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Tiny Fifth Grade Phenom Stars on the High School Varsity Basketball Team

Julian Newman plays basketball

Julian Newman plays basketballJulian 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.

Tiny Fifth Grade Phenom Stars on the High School Varsity Basketball Team

Julian Newman plays basketball

Julian Newman plays basketballJulian 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.

Lively Seniors Move to College Towns for Retirement (Video)

seniors retire in college towns-NBCvid

seniors retire in college towns-NBCvidA growing number of retirees are moving to some unlikely places. Some are going back to school to keep their minds active.

One typical couple returns to their alma mater to see the football team play, but ends up staying because there is so much to do there — cultural activities, athletics and free lectures.

Stock Markets Worldwide Hit Record Highs Amid Global Optimism

Workers in crane westats Morguefile

Workers in crane westats MorguefileAlthough peaks in the trading markets are just moments in time, it is still a positive sign when we reach them, if only temporarily. This week we saw a congruence of high points from many corners of the world.

Starting in Southeast Asia, the Philippines and Indonesian stock markets hit their record high on Wednesday, while Thailand ended atop a 19-year peak, amid the improving global economic outlook.

Japan’s Nikkei climbed to a 52-month high on Wednesday.

Teachers Ditch Student Desk Chairs for Yoga Balls

balance ball chair-Gaiamdotcom

balance ball chair-GaiamdotcomRobbi Giuliano thinks ditching students’ desk chairs in favor of yoga balls is one of the best decisions she ever made in 11 years of teaching.

Replacing stationary seats with inflatable bouncers has raised productivity in her fifth-graders at Westtown-Thornbury Elementary School, helping students focus on lessons while improving their balance and core strength, she said.

The giant rubber spheres, also called stability balls, make the student work to stay balanced which increases blood flow, leading to more alertness.

(READ the AP story from TODAY)

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For you fully-grown kids who might need the benefits of a stability ball… Until March 19 you can get 20% off the Classic Balance Ball® Chair – (pictured here) at Gaiam.com.

Basketball All-Stars Show They Care With Day of Service

NBA Cares group shot

NBA Cares group shotOn Friday, Feb. 15, more than 1,500 members of the NBA family, including the NBA All-Stars, joined in service projects throughout Houston, including the renovation of 5 homes, repairs and improvements to the Foster Place Elementary basketball court, and much needed yardscaping.

In the video below, stars like Andre Drummond of the Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat’s Chris Bosh and LeBron James talk about the impact of giving back during the 2013 NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service.

Fan’s Motivational Letter Spurs Team to Super Bowl Win

Matthew Jeffers on stage - ESPN video

Matthew Jeffers on stage - ESPN videoBaltimore Ravens fan Matthew Jeffers has inspired head coach John Harbaugh and players like Bernard Pollard with a powerful email sent earlier in the season when the team was mostly losing.

Since birth, Matthew, a drama student, has been afflicted with short stature but says that overcoming failure is a choice that everyone can make.

Little Sisters With Big Hearts Use Origami to Fund Water for Africa

origami sisters create for charity

origami sisters create for charityIn the last 15 months Isabelle and Katherine Adams have made life immeasurably better for villagers they’ve never met, in lands far away from their own home in Dallas.

The young sisters, ages 6 and 9, have raised a remarkable amount, $120,000 in total, for clean-water projects in Ethiopia and India, all through selling origami ornaments they create themselves, and by collecting matching funds for their cause.

Little Sisters With Big Hearts Use Origami to Fund Water for Africa

origami sisters create for charity

origami sisters create for charityIn the last 15 months Isabelle and Katherine Adams have made life immeasurably better for villagers they’ve never met, in lands far away from their own home in Dallas.

The young sisters, ages 6 and 9, have raised a remarkable amount, $120,000 in total, for clean-water projects in Ethiopia and India, all through selling origami ornaments they create themselves, and by collecting matching funds for their cause.

Houston Bar Gives 100% of Profits to Charity. Period.

OKRA pub is a nonprofit - FB photo

OKRA pub is a nonprofit - FB photoThe Original OKRA Charity Saloon in downtown Houston operates a lot like any other tavern — booze is purchased and poured, bartenders get paid and take home tips. But, the owners of this establishment give all their profits away.

Proceeds from OKRA’s are donated to a different Houston-based organization or social cause each month. With every drink purchased, bar patrons vote on which charity is chosen from among four new nominees each month.

Houston Bar Gives 100% of its Profits to Charity. Period.

OKRA pub is a nonprofit - FB photo

OKRA pub is a nonprofit - FB photoThe Original OKRA Charity Saloon in downtown Houston operates a lot like any other tavern — booze is purchased and poured, bartenders get paid and take home tips. But, the owners of this establishment give all their profits away.

Proceeds from OKRA’s are donated to a different Houston-based organization or social cause each month. With every drink purchased, bar patrons vote on which charity is chosen from among four new nominees each month.

CAUGHT ON TAPE: Extraordinary Young Man’s Kindness Will Make Your Day

good samaritan Hispanic-ABCvid

good samaritan Hispanic-ABCvidA year ago, the ABC program “What Would You Do” set up scenarios where a young man and a young woman looked like they were stuck with a flat tire. They compared reactions by pedestrians, and the difference it made on bystanders if the one needing help was a woman or man.

Then, they switch it up and used a Muslim actor to play the stranded motorist. Hours went by and no one helped the man who was clad in the traditional scullcap of the Islamic faith.

But at last, an extraordinary young gentleman came along to help.

Biotechnology Firm Run By Teens Wants to Use Mosquitoes to Carry Vaccines

science lab teen CEO of ProvitaPharmaceuticals

science lab teen CEO of ProvitaPharmaceuticalsProvita Pharmaceutical is working on a project (with funding from the Gates Foundation) to use mosquitoes to help carry vaccines against the West Nile Virus.

The first goal: to genetically engineer mosquitoes so that they can produce and deliver a vaccine via their saliva. It’s a new twist on research being done elsewhere to breed sterile mosquitoes in malaria-infested areas.

And, everyone on the 15-plus person Provita team, from research and development workers to finance officers, is under the age of 18 and still in high school.

Hardware Store Recreates Van Gogh’s Starry Night With Door Knobs

Starry Night hardware installation-UnioinHardware

Starry Night hardware installation-UnioinHardwareLooking at a warehouse full of outdated and discontinued door knobs, the folks at Union Hardware in Bethesda, Maryland wondered what they could possible do to put all those products to better use.

“We knew that their commercial viability was limited,” says David Van-Goghberg who works at the store. “Instead of sending them to the scrap yard, we decided to create something memorable.”

So, in 2011 the third-generation, family-owned and operated business began a project to bring to life Vincent Van Gogh’s masterpiece Starry Night using the distinctive tools of the hardware trade — door knobs, levers and plates.

Hardware Store Recreates Van Gogh’s Starry Night With Door Knobs

Starry Night hardware installation-UnioinHardware

Starry Night hardware installation-UnioinHardwareLooking at a warehouse full of outdated and discontinued door knobs, the folks at Union Hardware in Bethesda, Maryland wondered what they could possible do to put all those products to better use.

“We knew that their commercial viability was limited,” says David Van-Goghberg who works at the store. “Instead of sending them to the scrap yard, we decided to create something memorable.”

So, in 2011 the third-generation, family-owned and operated business began a project to bring to life Vincent Van Gogh’s masterpiece Starry Night using the distinctive tools of the hardware trade — door knobs, levers and plates.

Many Americans Now Successfully Managing Diabetes: Study

scale success weight loss Clarita Morguefile

scale success weight loss Clarita MorguefileWith improved awareness of diabetes and with newer medications, the number of people successfully managing their disease has spiked from just two percent a couple of decades ago to 19 percent in 2010.

New government research found that many more people were managing the three measurements of disease control, blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

FDA Approves Eye Implant That Restores Vision in Some Blind Patients

eye implant restores sight-SecondSightphoto

eye implant restores sight-SecondSightphotoPeople who have lost their sight due to retinitis pigmentosa could benefit from government approval this week for an implantable device that takes the place of damaged cells inside the eye.

The Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System is the first treatment for the inherited disorder. Working together, a set of futuristic glasses attached to a video camera and eye implant, have been approved by the FDA for restoring vision to some 100,000 people in the US afflicted with the disorder.

Village in India Dramatically Increases Crop Yield Without GMOs or Herbicide

Farming Rice India - USAID Photo

Farming Rice India - USAID PhotoIn a village in India’s poorest state, farmers are growing world record amounts of rice – with no GM, and no herbicide.

The innovation in rural Darveshpura has divided scientists but excited governments and development experts.

Tests on the soil show it is particularly rich in silicon but the reason for the “super yields” is entirely down to a method of growing crops called System of Root Intensification (SRI).

Apps for Apes: Zoos Turn to Tablets to Keep Animals Engaged

Apps for Apes program-SmithsonianPhoto

Apps for Apes program-SmithsonianPhotoWhen great ape keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo were deciding how to add more variety and enrichment to their animals’ lives, they turned to Orangutan Outreach and a program that had seen great success in 12 other zoos around the world: Apps for Apes.

With the tap of a finger, keepers are introducing the Zoo’s six orangutans to iPads, which provide unique stimuli. They found that 36-year-old Bonnie likes to bang on the drums, 16-year-old Kyle prefers the piano and 25-year-old Iris is content to listen to the soothing sounds of the koi pond while watching animated fish splash.

Famous Musicians Bring Healing Power of Songs to Hospitals (w/ Video)

Musicians on Call visit hospitals- NBCvidAt the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville, Tenn., it is not uncommon for the crisp, clean, soothing sound of an acoustic guitar to echo down the hallway.

Patients, their families, and medical staff members alike light up when musicians come in to sing.

It’s all part of a six-city program called Musicians on Call, whose mission is to bring local musicians to the bedsides of patients too sick to leave their hospital beds.