After a long absence of some 20 years, migrant starlings have returned to Israel in huge synchronized flocks, creating beautiful moving ‘clouds in the skies. Israeli ornithologists and amateur bird watchers flocked to an open field to once again see the show, a phenomenon called murmuration.
Massive Flocks of Starlings Return to the Israeli Sky
Good Idea Spreads: Window-Washers in Super Hero Garb Wow Kids in Hospital
At children’s hospitals around the country, window washers are dressing up as super heroes, doing their part to help kids feel better.
When Superman, Batman or Spiderman are spotted outside their hospital room window, a child’s mood can instantly turn happy.
It started in Florida but is spreading nationwide.
(WATCH the Making A Difference video from NBC below)
Good Idea Spreads: Window-Washers in Super Hero Garb Wow Kids in Hospital
At children’s hospitals around the country, window washers are dressing up as super heroes, doing their part to help kids feel better.
When Superman, Batman or Spiderman are spotted outside their hospital room window, a child’s mood can instantly turn happy.
It started in Florida but is spreading nationwide.
EU Adopts Historic Policy to Protect Marine Fisheries
In an outcome hailed by environmentalists, European Union lawmakers voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to overhaul the region’s troubled fisheries policy to end decades of overfishing.
The European Parliament voted 502-to-137 to impose sustainable quotas by 2015 and end the wasteful practice of discarding unwanted fish at sea.
“This is a triumph especially in these times of crisis,” Roberto Ferrigno, a fisheries expert at WWF’s European Policy Office.
How Pope Benedict Pushed Charities Beyond Routine Giving
Religious leaders are honoring Pope Benedict XVI for his emphasis on making service a cornerstone of one’s life.
Benedict, who announced Monday that he is resigning Feb. 28, has long called on Catholic charity organizations to go beyond routine service acts and to truly exemplify the meaning of giving.
10 Ways to Show Your Spouse Love and Make Yourself Happier Too
Chris Kline doesn’t like to tell his wife of 17 years, Tara, that he loves her. He prefers to show her—by loading her favorite songs on her phone and warming up her car on cold mornings. While she was away on business recently, he surprised her by painting her home office in her favorite colors.
Small selfless acts between spouses aren’t just nice—they also are necessary, experts say.
California Developer Building a Better Haiti
On Jan. 12, Haitians solemnly marked the three-year anniversary of the catastrophic magnitude 7.0 earthquake that decimated their homeland.
Today, a few of the tent cities and shacks that housed refugees are gone, but many remain. For the respected San Francisco developer Sherman Balch, the work is just beginning.
“We want to give the Haitians employable skills,” Balch said. “It comes down to if you want to alleviate poverty, you’ve got to give them jobs. … They need to learn a trade.”
California Developer Building a Better Haiti
On Jan. 12, Haitians solemnly marked the three-year anniversary of the catastrophic magnitude 7.0 earthquake that decimated their homeland.
Today, a few of the tent cities and shacks that housed refugees are gone, but many remain. For the respected San Francisco developer Sherman Balch, the work is just beginning.
“We want to give the Haitians employable skills,” Balch said. “It comes down to if you want to alleviate poverty, you’ve got to give them jobs. … They need to learn a trade.”
Let It Snow: In The White Stuff, We Find Community
With the first massive snowstorm of the winter having buried cars and mailboxes across America, some are recalling the good things that come with snow emergencies.
We have been programmed to despise winter weather and retreat back into our homes. Yet snow deserves a second look. Blizzards bring us together.
Winter tasks bring us outdoors to work together, under the wide open sky, often chatting with and helping our neighbors.
Youth Robotics Club Helps Paralyzed Cat
Nine-month-old Flipper the kitten was born with a twisted spine that makes it impossible for him to stand up — or walk about without dragging himself laboriously.
But little Flipper’s life was changed forever by cat-lovers from a high school robotics club in Colorado.
The team built a special kitty chariot for the partially paralyzed cat, who is now scampering around the animal shelter with ease — and made him more adoptable too.
Youth Robotics Club Helps Paralyzed Cat
Nine-month-old Flipper the kitten was born with a twisted spine that makes it impossible for him to stand up — or walk about without dragging himself laboriously.
But little Flipper’s life was changed forever by cat-lovers from a high school robotics club in Colorado.
The team built a special kitty chariot for the partially paralyzed cat, who is now scampering around the animal shelter with ease — and made him more adoptable too.
Kids Rewarded for Good Manners by Restaurant Staff
To Laura King, her three children were acting normal while enjoying dinner at an Italian restaurant in their hometown in Washington state.
But staffers of the restaurant were so impressed with her children’s table manners during their Feb. 1 dinner that they thanked her kids and gave the family of five free ice cream.
Chinese Year of the Snake Gets Raucous, Colorful Welcome
Chinese welcomed the arrival of the Year of the Snake with raucous celebrations on Saturday. Practitioners of the ancient art of feng shui say the New Year ahead will see financial markets slither higher as optimism grows.
People born in the year of the snake are believed to be thoughtful and stylish yet complex characters.
For many Chinese people, taboos abound during this period. Crying on New Year’s Day means you will cry for the rest of the year, and washing your hair signifies washing away good luck. And don’t clean on new year’s day, for you will be sweeping away good fortune in the year ahead.
(READ the story from Reuters)
–Learn more about the 2013 Year of the Snake at HanBan.com
Homeless Pregnant Veteran Gets Help From Local Bikers
A call for help from a homeless veteran turned into an outpouring of support as dozens of leather-wearing bikers stepped up with baby supplies just two weeks before the expected birth.
Bakersfield Harley Davidson collected the donated supplies. The Armed Forces Support Riders helped donate and delivered the materials. Those groups all came together to help the 32 year-old veteran; who became homeless just six months after leaving the military.
(WATCH the video below)
Homeless Pregnant Veteran Gets Help From Local Bikers
A call for help from a homeless veteran turned into an outpouring of support as dozens of leather-wearing bikers stepped up with baby supplies just two weeks before the expected birth.
Bakersfield Harley Davidson collected the donated supplies. The Armed Forces Support Riders helped donate and delivered the materials. Those groups all came together to help the 32 year-old veteran; who became homeless just six months after leaving the military.
Knights Of Malta Celebrates 900th Anniversary of Humility and Charity
Pilgrims and tourists visiting the Vatican received a special treat Saturday, when some 4,000 members of the Knights of Malta marched in procession celebrating the group’s 900th anniversary.
The order’s mission is humility and charity and had its start in the 11th century, with the creation of an infirmary in Jerusalem that cared for people making pilgrimages to the Holy Land during the Crusades.
Workers’ Happiness Rubs Off on Customers, Profits
In the past five years, the financial industry has taken a drubbing with plunging profits, allegations of improper behavior, and customer backlash against rising fees.
But various sources list one bank as a best place to work, and its practices may provide a blueprint to other companies on how to keep workers engaged even during tough times.
Umpqua Bank is known as the “world’s best bank”.
Eye-catching Rickshaws Promote Peace in Pakistan
Pakistani youth leader Syed Ali Abbas Zaidi has a plan to counter the relentless message of violence spewed forth by radical Islamic groups in his country. Zaidi is using a fleet of rickshaws emblazoned with peace slogans and decorated with colorful designs similar to those found on many trucks and buses in the country.
Football Superstar Surprises Longtime Fan Before Exiting Career
Before the retiring NFL football star Donald Driver caught a flight out of town closing a 14-year career of record-breaking performance in Wisconsin, he made one last stop. He surprised a 78-year-old woman, a Green Bay Packer fan and cancer survivor who wanted nothing more than to hug her hero.
Postman Delivers Lesson in Happiness
Typically, post office lines breed anger and frustration. But at the head of this queue on the campus of Penn State University in State College, Pa., you’ll find nothing but joy.
“My mission is to make them have a little bit of levity on the way out and say, ‘Hey, it’s not so bad after all,'” says Mike Herr.
To that end, Mike lives by a simple motto: if you can’t say something nice about someone, you’re just not looking hard enough.
Even if it’s only how nicely they filled out their forms. And he’s been like this with just about every customer, every day, for 38 years.
(WATCH the video from Steve Hartman below, or READ the story from CBS News)