimed with a luminous grin that revealed all his missing teeth. “Not sharing is hell.”
I stared at him, stunned. “May God bless you,” I said effusively.”God bless you.”
“Oh, He has, Ma’am,” he said with fervor and a vigorous shake of his head for emphasis. “He has.”
Then he picked up the handle of his battered suitcase, and started walking rapidly, zig-zagging across the walkway as he checked out each trash can and then continued on.
I felt the fifteen dollars I had found in my jacket burn a hole in my pocket. That morning, I had been bitter that things were so tight in my home, but that man had nothing.
So I tried to race after his retreating figure, but he was surprisingly swift and was already several hundred yards away from where he had originally stood. I continued streaking after him, and people must have thought it strange to see an overweight, middle-aged woman frantically pursuing a member of the “underclass.”
“Sir! Sir!” I yelled when I was finally a few feet away. I pulled out my fifteen dollars. “Can I treat you to your next meal?”
His eyes glowed. “Yes, you can!” he smiled beatifically. “Thank you very much. I really appreciate it.”
And then, he picked up the handle of his suitcase again and continued his rapid pace to no-where and no-one, a tiny speck quickly receding into the distance, a man who had just illumined my consciousness for a brief moment in eternity.
That night, a man called my husband to tell him that he had owed him a fairly large sum of money for many years, and was planning to return it this week. Somehow I felt the intersection of these two events was not an accident, but my husband says I am merely being fanciful.
But if you ask me, I think I met a saint that day wearing the disguise of a homeless man, and because I was blessed to see beneath his tatters, I received a life-lesson that will remain with me forever. I also believe that when I gave him all the money I had, the Gates of Heaven were pried open …by this man’s sledgehammer, not mine.
Luke Jerram, the English artist who inspired public installations of street pianos in London and New York City has created a day of unforgettable fun for the city of Bristol — and you don’t have to play piano to participate.
On Sunday a massive slip and slide was installed for people to ride and splash down the middle of a closed road, using 300 feet of hillside (95m) on Park Street.
Like many of Jerram’s projects, people on the street become the performers.
“Nobody is going to be able to drive down Park Street again without thinking that this is a place you can enjoy yourself,” said a friend of the artist.
Participants, ages 5 to 73 years old, raced down the wet slide into a series of hay bails. The city deemed the activity safe after a detailed look at the process.
Luke has no plans to tour the project. But to enable anyone around the world to create their own ‘urban slide’, instructions — including documents describing the permissions process — will be released to those who leave their email on LukeJerram.com. Lots of photos on that link too.
(WATCH the video)
A group of 13 university students with their counterparts across the sometimes hostile border will cycle in celebration of the Indian and Pakistani Independence Days. They will ride all the way to Lahore University and Qaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad.
The student activists from neighboring countries want to promote peace and unity in South Asia and urge the two governments to come together to form an organization for economic cooperation. The bicycle rally will start from New Delhi on August 1.
(READ the story from Times of India)
(File photo)
