In Rotterdam, a new bridge connects two parts of the city that were previously cut off by roads with heavy traffic.
The bridge is all wood–17,000 individual planks, each of which bears the name of the individual who donated money to help pay for it when the city’s coffers were empty.
Reconnecting a part of the city cut off by traffic makes the area walkable again, and may attract shops, restaurants, and small businesses.
In Rotterdam, a new bridge connects two parts of the city that were previously cut off by roads with heavy traffic.
The bridge is all wood–17,000 individual planks, each of which bears the name of the individual who donated money to help pay for it when the city’s coffers were empty.
Reconnecting a part of the city cut off by traffic makes the area walkable again, and may attract shops, restaurants, and small businesses.
Hundreds came to the funeral of a Royal Marine who had no friends and no family after a clergyman posted a notice on Facebook to rally people for a proper send-off.
The word spread among local Portsmouth servicemen who did come providing all the arrangements for a fitting farewell service for James McConnell.
(WATCH the video or read the story from ITV News)
Quvenzhane Wallis could make Oscar history tonight by taking home the Best Actress statue for her role in the critically acclaimed drama Beasts of the Southern Wild, for which she became the youngest actor ever nominated for an Academy Award.
She was 6 years old when she played the part of Hushpuppy, the indomitable child prodigy and survivalist who lives with her dying father in the backwoods squalor of a Louisiana bayou.
Tech world celebrities including Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and Google’s Sergey Brin have donated part of their fortunes to help extend human life through the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, a $33 million award to help 11 different scientists in their efforts to cure complex diseases.
In its inaugural year, the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Foundation, a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to advancing breakthrough medical and science research has awarded $3 million each to: (watch the video below)
Up until this point, medical testing has been relegated to the hospital or physician’s office, but now you can get do-it-yourself diagnoses in your home.
Among the new products, Mode Diagnostics expects to begin selling its colon-cancer test, the first in a series of do-it-yourself medical checks it’s developing, directly to patients for about $38 through online retailers such as Amazon.com Inc. in the second half of the year.
Organic fruits and vegetables may not be as big and beautiful as regular produce, but appearances can be deceiving. A study of organic tomatoes found they are packed with a much higher concentration of healthy compounds than the conventionally grown variety.
Mitchell Marcus has a developmental disability, but he far surpasses all the other students in his El Paso high school when it comes to his love for basketball.
He has served as team manager for the Thunderbirds and all the players and fans love his spirit.
On the last game of the regular season, the coach told Mitchell to suit up.
Mitchell Marcus has a developmental disability, but he far surpasses all the other students in his El Paso high school when it comes to his love for basketball.
He has served as team manager for the Thunderbirds and all the players and fans love his spirit.
On the last game of the regular season, the coach told Mitchell to suit up.
Anshu Gupta, a public relations professional, decided to give up his career 15 years ago to do something about the lack of basic clothing for the poor in India, who often die from exposure in winter.
He and his wife began by donating 67 pieces of spare clothing from their own wardrobes. These days, 2.2 million pounds of clothing each year are processed annually by his organization.
What makes their project different is that nothing is given away; Gupta’s motto is “clothing for dignity,” and he has put in place a Cloth for Work program that enhances people’s independence.
A lot of national attention has been showered on Billy Ray Harris, a panhandler in Missouri, after he returned a diamond engagement ring that accidentally dropped into his cup when a woman was pouring in the contents of her change purse.
The woman’s husband, Bill Krejci, was so grateful for the honest man’s efforts to return the ring, and so many friends asked how they could help, that a fundraising page was set up for Billy Ray on Feb. 14.
As of this morning, Feb. 23, the Give Forward page just passed $100,000.
“Words cannot express how it feels to be a part of something like this,” wrote Krejci after only $15K had been donated.
Harris was raised by his grandfather, a reverend, so the simple act of “returning something that doesn’t belong to you” did not seem to him deserving of so much attention.
But when a reporter from KCTV told Billy Ray they received a call from his long lost sister in Texas, the man’s eyes lit up and he called it the best reward of all. A reunion by telephone was imminent and his “baby sister” extended an open invitation to come live in Texas.
Krejci and his fiancé have already helped fix Harris’s bicycle — an activity he dearly loves. (A BMX bicycle is next!) And this update was posted yesterday:
Billy Ray and I got together for an hour or so yesterday afternoon.
We talked about a lot of things related to my family’s ring and the many donations. We talked about one day in the future the ring may one day be passed down to my daughter. We talked about how insanely positive all this has been. We talked about what he’s planning to do with the donations. The details would be better left for later, but know that he has a very solid plan and a very solid way of making it happen.
(FOLLOW the developing story on the fundraising page)
A lot of national attention has been showered on Billy Ray Harris, a panhandler in Missouri, after he returned a diamond engagement ring that accidentally dropped into his cup when a woman was pouring in the contents of her change purse.
The woman’s husband, Bill Krejci, was so grateful for the honest man’s efforts to return the ring, and so many friends asked how they could help, that a fundraising page was set up for Billy Ray on Feb. 14.
As of this morning, Feb. 23, the Give Forward page just passed $100,000.
A program at a Washington state prison is improving the lives of abused cats and also the inmates who now care for them.
Five felines that were rescued from neglectful or abusive situations currently reside at the prison as part of a cat adoption program coordinated with the Humane Society. The inmates socialize the cats and get them ready to be adopted.
One of the cats has already been turned around. When she arrived, she did nothing but hide and refused to eat. Now, after several weeks, she allows her caretaker to carry her around the unit and plays in his room.
Albert Lexie, the longtime shoe shiner, has been giving back to others for years.
He is Pittsburgh’s hero in disguise. With no fancy clothes and no fancy job, this man is a guardian angel who changes lives one dollar at a time.
A shoe shine costs $5, but Lexie’s customers have been generous with their tips since he started working at the children’s hospital in 1981.
And Lexie gives every cent of his tips back to the children.
(WATCH the video, or read the story from WTAE News)
Albert Lexie, the longtime shoe shiner, has been giving back to others for years.
He is Pittsburgh’s hero in disguise. With no fancy clothes and no fancy job, this man is a guardian angel who changes lives one dollar at a time.
A shoe shine costs $5, but Lexie’s customers have been generous with their tips since he started working at the children’s hospital in 1981.
Jim McAleer, CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Orange County chapter, is in disbelief about an act of charity from a woman he’s never met.
Helen Banas, 95, bequeathed the entirety of her estate to the non-profit organization, in the sum of $27 million. Banas, who passed away in August, had been widowed for 50 years.
No one, not even neighbors knew she had any money at all.
Many returning soldiers are struggling to find employment but the program Troops to Teachers offers a chance for a rewarding career that utilities leadership skills and perseverance.
The Department of Defense initiative is quickly becoming a win-win program for veterans and schools, as qualified service members get trained as teachers and create a safer environment for public schools.
A stray dog that helped save the lives of two soldiers in Afghanistan and survived capture by the Taliban is a canine hero that now tours Britain with his new owner raising money to help save other Afghan animals.
Brin was adopted by the British army when he was found starving and abandoned outside a base in Helmand in 2010.
The soldiers discovered he had an in-born talent for sniffing out danger and soon he began accompanying patrols around the area.
Bottlenose dolphins call out the specific names of loved ones when they become separated, a study finds.
Other than humans, the dolphins are the only animals known to do this, according to the study, which was conducted from 1984 to 2009 and published in the latest Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
When groups of dolphins met up, they swapped whistles that outwardly sounded the same but their research showed that the whistles were individual signatures that were never matched or copied by other dolphins.
Julian Newman is 11 years old. At 4-foot-5-inches he has become an internet sensation thanks to a viral video of his phenomenal basketball skills.
Even though he is only in the fifth grade, he plays for an Orlando, Florida high school varsity team. His speed and agility — not to mention how close he is to the ground — makes catching him hard even for opponents who are 6-years older than him.
