Continuing the #HappyDay video theme of people dancing to the, now iconic, Pharrell Williams song, Chicago Muslims dance together at their favorite city landmarks during one weekend in April.
Band of Secret Strangers Giving “Crumbs of Hope” to Needy
Philanthropy is often associated with millionaires. The Biscuit Fund is an anonymous army of around 50 volunteers who are mainly on low incomes – and have mostly met only through social media.
Many have disabilities and mental health issues, many are themselves going through tough times, all are dedicated to helping people in crisis with what small amounts they can spare.
They call themselves The Biscuit Fund because of the amount spent by ministers on biscuits. Last year, health ministers alone spent £100,000 on tea and biscuits in six months while savaging the NHS with cuts.
(READ about the stories of helpfulness in the Mirror)
[NOTE- This editor cautions: The video at the bottom of the Mirror story is entirely depressing.]
Thanks to Sarah for submitting the link via our Facebook page!
They are Learning to Say Sorry in the Middle East
In the past week, not one but two leaders – Turkish and Palestinian – made rare acknowledgements of the suffering of the ‘other.’
On the eve of the 99th anniversary of the deportation and massacre of Armenians under Ottoman rule, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan conveyed the country’s “condolences” to the grandchildren of the 600,000 to 1.5 million killed in what many regard as a genocide.
And just as Israel began marking Holocaust Remembrance Day, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called the killing of 6 million Jews “the most heinous crime” of the modern era and expressed “sympathy with the families of the victims and many other innocent people who were killed by the Nazis.”
(READ the story in the CS Monitor)
After Death Nanny Revealed to be Masterful Photographer: Vivian Maier
By “accident” a huge trunk filled with 100,000 films and negatives were discovered in 2007 that revealed, although Vivian Maier worked as a nanny, her great passion was photography. She died alone and no one knew her secret.
This video clip, from a documentary, “Finding Vivian Maier“, shows that once uncovered, her street photos — mostly taken in Chicago — took the art world by storm.
“Finding Vivian Maier traces the life story of the late Vivien Maier, a career nanny whose previously unknown cache of 100,000 photographs has earned her a posthumous reputation as one of America’s most accomplished and insightful street photographers.”
(READ a story in the Washington Post)
Thanks to Rafael Jimenez for submitting the news!
Giants Team to Honor Inspirational Boy
Raymond Beasley V, a fifth-grader from Brentwood and survivor of multiple brain tumor surgeries, will be honored before Wednesday night’s Giants game in San Francisco, the result of an optimistic award-winning essay he wrote for a Major League Baseball contest (read it here).
“Most people think I’m brave but I’m just committed to thinking only good thoughts, even when I’m sad or afraid.”
(READ the story from the SF Chronicle)
Thanks to Mike McGinley for submitting the link!
California’s High School Graduation Rate Passes 80% for First Time
For the first time in California history, the high school graduation rate has surpassed 80%, mirroring a trend nationwide, officials announced Monday.
The numbers of Latino and African American students getting diplomas are increasing more rapidly than those of their white and Asian peers, suggesting that the state is succeeding in narrowing its academic achievement gap among racial groups, California education officials said.
(READ the story in the LA Times)
20 Ways to Show Your Mom Some Love on Mother’s Day (or Any Day!)
Mother’s Day comes early this year – on May 11 in the U.S.
Moms just want to be appreciated, so be sure to celebrate her whether you have money to spend or not. Here are some ways to make her laugh, to make her smile, and create some memorable moments.
DO IT!
If you’re light on cash, why not spend some quality time helping her usher in the digital age? Check out these five ways you can help your mom with her devices, or teach her a few things about tech. Think of it as a digital hug!
• Transfer her photos to a DVD
• Teach her how to Skype
• Make her some iPod playlists
• Show her some tips for her smart phone
• Set up a Facebook or Twitter account
If she’s a techie already, give her some other personal service in a coupon book.
• How about coupons for a home cooked meal so you can get together and enjoy a dinner – food always tastes better when someone cooks it for you!
• Offer to clean the house or garage, wash her car, or do the laundry.
• Teens can offer babysitting services, breakfast in bed, a foot massage, or keep their room clean for a month!
MAKE IT!
If you’re even a little bit creative, gather your art supplies and make these simple, personalized gifts that your mom will enjoy and cherish forever!
• Make her a word cloud like the one pictured above using your family names. Wordle.net lets you choose colors that will match her home décor and print out your design. Frame it or put it on a t-shirt transfer. (Don’t have time to make your own? You can order a personalized word cloud on Etsy.com and download it at home.)
• Fold her a bouquet of origami flowers – there are many places on the web to find instructions. Your local craft store is loaded with gorgeous paper.
• Find a pretty note card and write her a thank you note for a fabulous childhood memory or ritual. When we were kids, my parents used to take us out and pick lilacs when they were in bloom – to this day, it is my favorite flower and the scent always brings back that incredible childhood memory. Moms want to know that you remember those little things!
• Gather your favorite family photos and make her a photo book or calendar. If you’re a Mac user, IPhoto is easy to use – click the ‘book’ or ‘calendar’ buttons on the bottom of the screen and you’re on your way. PC users can use Publisher software templates. (But leave time for delivery, with Mother’s Day falling on May 11.)
• Gather some smooth river stones and some paint, and let your mom know that ‘home is where my mom is’.
BUY IT!
Don’t have a creative bone in your body? Check out these links where you can buy any of the Make it suggestions from above.
• Family Personalized Word Cloud on Etsy
• Mother’s Day Origami Flower Kit
• Mother’s Day Do-it-yourself Poem Kit
• Awkward Family Photos 2014 Wall Calendar
• Mother’s Day – Handicraft Card Making Kit 
• Reason’s “I Love You” Stones
13 year-old Spreading Love
13 year old Julia from Morristown, NJ launched her Sidewalk Smiles Campaign hoping to inspire others to commit random acts of kindness.
Here is her FaceBook page to give you more info.
Optimism Associated with Lower Risk of Heart Failure
Optimistic older adults who see the glass as half full appear to have a reduced risk of developing heart failure, according to the latest study on the topic.
Researchers from the University of Michigan and Harvard University found that optimism—an expectation that good things will happen—among people age 50 and older significantly reduced their risk of heart failure. Compared to the least optimistic people in the study, the most optimistic people had a 73-percent reduced risk of heart failure over the follow-up period.
RELATED: Optimistic People Have Healthier Hearts, Study Finds
Eric Kim, a doctoral student in the U-M Department of Psychology and the study’s lead author, and colleagues analyzed data on 6,808 older adults from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative panel study of people over age 50. Respondents, who were followed for four years, provided background information about themselves, health history and psychological data.
In order to help rule out the possibility that other factors could better explain the link between optimism and heart failure, the researchers adjusted for factors that might impact heart failure risk, including demographic factors, health behaviors, chronic illnesses and biological factors.
Higher optimism was associated with a lower risk of heart failure during the study’s follow-up period—a finding that could eventually contribute to creating new strategies in the health care industry to prevent or delay the onset of this epidemic, Kim said.
The researchers said that the protective effect of optimism might be explained by previous research, which has shown that optimism is associated with important health behaviors (eating healthier diets, exercising more, managing stress), enhanced physiological functioning and other positive health outcomes that are strongly linked with a decreased risk of heart failure.
MORE: Optimistic Spouse Better for Partner’s Health
A 2010 study was the first American research to find a very strong link between positive emotions and a lower risk of heart disease, an “independent relationship” spelled out through clear data, as opposed to just being based on a person’s own report of their attitude. A 2006 Dutch study showed a 50% lower risk from cardiovascular death for the elderly men identified as optimistic and studied over 15 years.
The study’s other authors were Jacqui Smith, a professor in U-M’s Department of Psychology and Institute for Social Research, and Laura Kubzansky, a professor at Harvard’s Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences. The findings appear online in the new issue of Circulation: Heart Failure.
– Photo by Sun Star
When Life Gives You Cancer, Make Lemonade (Stephen’s Story)
A 19 year old teenager with incurable cancer was just trying to enjoy life as much as possible, but now he is inspiring the world.
Stephen Sutton has been battling cancer since age 15. On January 13th 2013, shortly after finding out his disease was incurable, Stephen made a bucket list of 46 things he wanted to achieve in the near future. Since creating the list on Facebook Stephen has inspired a half million fans with his positivity and passion for life. He has achieved more than most would in a lifetime; resulting in him winning countless awards in recognition of his inspirational work, most notably he has raised over £560,000 for charity in just one year. This is not a sob story, this is Stephen’s Story.
Optimistic Spouse Better for Partner’s Health
If your spouse expects good things to happen, you may be reap better health as a result.
Having an optimistic spouse predicted better mobility and fewer chronic illnesses over time, even above and beyond a person’s own level of optimism, according to a new University of Michigan study of 3,940 adults.
Researchers used data from the Health and Retirement Study, a national study of American adults over age 50. The study’s 1,970 heterosexual couples were tracked for four years and reported on their physical functioning, health and number of chronic illnesses.
“A growing body of research shows that the people in our social networks can have a profound influence on our health and well-being,” said Eric Kim, a doctoral student in the U-M Department of Psychology and the study’s lead author. “This is the first study to show that someone’s else optimism could be impacting your own health.”
Past research found that social support may partly explain the link between optimism and enhanced health. Optimists are more likely to seek social support when facing difficult situations and have a larger network of friends who provide that support.
In close relationships, optimism predicts enhanced satisfaction and better cooperative problem-solving, like focusing on ways to protect against declining health.
“So practically speaking, I can imagine an optimistic spouse encouraging his or her partner to go to the gym or eat a healthier meal because the spouse genuinely believes the behavior will make a difference in health,” Kim said.
The study’s other authors included William Chopik, a graduate student in psychology, and Jacqui Smith, a professor in the Department of Psychology and Institute for Social Research. The findings appear in the current issue of Journal of Psychosomatic Research.
Photo (c) Sun Star
Muslim Man on Bus Gives His Shoes to Homeless Guy Who Had None
An off-duty bus driver saw a man without shoes on a bus in Surrey, B.C. and witnessed a stranger deciding to quietly do something about it.
The 27-year-old Islamic man, who didn’t want anyone to see his kind action, slipped the shoes under the man’s legs without a word. He said later that it was no big deal, just part of his Islamic faith and he wanted to remain anonymous.
The young man got off at the next stop while the off-duty bus driver, hoping to spread this story of compassion, asked the homeless man if he could take a picture.
(WATCH the video below or READ the story at CBC)
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Thanks to Shannon Pinkney West for submitting the link on our Facebook Page!
Dolphins Protect Long-Distance Swimmer From Great White Shark
Long distance ocean swimmer Adam Walker was midway through his crossing of New Zealand’s Cook Strait when he saw a great white shark approach him from below. The British athlete was raising funds for a group focused on whale and dolphin conservation.
Suddenly, a pod of dolphins swam up and surrounded him, seemingly focused on human conservation.
A crew on his assist boat recorded the event and posted it on YouTube reporting that the dolphins stayed with Adam for more than an hour, close enough for him to touch.
“Incredible,” one woman is heard exclaiming as she recorded.
A swim coach, Walker is tackling the hardest 7 oceans in the world, “the Oceans Seven” to raise money and awareness for Stop Whaling. He is set to be the first British person to complete the Oceans Seven and only four people in the world have completed it so far. With the English Channel, Gibraltar Straits, Catalina Channel, Molokai Strait, Tsugaru Strait and now the Cook Strait under his belt, Adams final swim of the seven takes place this August in the Irish Sea.
(WATCH the video below and Learn More at Adam’s website)
RELATED: Dolphins Save Surfer from Becoming Shark Bait
RELATED: Beachgoers Save Dozens of Dolphins (Video)
Thanks to Julia Frerichs, LMT for submitting the link!
It’s Official: George Clooney is Engaged
Her London law firm confirmed on Monday the big news that two-time Oscar-winner and serial dater George Clooney is engaged to Amal Alamuddin, a beautiful high-level international attorney.
Clooney’s future wife is of Lebanese descent, Oxford-educated and speaks Arabic and French fluently. The couple have reportedly been dating since October, and have traveled on safari in Africa together.
(WATCH the video below or READ the story at TODAY)
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Old Man Makes a Dog Train for Stray Pups
There is an unusual sight these days at a Fort Worth golf course. One that has golfers stopping mid-shot to stare, then ask to take a picture of the dog train.
Every week Eugene Bostick, who used to shoot at strays, can be seen driving a tractor with eight little cars attached. Inside each one is a dog anxiously wagging its tail.
If a stray dog starts hanging around his 13-acres of land in East Fort Worth, well, he gives them a home, and adds another barrel with wheels to the end of his dog train. (WATCH the video below, or
READ the story from NBC Dallas-Fort Worth)
Thanks to Karen Hopler Boyer for submitting the link on our Facebook Page!
Annual Dream Hotline Has Given Free Analysis for 26 Years
When we go to sleep, dreams are a vehicle for bringing us messages that can help make us more successful or alert us to a problem.
But our dreams should not be interpreted as having a literal meaning. So how do we know what they mean? Ask an expert.
If you miss out on this weekend’s opportunity to get a free dream interpretation, you can submit your dream on their website, www.dreamschool.org.
“The School’s dreamwork is vast,” said Christine Madar, a teacher and dream specialist who is based at their world headquarters and campus in Windyville, Missouri. “We have even initiated worldwide lucid dream studies, but we’re most famous for our annual hotline.”
“We’ve seen over the last ten years how the media and technology have changed the pictures of our dreams,” said the 46 year old educator. “Vampires in a dream indicated something totally different 20 years ago.”
Metaphysics is the study of the non-physical mind. The School’s website says that dream interpretation is the “Universal Language of Mind” and is so important that it is taught to every student at the School of Metaphysics.
WATCH the video below or visit Dreamschool.org — or read more on som.org for dream research.
Photo credit: MohammeD BuQuRais via Flickr, CC license
Jet Fuel From Garbage Will Power British Airlines Planes
Come 2017, British Airways could be able to fuel flights from London to New York on trash.
The airline has partnered with Washington, D.C.-based Solena Fuels to make 50,000 metric tons of jet fuel from municipal solid waste per year. It is the first project in the world to attempt to convert trash into a drop-in fuel for airplanes.
The fuel could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 95 percent compared to fossil fuels — and more, if you count the include the methane emissions saved by keeping trash from decomposing in landfills.
(READ the story from EE News’ ClimateWire)
Former Polluted Nuclear Weapons Site Now Bursts With Life
The Fernald Preserve was closed as a contaminated nuclear weapons plant in the 1990s, and reporters weren’t even allowed to get out of the official van because it wasn’t quite safe to walk around unprotected.
But in 2014, the former Feed Materials Production Center, which processed low-level uranium for use in nuclear bombs from 1951 to 1989, is a place where birders and photographers and casual hikers roam 7-plus miles of trails on the 1,050 acres 20 miles northwest of Cincinnati. Local schoolchildren visit the preserve on field trips, learning about Ohio wildlife.
Fernald is one of two former nuclear sites that have been decontaminated to the point where the public can visit.
(READ the story in the USA Today)
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Historic 113-Year-old Theater Saved by Family
The oldest theater still operating west of the Rockies faced foreclosure in Everett, Washington until a local family stepped in.
The Everett Theater, built in 1901, welcomed its first audience Friday night since the owners saved the venue from disrepair and possible closure.
The Shriner family hopes to maintain the theater’s tradition of presenting musical artists, like Al Jolson & Nat King Cole, who performed there.
(WATCH the video below, or READ the story at King-5)
Thanks to Judy Ritchie for sending the link!
Man Acts as Human Bench for Elderly Lady Stuck on Elevator
An employee from College HUNKS Moving and Hauling service in Florida proved that the company’s motivation “to make the world a better place” is more than just a slogan.
A student from the Art Institute of Florida was performing a move for College HUNKS at an assisted living facility inside a 10-story building when the elevator got stuck.
“We were riding with a very nice elderly women,” said Cesar Larios. “As soon as it got stuck the lady said she could not stand for extended periods.”
So, what did Cesar do? He created a human bench for her.
“I offered to serve as a chair,” the 23-year-old told his boss, who contacted the Good News Network. “She was so thankful.”
For a full 30 minutes he sacrificed himself for her comfort, as shown in the photo taken by one Larios’s workers.
“He is my son, and I am SO PROUD of HIM,” said Olga Lourdes Ruiz Velasco, who read hundreds of comments on the Good News Network Facebook page, praising her son’s thoughtfulness.
“The age of chivalry is not confined to the history books!” wrote Sarah Anne Abbas. “What a gent!”
HUNKS, which stands for Honest, Uniformed, Nice, Knowledgeable Students, has 52 franchise locations and is based in Tampa, Florida.
This motivated moving company doesn’t simply employ “clean cut” college students, their training program, “HUNKS University.” teaches them how to embody a leadership mindset and provide WOW service to keep the client stress-free.
Certainly Cesar Larios must have graduated Magna cum laude.