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90-Year-old Feels As Good As She’s Ever Felt

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Phyllis Sues-90yo and feeling greatPhyllis Sues says she is not aware of being 90 years old. “I’m physically as good as I have ever felt and mentally even better.” People ask her all the time what’s her secret. She tells them to move — every day.

“There is no cheating!” says the dancer. “It’s daily! Minute-by-minute.”

She wrote in the Huffington Post, “Numbers and dwelling on age is a trap. There is no age, it’s living each moment to it’s fullest.”

– READ her article in the Huff Post

– WATCH the video below

– Visit her website, PhyllisSues.com

Stop Being Negative, Live at Least a Decade Longer

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nuns smiling-Flickr-DeusXFlorida-CC

nuns smiling-Flickr-DeusXFlorida-CCA 1986 study from which researchers analyzed the autobiographical essays of 678 nuns, written in their early 20s when they had entered an American convent in the 1930s, found that those in the top 25 percent on the optimism scale lived on average up to 10 years longer.

The implications of this astonishing finding in our increasingly health-conscious age should be enormous.

As the writer and broadcaster Dr Michael Mosley told a BBC radio program this week: “There is almost nothing you can do which will do that [increase your life by 10 years]. If you took up fiendish levels of exercise, you could probably raise your life expectancy by four years, so 10 years is huge.” So why isn’t health policy being redirected towards eradicating pessimism by placing the emphasis on positive minds not fitter bodies?

Mosley, a self-described “proud pessimist”, set about to change his outlook.

(READ the article in the National)

Photo credit: DeusXFlorida, via Flickr-CC

New Billboard Proclaims ‘You Are So Freaking Awesome’

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Awesome billboard - The Joy Team

Awesome billboard - The Joy TeamAnother randomly positive billboard has popped up in Portland this week. The yellow sign towering above Sandy Blvd., at 35th street, declares, “You are so freaking awesome”.

It is the second of eight positive advertisements, paid for by a grant from Awesome Portland, erected and designed by The Joy Team of Vancouver, Washington whose mission is to encourage positive thinking.

The first billboard in the eight month campaign was up in October, with a message for drivers on Interstate Ave: “Be Happy”.

Upcoming messages are:

  • “You are enough” in December, to combat holiday depression
  • “Be-YOU-tiful” in January, for Self-love month
  • “Hug someone today” in February, for Random Acts of Kindness Week
  • “Something wonderful is about to happen” in March, for National Optimism month
  • “We believe in you” in April
  • “Smile”  in May, for National Smile month

“The November billboard is one of my favorites,” said Michele McKeag Larsen, founder of the local positive thought organization, The Joy Team. “It’s a little irreverent, so people look twice.

“This is exactly the kind of quirky and random (yet warm and fuzzy) idea that makes Portland an awesome place to live and this project is a great example of how our 1000 bucks can be spent to do something truly inspirational,” said Leslie Rogers of Awesome Portland.  “We like that this project has the capacity to reach so many people and will make them smile.”

enjoy the moment billboard-TheJoyTeamBillboard locations and photos can be found as available at TheJoyTeam.org.

Founded in February 2010, The Joy Team is a non-profit 501c3 corporation based in Vancouver, Washington, with the mission of building community by spreading joy, optimism and inspiration. Projects of the positive thought organization include billboard campaigns, delivering Happy Packets to the staff of organizations serving the community, Chalk the Walks, the PB & JOY Project and The Junior Joy Team.

Moscow Gives Free Subway Ride to Anyone Who Can Do 30 Squats (WATCH!)

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squats for subway ticket

squats for subway ticketTo promote the February Sochi Olympics, the Russian Olympic Committee has added a machine in the Moscow subway that gives a free ticket if you can complete at least 30 squats within two minutes.

The machine, in the Vystavochaya Station, has a special squat sensor and counts down the number left to go.

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Occupy Wall Street Activists Pay Off $15 Million of Americans’ Personal Debt

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debt eraser-Alan Cleaver-flickr-CC

debt eraser-Alan Cleaver-flickr-CCIn one year, a group of Occupy Wall Street activists has managed to buy almost $15 million of Americans’ personal debt to help them pay off their outstanding credit.

Under the name, Rolling Jubilee, and launched one year ago today, the Occupy activists purchase anonymous debt cheaply from banks and then “abolish” it, freeing individuals from their bills.

By purchasing the debt on the “secondary debt market” at bargain basement prices, the group has managed to erase more than $14.7 million of personal debt — mainly medical bills — by spending only $400,000 raised through donations.

Basically, the secondary debt market is a way for banks and lenders to cut their losses after customers have proven themselves unable to pay by getting five cents on a dollar.

(READ the full story from The Guardian)

Photo credit: Alan Cleaver via Flickr-CC

Man Shares Exact Replica of Batmobile and Bat-cave With Sick Children

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joker and tiny Batman-Make Wish Come True-todayvid

joker and tiny Batman-Make Wish Come True-todayvidCharles Keller of Phoenix, Ariz., is such a massive fan of the 1960s Batman TV show, that he has an exact working replica of the Batmobile and the Bat-cave — complete with the red telephone Commissioner Gordon uses to call the superhero.

Best of all, he turned his hobby into an opportunity to help kids with cancer, including 4-year-old Ezra Spector who got his wish to be Batman for a day.

Not only does Charles play make believe with 4-year-old Ezra, who really feels like a superhero. An entire community plays along.

(WATCH the video from TODAY)

WWII Letters Reveal Parents’ Untold Love Story

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letter of love-WWII-KVOAvid

letter of love-WWII-KVOAvidAs Darrow Beaton was dying from lung cancer in 2008, the World War II veteran mailed his eldest daughter four boxes of family photos.

Hidden away under those photos were hundreds of love letters, some nine pages long, single spaced on a typewriter. They were on onionskin and fancy hotel stationery. There were postcards and telegrams — all written between December 1941 and November 1945.

Beaton, a private man, had never revealed any details about his past.

The tender letters tell the story of a young Beaton and the love of his life, Elinor Landgrebe Beaton.

(READ the story, w/ photos, from the Arizona Star or WATCH the video at the Daily Mail — It starts by itself at the bottom of page)

Prince Harry and Wounded Warriors to Trek to South Pole

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Prince Harry in arctic jacket

Prince Harry in arctic jacketTo benefit Walking for the Wounded, a charity to help men and women injured in military service, Prince Harry will join a group of wounded soldiers on an expedition to the South Pole.

The prince will join one of three teams leaving this weekend for a 200-mile race across the Antarctic Plateau.

Wounded warriors from as far away as North Carolina met the queen, shared laughs about the weather at the Pole and are currently participating in a LIVE ceremonial send-off in Trafalgar Square.

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Hundreds of Strangers Flock to Funeral for WWII Soldier Who Died Alone

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funeral raining-newsvid

funeral raining-newsvidHis death at 99, one of the last survivors of successful British battles of World War II, might have been a lonely service in an almost empty chapel. His friends were all gone and he had no children.

It seemed there would be no one to mourn Harold Jellicoe Percival except a handful of nursing home staff and a distant relative or two.

But on Monday, after a newspaper appeal led to an internet campaign highlighting the forgotten war veteran, hundreds of people who never knew him came to pay their respects at his funeral – poignantly held at 11am on Armistice Day, 11/11 (now Veterans Day in the US).

“We just wanted a handful of service members to be present,” said the funeral director who placed the ad. “It’s turned into something far more than we ever imagined.”

The small chapel was bursting at the seams with veterans wearing their medals, with hundreds having to wait in the rain. All brought special meaning to the Armistice Day moment of silence, a pledge to never forget.

(WATCH the video below or READ the story from the Daily Mail)

Soldier Who Suffered Severe Injuries in Iraq Inspires Town with Positive Attitude

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Jerral Hancock photo by Kickstarter project for NOVEMBER WAR

Jerral Hancock photo by Kickstarter project for NOVEMBER WARWhen Jerral Hancock came home from the Iraq war missing one arm and a paralyzed body that was burned all over, he was a hero to this Mojave Desert town.

But he was eventually forgotten.

Then the students in Jamie Goodreau’s U.S. history classes learned that Hancock had once got stuck in his modest mobile home for half a year when his handicapped-accessible van broke down, and that the hallways of his tiny house were so narrow he couldn’t get his wheelchair through most of them.

“They would fix that, Goodreau’s students decided, by building Hancock a new home from the ground up —one that is handicapped accessible,” reports the Associated Press. “It would be their end-of-the-year project.”

It’s six months later and the students have closed escrow on a $264,000 property.

(READ the AP story at the LA Times)

Thanks to Craig Withers for submitting the link!
Photo credit: Documentary makers of NOVEMBER WAR (One Day of Fighting, Ten Different Perspectives), via Kickstarter page

Animal Aid Arrives in Philippines

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cow in poverty Philippines-HumanSocietyIntl

cow in poverty Philippines-HumanSocietyIntlThe International Fund for Animal Welfare arrived yesterday in Tacloban, the community in the Philippines hardest hit by Super Typhoon Haiyan to deliver animal relief packets for farm animals and pets.

The trained responders are working with local partner agency, the Philippines Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) to mobilize in the field and conduct an immediate animal needs assessment.

“The Philippines is facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Many of the grief-stricken communities live with farm and companion animals and have no way to provide for them now,” said Shannon Walajtys, IFAW Manager for Disasters. “IFAW is here working with our trusted partner PAWS to offer relief to humans and their animals in this their greatest time of need.”

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10 Awesome Entrepreneurs Serving Veterans

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soldier with light flag background

soldier with light flag backgroundIn honor of Veteran’s Day Monday, Brad Aronson sent this great list of unique organizations that serve returning warriors.

From pets, to homes, to jobs to brides, Carolyn Blashek, founder of Operation Gratitude, may have summed up the interest in serving vets best:

“Serving those who serve us is both an expression of thanks from a grateful nation and a fitting tribute to our military heroes who inspire us to a cause greater than ourselves.”

(READ about the organizations at BradAronson.com)

Chance Airline Encounter Frees TODAY Show Co-Host to Talk About Her Cancer

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Hoda Kotb inspiredby-TODAY

Hoda Kotb inspiredby-TODAYAs part of a special week of stories about who most inspired them, TODAY show co-host Hoda Kotb credits a stranger on an airplane for encouraging her to stop hiding her breast cancer journey.

“I decided to pick people who any one of us could have met, but if you turned right instead of turning left, you would have missed them,’’ Hoda said. “After a chance meeting, I truly hit the brakes and said, ‘Today is a game-changer in my life.’”

She met Ken Duane on a flight in 2007 while she was in the midst of a fight with breast cancer.

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Toronto Hospital Celebrates 30th Anniversary of the First Successful Lung Transplant

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Paris-Tourist-world-s-first-lung-transplant-recipient-Tom-Hall

Paris-Tourist-world-s-first-lung-transplant-recipient-Tom-HallIn 1983, Tom Hall was the 45th patient in the world to receive a lung transplant, but the first ever to survive more than a few days or weeks afterward. The 58-year-old lived more than six years after receiving the organ.

Grateful family members were reunited with the surgeon last week to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the historic operation in Toronto.

“Most people don’t recognize that Canada is No. 1 in some things and this [lung transplants] is one of them,” Dr. Shaf Keshavjee, director of the lung transplant program, said in an interview.

(WATCH the video below or READ the story from the CBC)

Thanks to Richard Gray for submitting the link on our Facebook Page!

What Happened After a Man Found $98,000 Inside a CraigsList Desk

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money found in desk

money found in deskA Connecticut man bought a large desk from Craigslist and luckily it was too big to fit through the door.

“The desk did not fit into this office by fraction of an inch,” said Rabbi Noah Muroff.

He and his wife took the desk apart only to find a huge pile of cash hidden in a plastic bag behind the deep file drawers.

The original owner had hidden her father’s inheritance in the desk and it had fallen behind the drawers, which could not be taken out, according to the report from Vozisneias.com. She figured the bag must have been moved to another hiding place.

When the money was returned she offered a reward. “I do not think there are too many people in this world who would have done what you did,” she wrote in a thank you note.

The rabbi, who has four children, consulted with his spiritual advisor on what to do with a reward. Though uncomfortable with the idea of accepting anything in return for doing a good deed, the desk’s owner insisted — and she threw in a refund for the $200 he paid for the desk.

The rabbi decided to go public with the story so he could serve as an example of honesty.

(WATCH the video below, or READ the story from Times of Israel)

International Space Crew Returns Olympic Torch to Earth

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astonaut carries Olympic torch in space-NASA

astonaut carries Olympic torch in space-NASAA Russian Soyuz spacecraft carried three astronauts and the Olympic torch back to Earth on Monday after the torch was taken on its first spacewalk in the run-up to the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.

Russia’s Fyodor Yurchikhin “beamed” as he held up the silver-and-grey torch alongside his fellow Expedition 37 astronauts, American Karen Nyberg and Italian Luca Parmitano, after returning to central Kazakhstan from the International Space Station (ISS) following a 166-day mission.

The Olympic torch was launched to the station Nov. 6 and taken on a spacewalk Saturday as part of the official torch relay. This is the same torch that will be used to light the Olympic flame at the Fisht Stadium in Sochi, Russia, marking the start of the 2014 Winter Games in February.

Nyberg, Parmitano and Yurchikhin arrived at the station in May, and during their extended stay in space orbited Earth 2,656 times and traveled more than 70 million miles. Parmitano conducted a spacewalk in July, becoming the first Italian to walk in space.

The ISS has had continuous human occupation since November 2000. In that time it has been visited by more than 200 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft.

(READ the full story from Reuters)


Beyonce Delights Blind Girl With Tear-jerking Duet From Stage

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Beyonce sings with blind Aussie girl

Beyonce sings with blind Aussie girlBeyonce brought to life a dream-come-true for 13-year-old Sophie, who is blind and suffers from hearing and muscle difficulties.

During her concert in Perth, Australia on Friday, the megastar singled out the special young girl in the front row and sang a duet with her.

With a radiant smile on her face, Sophie sang the words to Irreplaceable, at her idol’s request.

Her sister Ellie had planned the meeting for seven months with the help of a children’s charity Hope For Children.

(READ the full story, w/ photos, from the Daily Mail)

[Editor’s Note: I couldn’t find a video of this online.]

Tourists Stranded in Philippines Flock to Help Pack Relief Supplies

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relief supplies packed by tourists-ArnoldBillSo-CNNiReport

relief supplies packed by tourists-ArnoldBillSo-CNNiReportMany of the 400 tourists left stranded in the island community of Coron in the Philippines have offered to help pack relief supplies, rather than simply waiting around for the airport to reopen following Typhoon Haiyan.

The Philippines News Agency said the mayor thanked the tourists who flocked to the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council Command Center to help pack relief goods slated for delivery to hundreds of residents.

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Miss Universe Hopefuls Overcome Odds, From Cancer to Racial Barriers

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Miss Universe contestant-Israeli Titi Yitayish Ayanaw

Miss Universe contestant-Israeli Titi Yitayish AyanawFrom a beauty who battled breast cancer to an orphan breaking racial and religious barriers, some Miss Universe contestants brought with them heart-wrenching — yet inspiring — stories. They are among the 86 women from around the world who competed for the 2013 crown in Moscow Saturday.

For Miss Bulgaria, Veneta Krasteva (right), the road to Moscow has been a difficult one. Just over two years ago, at the age of 18, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Miss Bulgaria isn’t the only one who has faced adversity. Titi Yitayish Ayanaw, Miss Israel, is an Ethiopian-born orphan who moved to the country when she was only 12 years old.

As for other history-makers, 25-year-old Moe Set Wine is the first Miss Universe contestant to represent the historically war-torn nation of Myanmar in 53 years.

(READ the full story from TODAY)

Student’s Speech Brings Tears to Some Who’d Bullied Him

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crying teen-Educating Yorkshire-film

crying teen-Educating Yorkshire-filmA teenager brought his classmates to tears at a school assembly that was later broadcast by a documentary in Britain.

“Educating Yorkshire” placed cameras and videographers around the school, which captured powerful moments for the short TV series.

Musharaf Asgar endured years of bullying due to his stammering. But, one day a teacher tried the remedy that was hailed in “The King’s Speech” film.

Once the boy put on headphones playing music in his ears, his stammer subsided dramatically. The excitement of the breakthrough and the subsquent speech before the school was all filmed for the show.

(WATCH the video below)

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