Competitors Rescue Farm After Deadly Silo Collapse

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Feb 12, 2014

A fourth-generation family farm in Washington state was reeling from the worst event in its 102-year history. A silo at the farm’s nearby feed mill collapsed; burying a worker underneath 500 tons of corn.

On top of the obvious human tragedy, the Wilcox Family Farms’ feed supply for nearly one million chickens was abruptly cut off.

That’s when the farming community of Roy, and neighboring regions, pulled together to assist.

Within 24 hours of the collapse, competitors were shipping truckloads of feed to the Wilcox brothers — National, Steibrs, and Briarwood Farms in Rochester were among those who pitched in to help.

(READ the story in My Northwest.com)

Thanks to Judy Ritchie for sending the link!

Sportsmanship Alive and Well at Olympics – Canada Coach Lends Ski to Russian

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Feb 12, 2014

In true Olympic spirit, Canada’s head cross-country ski coach Justin Wadsworth rushed to help a Russian skier after the athlete crashed in the semi-final of the men’s freestyle sprint and broke one of his skis.

With a new ski in hand, Wadsworth rushed toward the struggling athlete and fixed the new ski to Russian’s ski boot, reports Global News in Canada.

But this could be the ultimate story of “paying it forward” after an incident involving a Canadian skier in 2006.

(READ the story and WATCH the GIF from Sports Illustrated)

Thanks to C. Michael McGinley for submitting the link on our Facebook Page!

Sudan Lifts Ban on Opposition Newspaper

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Feb 12, 2014

A Sudanese official said in late January the government has lifted a ban on an opposition newspaper, a week after Khartoum announced that it would hold a national dialogue to address freedom of expression. –AP

Deadly Drinking Game Inspires Kindness Video Craze Across Globe

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Feb 11, 2014

kindness coffee to a homeless guy-RAKNominations-FB

An inspiring adaptation has emerged out of the dangerous “NEK Nomination” craze that has swept through the UK, Australia and elsewhere in recent weeks. These online challenges for friends to shoot videos of themselves binge drinking has claimed the lives of at least four youth in the UK and Ireland. But this month, and during Random Acts of Kindness Week (Feb. 9-16), hundreds of youth are taking back the social media stage for sanity’s sake and nominating each other to perform good deeds, instead. Since Feb. 3, hundreds of these heartwarming videos have been posted on Twitter and Facebook.

It all started on Feb. 1 as South African Brent Lindeque decided to break the Nek Nomination cycle, in favor of something that might show the world how powerful social media can be if used for good. He gave a huge sandwich, chocolate and a coke to a panhandler on the street. He filmed it, nominated two people and challenged them to do the same within 24 hours. The next day in Ireland, Jessica Supple saw an article about the idea and the Irish started calling the new craze, “RAK nominating”.

Young people from Spain, the UK, Germany and Canada — and even a Senator with his staff in Ireland — have joined the new movement, paying it forward via online RAK nominations. They have planned and carried out giveaways of hugs, balloons, sweets, and flowers; they’ve doled out hot meals to the homeless; they’ve surprised friends or city workers with gifts.

“Nice to see people turning that stupid neknomination into something good!” wrote Derby’s Christine Gillard.

You can start your own RAKNomination by simply recording, or telling about, yourself doing a good deed. Then, challenge two of your friends to do the same within the next day or two, and post the video online with a hashtag #RAKnomination.

WATCH the videos below, including the one that started it all, and see more at Facebook.com/Raknominations.

Little Kids Come to Read Books To Shelter Cats (CUTE)

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Feb 11, 2014

Reading Buddies Program Berks CountyAnimalShelter

A Pennsylvania animal shelter has come up with a brilliant program that pairs kids and cats as reading buddies.

More than 20 children in grades 1 to 8 visit the Animal Rescue League in Berks County on a weekly basis, where they read to homeless cats.

The Book Buddies Program in Birdsboro is a win-win for the children, especially those struggling in school, because they get to practice reading aloud with a non-critical listener. They get “book tickets” that can be later traded in for small prizes.

Since the program began last August, the shelter’s cats are getting some much-needed company and socialization and they seem to enjoy the rhythmic sound of a child’s voice.

“One little boy has autism and his mom home schools him,” says Beth Ireland, the shelter’s marketing and communications director, on Facebook. “His mom knows that interaction with animals is helpful and it has been. He’s blossomed while he’s here. It’s so sweet to watch.”

(Read more from Berk’s Animal Rescue League)

New Billboard Promotes Most Effective Medicine: Hugging

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Feb 11, 2014

During this cold and flu season, The Joy Team of Vancouver, Washington, has erected a billboard in downtown Portland reminding everyone of that ancient holistic prescription that’s not only free, but also effective: hugging.

Just in time for “Random Acts of Kindness Week” (Feb. 9-16) and Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14), the fifth in a series of monthly positive messages went up suggesting that onlookers, “Hug someone today”.

“Research has shown that hugging is effective at healing sickness, disease, loneliness, depression, anxiety and stress,” the group said in a press release. “It can even lower blood pressure and boost memory.”

Paid for by a grant from Awesome Portland, the bright yellow billboard can be found in Portland, Ore., on MLK Jr Blvd, 100 feet South of Broadway, on the West side of the street facing North.

The first board, with the message “Be Happy” drawn by a child on the Junior Joy Team, was the first up when the campaign started in October.

(SEE two other billboards here, for November, and here, for December.)

The Joy Team, a non-profit 501c3 organization promotes the mission of building community by spreading joy, optimism and inspiration. Other projects include delivering Happy Packets to the staff of organizations serving the community, Chalk the Walks, PB & JOY Project and The Junior Joy Team. Learn more at thejoyteam.org.

Tribal Ski Programs Help to Heal America

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Feb 11, 2014

Pajarito Mountain Ski Area in New Mexico launched a snow sports outreach in January to benefit the tribal youth of New Mexico and Arizona.

Ski instructors, including former Olympian Suze “Chapstick” Chaffee, taught kids and chaperones of the Laguna, Acoma, Ohkey Owingeh and Pajoaque Pueblos the basics of skiing down their Los Alamos Mountains. The resort also extended a special $25 price to tribal youth, inviting them back.

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Ex-Pharmacy Guys Make Medicine Available No Matter Your Finances

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Feb 11, 2014

Pharmacist Makes Medicine Available No Matter Your Finances

Imagine the frustration you’d feel if you were diagnosed with a serious illness requiring a lot of treatment and even though you were covered by insurance, the co-pay costs involved for expensive medications meant you had no money for rent or electricity.

Jeff Spafford, who ran a pharmacy in Orlando, Florida, knew that hundreds of people were in such financial straits, so he co-founded The Assistance Fund with the goal of opening up access to medicine for all.

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Extraordinary Man Rebuilds Pianos While Blind

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Feb 10, 2014

It is not uncommon for piano tuners to be blind, but very rare for piano builders to have no sight.

John Furniss of Vancouver, Wash., is that rare individual. He persevered even after he was told by an institute for the blind that he couldn’t possibly restore pianos.

He uses tools unique to his situation that his mentor, Rick Patten, built himself.

“I’m totally blind,” he told KGW-TV. “But if you put your mind to something, you can do what you want to do.”

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Banana Cures Sleepless British Boy

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Feb 10, 2014

banana by publicdomainphotos-Flickr-CC — Publicdomainphotos, CC license

Say sweet dreams to Aaron Hopkins – the sleepless little Sheffield boy who’s finally managed to get his 40 winks… with the help of the humble banana.

For three-and-a-half years, Aaron’s parents were battling to find a solution to the youngster’s night terrors and hallucinations.

They finally found their miracle with the help of a sleep workshop run by Vicki Dawson at their local hospital – and a banana before bed.

(READ the full story from The Star)

Photo by publicdomainphotos on Flickr, CC – Thanks to Andrew N. for submitting the link!

Cities Almost Double Climate Actions Since 2011, C40 Says

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Feb 10, 2014

The world’s 63 biggest cities have almost doubled the activities they undertake to reduce climate change since 2011, according to a report from the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.

“Mayors have real power to cut emissions and improve climate resilience, and they are taking action,” C40 chairman, Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes, said from the group’s Mayors Summit in Johannesburg last week. “C40’s networks and efforts on measurement and reporting are accelerating city-led action at a transformative scale around the world.”

More than 8,000 climate actions have been implemented by the cities, with 41 percent of these taking place citywide, according to their website and the Feb. 5 report.

The 63 cities, which represent one in twelve people on the planet, have committed to reducing greenhouse emissions through modernizing transit systems, improving waste management, and implementing energy efficient building codes.

(READ the story from Bloomberg News)

Chicago ‘Superheroes’ Hit Streets to Do Good Deeds

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Feb 9, 2014

Crusader Prime, a masked 40-something Indiana man in red spandex, a fedora and a thrift store trench coat, hit the streets on a cold day to hand out blankets and food to homeless people.

He would soon be joined by Patchwork, another Real Life Superhero — RLSH for short — who was traveling with a suitcase full of socks.

Call it comic book fantasies coming to life or 21st-Century altruism. The RLSH movement has ballooned across the country since the mid-2000s, united through the internet on www.reallifesuperheroes.com.

At first, The Real Life Superhero Project was conceived as an avenue to shine some light on this new breed of activism and altruism, through a photographic installation to benefit the established organizations the superheroes believe in. But as more people were brought into the wholly volunteer project, largely through Tangen’s infectious enthusiasm, the scope and purpose expanded exponentially.

Now, what began as a gallery exhibit, has come to serve as the launching pad of something far greater—a living, breathing community that inspires people to become the positive forces for change we all can be. To become more active, more involved, more committed, and perhaps, a little super in the process.

(WATCH a video below – READ the current story from Detroit Free Press)

Thanks to Joel Arellano for submitting the link on our Facebook Page!

Chicago Anti-gang Efforts Tame Street Violence

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Feb 9, 2014

Chicago’s overall crime rate fell last year to a level not seen since 1972, and the number of shooting incidents involving victims 16 and younger dropped 40 percent in 12 months, city officials say.

Some believe the decline is a result of spending more than $100 million on police overtime. But city officials insist the numbers are evidence that changing police tactics and creating and expanding after-school jobs and mentoring programs for young people are paying off.

(READ the AP story from NPR)

Photo credit: Andy Corbley

Study Promises New Hope for Children with Autism

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Feb 9, 2014

An alternative and non-invasive treatment for autism has led to significant reductions in maladaptive behaviors in children, according to a new study published in the January issue of the peer-reviewed journal, EXPLORE: The Journal of Science and Healing.

Robert Weiner, the author and lead researcher of the multi-site study, calls the novel NeuroModulation Technique a “promising intervention for autism.”

Weiner, a Dallas, Texas behavioral medicine psychologist who has been in private practice since 1987, told the Good News Network, “I started using NMT, a gentle consciousness-based therapy, in my practice in 2004 and observed remarkable results, particularly with allergies.”

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After 27 Years a Janitor, Man Becomes School’s Principal

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Feb 9, 2014

The school principal at Port Barre Elementary in Louisiana is a living example of perseverance.

Gabe Sonnier worked as the school’s janitor in 1985 when then-Principal Westley Jones pulled him aside and said, “I’d rather see you grading papers than picking them up.”

It was a turning point in Gabe’s life. After that, he began studying for his teaching degree.

“Isn’t that something?” Mr. Sonnier asked reporter Steve Hartman.

Yes, it is.

(WATCH the video or READ the full story from CBS News)

Pete Seeger: Optimism is Key to the Future

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Feb 8, 2014

Pete Seeger 250px 07 Photo by Anthony Pepitone — 2007, by Anthony Pepitone, CC license

“The key to the future of the world is finding optimistic stories and letting them be known.”
-Pete Seeger (1919 – 2014)

Breakthrough Bionic Hand Restores Amputee’s Sense of Touch

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Feb 8, 2014

Nine years after an accident caused the loss of his left hand, Dennis Aabo Sørensen from Denmark became the first amputee in the world to feel – in real-time – with a sensory-enhanced prosthetic hand that was surgically wired to nerves in his upper arm.

The team at EPFL Center for Neuroprosthetics in Italy developed the revolutionary sensory feedback that allowed Sørensen to feel the difference between an orange and a baseball when handling the objects.

“The sensory feedback was incredible,” reports the 36 year-old amputee from Denmark. “I could feel things that I hadn’t been able to feel in over nine years.”

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Poor Teen With $14 Becomes Paper Bag King of Africa

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Feb 8, 2014

paper bag king of Uganda-Andrew Mupuya - CNN

In 2008, 16-year-old Andrew Mupuya was looking for opportunities because he had no way to pay for his schooling.

Suddenly, Ugandan officials announced they were considering a ban on plastic bags which had become a major source of pollution, so Mupuya, who was still in secondary school, immediately wondered if it made sense to launch a paper bag production company.

“I conducted a feasibility study, market research around retail shops, kiosks, supermarkets around Kampala and discovered there is need and potential market for paper bags.”

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Fan Wins $25,000 Super Bowl Bet For 2nd Time, Donates It All

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Feb 8, 2014

football end zone-Bills-CC-Flickr-Chess REO

Jona Rechnitz, who won $50,000 on the 2012 Superbowl just did it again … by placing the same exact bet.

He bet last year that the Giants, and this year, the Seahawks, would score first as a result of a two-point safety.

Both times the NYC real estate mogul donated the winnings to charity — $75,000 in total.

(READ the story from TMZ)

Helped by TV Show ‘House’, Doctor Diagnoses Rare Condition

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Feb 8, 2014

Hugh Laurie 2009 - CC photo by Kristin Dos Santos

A German man with severe heart failure and a puzzling mix of symptoms including fever, blindness, deafness and enlarged lymph nodes that baffled doctors for months, finally was diagnosed when he was referred to a fan of the U.S. television medical drama, ‘House’.

“After five minutes, I knew what was wrong,” said Dr. Juergen Schaefer, who works at the Center for Undiagnosed Diseases in Marburg, north of Frankfurt.

He said the man’s symptoms matched up almost perfectly with a patient on an episode.

(READ the story in the Calgary Herald)

Thanks to Judy Ritchie for sending the link!

Thanks to C. Michael McGinley for submitting the link on our Facebook Page!

Photo by publicdomainphotos on Flickr, CC – Thanks to Andrew N. for submitting the link!

Thanks to Joel Arellano for submitting the link on our Facebook Page!

Photo credit: Andy Corbley

Thanks to Joel Arellano for submitting the link on our Facebook Page!

CC photo of actor Hugh Laurie – by Kristin Dos Santos