Every Thursday, this makes me cry.
After celebrity stylist Loius Licari scans the crowd outside the TODAY show at Rockefeller Plaza, he chooses two women who want — and sometimes desperately need — a makeover.
When the hosts, Kathie Lee and Hoda, finally unveil the women and their stylish new looks, friends and families always gasp in shock over the transformations. Many times, the new haircut literally strips decades from the women’s faces.
Jonathan Allen stunned the crowd after taking the stage in America’s Got Talent. His back story already brought tears to the eyes of a wider television viewing audience, but when he opened his mouth, he amazed the judges with a stunning rendition of Luciano Pavarotti‘s ”Time To Say Goodbye.”
He received a standing ovation from all four judges, with Howie Mandel commenting that he had earned a much bigger family after displaying his talent and heart.
Nobody expected to find Cutie alive, that much is certain.
But there the little, black-and-white dog was, trapped under the bow of the overturned boat she had been riding in four days earlier when it flipped in the upper Chena River and was swept downstream by the strong current.
Oprah Winfrey is donating $12 million to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture — the museum’s largest donation to date. In recognition, Winfrey’s name will be on a 350-seat theater in the museum, which is currently under construction and set to open in 2015.
“I am so proud of African American history and its contributions to our nation as a whole,” said Winfrey, who has been a member of the museum’s advisory council since 2004. “I am deeply appreciative of those who paved the path for me and all who follow in their footsteps.”
Remember the World’s Best Wedding Photo we saw last month that had dinosaurs in the background? Another creative wedding photographer, this time in Toronto, has borrowed the idea to serve up a Star Wars theme via Photoshop for the bride and groom.
“There was a shot floating around the internet last week of a bridal party being chased by a dinosaur,” wrote the photographer on their blog. “Because Leslie (and us) are huge Star Wars nerds! We couldn’t resist their bridal party getting chased by a squad of Imperial AT-AT Walkers!”
A fascination with unusual kangaroos has led an Australian couple on a 10-year journey in the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea.
The two zoologists have spent the past decade trying to save the critically endangered species of tree kangaroo, which had been hunted almost to extinction by locals whose menus included the animals.
Their numbers dwindled to fewer than 500 before Jim and Jean Thomas arrived and set up the Tenkile Alliance, to involve 50 villages in the conservation effort.
(WATCH the video or read the story from ABC.au)
Many museums post their collections online, but the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has taken the unusual step of offering downloads of high-resolution images at no cost, encouraging the public to copy and transform its artworks into stationery, T-shirts, tattoos, plates or even toilet paper.
The museum, whose collection includes masterpieces by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Mondrian and van Gogh, has already made images of 125,000 of its works available through Rijksstudio.
Many of the nation’s 440 military bases were established in what were once sparsely populated hinterlands.
Now, with urban sprawl pushing up against perimeter fences, the Defense Department has quietly joined with conservation organizations to become a major protector of wilderness and ranch lands.
The environmental protection initiative has created more than 260,000 acres of new sanctuaries — off limits to development in perpetuity — for some of the rarest plants and animals on earth.
(READ the story from the LA Times)
Every year storm-water run-off causes nearly 10 trillion gallons of polluted water to be dumped into America’s rivers and oceans. As cities across the country struggle to comply with federal regulations surrounding pollution, Philadelphia is emerging as a model of innovation in water management by opting for cost effective natural solutions that save its two rivers from excessive run-off.
Some of the more simple ideas put into practice include distributing free rain barrels to residents and planting strategically located rain gardens in parks, on curbsides and on rooftops. More expensive goals include resurfacing roads with porous materials.
In 1973, the state’s natural resources department was able to find just 108 breeding pairs in the state.
Today, Wisconsin’s population of bald eagles is soaring, and state officials said this week that eagles are occupying nests in nearly every county of the state.
This year’s eagle population is expected set a record — more than 1,337 pairs.
Populations of osprey, another fish-eating bird of prey, also have been on the rise.
In Brimfield, Ohio, watch out if you are a kid on a bike. You might just get pulled over by the cops.
As written on the department’s Facebook page, Brimfield officers are encouraged to write as many tickets as they can targeting that specific group.
“My officers will have a quota for tickets … at least one per shift. We are going to be profiling, too,” Chief David Oliver wrote last week. “I am strongly encouraging my officers to write as many as they can, every shift, every day.”
Standard & Poor’s today revised upward its credit outlook on the United States government from negative to stable, citing recent increases in tax receipts and steps taken to address longer-term budget issues. – Reuters
As the U.S. Congress begins debate on immigration reform, learn about an American success story for two immigrants who became passionate about growing grapes.
Amelia moved to California from a small village in Mexico when she was twelve and old enough to pick fruit in some one else’s vineyard.
She and her husband bought their first plot of land in 1983 and now own a multi-million dollar Napa Valley business called Ceja Vineyards.
The auto industry is about to go on a hiring spree as car makers and parts suppliers race to find engineers, technicians and factory workers to meet that demand for vehicles in 2013.
More than 11,000 employees will be hired this year by the big three car companies alone, which doesn’t include parts dealers and manufacturers.
Beast Fit Nation in Portland offers free workouts, the only catch is you have to “pay it forward.”
“It’s the world’s first free gym. Everything is free you don’t have to pay me a dollar,” said Sergio Jones, founder of Beast Fit Nation. “All you have to do is promise me you’ll do three random acts of kindness after you leave. You will help out somebody else.”
The actor who could have probably done all right for himself as a pretty boy found a way to prove he was more than just a set of cheekbones and has become one of those rarest commodities in Hollywood: A totally unique specimen who appeals to men, women and children of all ages.
On the occasion of his turning 50 years old (on May 9), enjoy these 50 reasons why Mr. Depp remains Mr. Cool.
Thronged by news photographers and well-wishers, Kabang the hero dog arrived back home in the Philippines yesterday after 8 months in the U.S. enduring intensive surgeries and treatment for cancer and heartworm.
Kabang became a national hero in 2011 after she lost her snout and upper jaw running in front of a motorcycle in what her owner said was “a deliberate act to save two girls who were crossing the street,” according to GMA Online.
After they dutifully followed their mama across a street, four ducklings got trapped when they fell into a storm sewer in Bettendorf, Iowa.
Neighborhood families were able to rescue 3 of the 4 babies with a net, but needed to call out the professionals to get the last one.
The city’s Public Works crew devised a plan to send the final baby back toward the net with a burst of water from upstream.
It worked.
The emergency inspired the neighborhood to work together, with four families joining the effort.
(WATCH the video below, or READ the story from WQAD)
An elderly American couple visiting Toronto have turned into actor John Malkovich’s biggest fans. The Ohio senior was saved from severe bleeding when the acclaimed actor, on the sidewalk at the right time, used his own scarf to tie around the man’s neck to cover the wound.
“The way he was spurting I thought it was the carotid [artery] or the jugular,” his wife, 79 year-old Marilyn Walpole, told the CBC.
Award winning fashion photographer Rick Guidotti worked in Milan, Paris and New York shooting pictures of the world’s most beautiful people, until a chance encounter on a Manhattan street changed everything.
Rick saw a stunning girl at the bus stop and marveled at her pale skin and white hair. Upon returning home he searched for information about albinism and other genetic differences, and was shocked to see the sad and dehumanizing photos in the medical literature.
He proposed — and Life magazine accepted – a feature photo essay called Redefining Beauty showing women like the girl he saw at the bus stop. In 1998 he stopped working in the fashion industry and launched the non-profit Positive Exposure.
