His father said the 12-year-old New Zealand boy was seconds away from drowning after being battered by waves, unable to emerge for air.
The boy, who was swept out to sea by rough waters, was rescued by beachgoers after they formed a human chain to pull the boy back to the shore.
Video shot on a cell phone at the scene captured the race to save him.
(WATCH the video from One News – READ the story from ABC News)
Mike Mika is a gamer dad, so it’s only natural that he would try to pass on his deep, nerdy love for all things videogame to his offspring. But while the allure of Atari didn’t fully take with his young son, Mika says his daughter “jumps at the chance to play games with her old man.”
The 3-year-old has a particular affection for Donkey Kong, but wasn’t so wild about always playing the Mario character. In fact, she wanted Pauline to save the plumber for a change. She wanted to “play as the girl,” Mika wrote in Wired Magazine.
We don’t usually hear about big lottery winners after they’ve gone home with their check, but a Missouri couple who won a staggering $136 million after taxes in the November Powerball payout is making good on their pledge to invest in the community.
Mark and Cindy Hill of Dearborn could have left their small, struggling town to go anywhere, but they chose to stay. In fact, what the Hills have elected to do with their windfall is far from splurging on luxury.
A Tulsa family was finally able to adopt a 5-year-old hearing impaired girl from China with whom they fell in love last June.
On Tuesday, thanks to a cochlear implant, their daughter was able to hear for the first time. When the device was activated, she heard her mother’s voice and the little girl’s face lit up as she toward the sound.
(WATCH the video below or READ the story from KJRH)
Middle-aged people with a more optimistic outlook in life had higher levels of high-density lipoproteins and lower triglyceride levels than pessimists, according to a study in the American Journal of Cardiology.
“It is one additional piece of evidence suggesting that our psychological health and physical health are intertwined, and that viewing the world optimistically may have some tangible benefits for our health,” said lead author Julia Boehm, a research fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.
Teens at Plano Senior High School in Texas are trying to redefine beauty, rallying students to wear no makeup Friday — an initiative they’re calling “Operation Beautiful.”
“I just really began to see how I don’t need makeup to be beautiful,” said Madeline Milby, 17, vice president of the student congress and a senior at PSHS, which is in the Dallas suburbs. “There’s so much more to me. It’s your personality, your passion and what’s inside your heart.”
US employers stepped up hiring in February, adding a greater-than-expected 236,000 workers to their payrolls and helping to push the jobless rate to a four year-low in a bright signal on the economy’s health.
The upbeat report, which showed broad-based job gains, was another sign of the economy’s fundamental health, and it added fuel to a rally in US stock markets that had already propelled the Dow Jones industrial average to record highs.
After 13-year-old Noah scheduled a suicide for his birthday, his mother asked friends on Facebook to send letters to her son telling him how special he was. She was hoping for at least a couple responses.
What happened next is a remarkable testament to both the power of social media and the kindness of strangers.
“I know it is hard to believe right now, but life gets better. I promise,” Noah read from one letter.
He has received thousands of letters from every continent on the planet, including Antarctica.
The sheer volume has lit a light in their lives.
(WATCH the video or READ the story from Steve Hartman at CBS)
After 13-year-old Noah scheduled a suicide for his birthday, his mother asked friends on Facebook to send letters to her son telling him how special he was. She was hoping for at least a couple responses.
What happened next is a remarkable testament to both the power of social media and the kindness of strangers.
“I know it is hard to believe right now, but life gets better. I promise,” Noah read from one letter.
He has received thousands of letters from every continent on the planet, including Antarctica.
Ecover, the green cleaning brand, said on Thursday it will use plastic waste retrieved from the sea to create an entirely new type of sustainable and recyclable plastic bottle.
The Belgian company is working with plastic manufacturer Logoplaste to combine plastic trawled from the sea with a plastic made from sugar cane (‘Plant-astic’) and recycled plastic, in what it is calling a world-first for packaging.
Products made from the packaging will go on sale next year.
(READ the story in the Guardian)
My wife and I recently realized that we have a lot of stuff collecting dust. Instead of saving it all in case we need 10 years hence, why not give it to someone who needs it now? In case you feel the same way, here are some useful places to donate all types of things, like cell phones, gift cards and eyeglasses…
Four years ago, Nolan was diagnosed with brain cancer. After many treatments and interventions, doctors say they can do no more for him.
Despite his terrible illness, the determined athlete still wants to marry his fiancée and take her on a honeymoon to Disney World.
Through the kindness of others and services donated, Nolan and Morgan are looking forward to their wedding on March 9.
The 28-year-old may not have overcome his health diagnosis, but he decided to try overcoming his financial diagnosis: The couple was left dirt poor from major health bills.
A fundraising page at GiveForward.com was set up to ask for donations to pay for their Disney honeymoon. The goal was to raise $20,000.
As of today, they have raised $64,525 from almost one thousand donors.
“Enjoy this time together and cherish every moment,” wrote Cassie, a donor who gave $100.
For more photos, or to make a donation or send a message, visit Nolan and Morgan’s page on the GiveForward website at www.giveforward.com/nolanswish.
Four years ago, Nolan was diagnosed with brain cancer. After many treatments and interventions, doctors say they can do no more for him.
Despite his terrible illness, the determined athlete still wants to marry his fiancée and take her on a honeymoon to Disney World.
Through the kindness of others and services donated, Nolan and Morgan are looking forward to their wedding on March 9.
The 28-year-old may not have overcome his health diagnosis, but he decided to try overcoming his financial diagnosis: The couple was left dirt poor from major health bills.
Kerry Drake needed to get to Lubbock, Texas, and fast. His mother was dying, so he booked the next flight from San Francisco.
“I knew this itinerary was a risk because the stopover in Houston was only about 40 minutes, and my connecting flight was the last flight to Lubbock that day,” he told journalist Christopher Elliott. “But I needed to get there as soon as possible, so I took the risk.”
As it turns out, United flight 667 was delayed leaving San Francisco and Drake was visibly distraught.
Kerry Drake needed to get to Lubbock, Texas, and fast. His mother was dying, so he booked the next flight from San Francisco.
“I knew this itinerary was a risk because the stopover in Houston was only about 40 minutes, and my connecting flight was the last flight to Lubbock that day,” he told journalist Christopher Elliott. “But I needed to get there as soon as possible, so I took the risk.”
As it turns out, United flight 667 was delayed leaving San Francisco and Drake was visibly distraught.
Katie Sattler admits when she first noticed the diamond from her engagement ring was missing, she panicked.
The diamond is three carats with an estimated value of about $30,000. She said the sentimental value is priceless.
Sattler was driving home from the dog groomer at a Florida PetSmart when she noticed the diamond was gone. She had to pull over after she started screaming, and thought she was going to have a heart attack.
Her husband called it a rainbow-happy ending and praised the store manager, Jeff, for his honor, integrity and sincerity.
(READ the story from WPBF)
Wal-Mart Stores Inc on Thursday will launch a line of products from small, women-owned businesses on its website, its latest push to position itself as a leader in women’s economic empowerment around the world..
More than 200 items, from jewelry and iPad cases to coffee beans and apparel, will be sold on the ‘Empowering Women Together’ section of Walmart.com, the world’s largest retailer said on Thursday, a day before International Women’s Day.
The New York woman who guarded $11,000 in cash that flew out the back of an armored truck last week will get a $2,500 reward.
Patricia Wesner returned $11,000 in coins and bills that flew her way on a bumpy highway after stayed with the money and calling police rather than pocketing any of it for her struggling nonprofit.
The director of the Pember Library and Museum in Granville, N.Y. found herself behind the armored truck when it starts spewing out money.
Mayor Cory Booker has earned about $1 million in public speaking fees over his seven years in office, the majority of which he has given to charity, according to a report on the website of the New York Times.
He told the newspaper he spoke mainly to educational institutions and nonprofit organizations and would sometimes make five-figure donations the same day he was receiving payment for speaking engagements.
She is called the Steve Jobs of the architecture world because of her fluid, futuristic designs.
How did 47-year-old Zhang Xin go from working in a sweatshop to becoming one of the richest women in the world?
She got her start on Wall Street, but missed her homeland and returned to become a real estate mogul, building the futuristic buildings that mark the distinctive skyline of Beijing.
(WATCH the video below from 60 Minutes)
