(TODAY) Nick Santillo’s rare heart defect has kept him in and out of hospitals since he was an infant. The eight-year-old, who was born with only half the chambers in his heart, had his wish granted this morning when the TODAY show arranged for him to meet his hero, WWE champion wrestler John Cena.
WWE Star Makes Wish Come True for Young Fan With Heart Defect
NBA Player Comes Out as First Openly Gay US Pro Athlete
NBA player Jason Collins, 34 came out as the first openly gay professional athlete in America, drawing surprise and praise from fans and teammates. (2013, US News)
Puppy Saved From Abuse Helps Autistic Boy Overcome
Autism left 8-year-old Jonny Hickey closed off and isolated. Most of his social interactions resulted in painful awkwardness; unfamiliar situations can trigger terror or tantrums.
Then, about two months ago, everything changed. Jonny forged a connection with a dog so unlikely that people familiar with it describe it as a miracle.
One-of-a-Kind Racing Car Simulator Cheers Kids in Hospital
A generous gift is making life more enjoyable for children at UNC Children’s Hospital. It’s a video game built with the same materials as real race cars. The special ride won’t be found in any arcade; Mark Smith designed it specifically with patients like Dylan in mind.
Dylan Price, 15, of Greensboro, was the first in a pediatric cancer clinic at UNC to take the “Dream Racer” for a spin.
He forgot all about his connection to the IV drip as he climbed inside the lime green racing simulator.
“It’s like an actual driving car and everything,” he told WRAL-TV. “It feels like you’re actually in a car.”
Such playtime may even boost the healing process. According to an article in Pravda entitled, “The importance of the playroom in children’s healing,” Brazil makes it mandatory through federal law that all hospitals offer playrooms for children.
Bee-harming Pesticides Banned in Europe
Bees are vital — because of their pollination in the fields — to any nation’s food production and to Europe’s agricultural industry worth €22 billion annually.
That’s why Europe has voted to enforce the world’s first continent-wide ban on common insecticides linked to serious harm in bees.
More Cafes Offer ‘Suspended Coffees’ for Helping Someone in Need
At select coffee shops around the world you can get your morning caffeine fix and at the same time do a kind deed for someone in the community.
Buying a “Suspended Coffee” means purchasing an extra cup at the time you are paying, which can be claimed later by anyone who walks in from the street who may be unable to afford one. The barristas keep track of how many Suspended Coffees have been bought and serve them for free upon request.
The movement has been growing in popularity since it began in Italy several years ago, and has already been embraced by hundreds of coffee shops around the world.
Now, Starbucks has announced it will be adopting a version of the scheme in the UK, but with drinks being distributed by charity partners around the communities.
The movement is being documented on a blog called Suspendedcoffeeglobal.com — and, lately, on a Facebook page set up to promote the idea.
(WATCH the video at the BBC)
Obama’s Got Game Joking at White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WATCH)
Hollywood celebrities, political bigwigs and journalists shared dinner and laughs last night at the 2013 White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, DC.
Conan O’Brien hosted the evening but the highlight of the night was the 20 minutes of stand-up comedy when President Obama joked about himself, the second term, Republican leaders, and Jay-Z.
Twitter Saved My Life and Helps Me to Help the Homeless
Mark Horvath is thanking a social media company for saving his life.
“I genuinely believe that if it wasn’t for Twitter – I’d be back on the streets – or worse.”
The truth is: social media helps fight homelessness in many ways including helping people find housing.
Now a homeless advocate, Horvath started using social media to fight poverty around the time when he ran out of money after 19 months of unemployment.
“My house was being foreclosed on and I could not find work anywhere. It was a very dark time in my life.”
(READ his story on his website InvisiblePeople, WATCH his video below)
US Economy Accelerates at 2.5 Percent in First Quarter
U.S. economic growth accelerated to an annual rate of 2.5 percent from January through March, buoyed by the strongest consumer spending in more than two years.
Consumer spending surged at an annual rate of 3.2 percent, the Commerce Department said Friday. Business spending also expanded along with home construction.
Girl’s Desire to End Slavery Turns into Bottled Lemonade Campaign
It’s been more than 300 days since 9-year-old Vivienne Harr of California first started selling lemonade in an effort to help end child slavery. Having collected $500,000 in donations, Vivienne and her family are taking her business to the next level by bottling the precious product for the masses.
The proceeds from Vivienne’s Make A Stand Lemon-aid and its online equivalent, www.makeastandlemonade.com, go to Free the Slaves; Not For Sale; the Nepal Youth Foundation; and GEMS: Girls Educational and Mentoring Services.
Third Grade Teacher’s Small Act Still Inspires Baseball Legend Jim Abbott
Jim Abbott was born with only one hand.
Despite the impairment, he won an Olympic gold medal, played professional baseball, pitched a no-hitter, wrote a bestselling memoir and has impacted the lives of thousands of people through his inspirational talks.
With all of that success, Jim still enthusiastically recounts how one of his greatest inspirations came from his third grade teacher.
(READ the story from Brad Aronson’s blog)
Playful Killer Whales Speed-Surf Alongside Boat (WATCH)
Richard and Laura Howard encountered a pod of Killer Whales that began following their speedboat at top speed, playfully jumping in the wake and spraying the couple for almost 30 minutes.
Richard has long been photographing marine life posting his photos at www.oceansofimages.com. But on the occasion of their 20th wedding anniversary, it was his wife who captured the jovial orca whales — nearly 20 of them — while diving off the coast of in La Paz, Mexico.
(WATCH the videos below)
BC University Welcomes 100 Disadvantaged African Students on Full Scholarship
More than 110 underprivileged students from Africa will get to study at the University of British Columbia thanks to a $25 million donation from MasterCard Foundation.
“This transformative grant will help support a new generation of African leaders and will enhance UBC and Canada’s connections with Africa for the future,” said UBC president Stephen Toope, in a statement.
This extends to Canada the MasterCard Foundation’s worldwide program aimed at educating talented students from economically disadvantaged communities in Africa so they can lead change at home.
Put This Pot On The Fire And Charge Your Phone While Making Dinner
Need a power source when you’re camping or during a black-out? Heat up this pot on a fire or burner and it can turn the heat into useful electricity for powering USB devices.
The PowerPot is the invention of two graduates from the University of Utah, who built the original prototype using an old pan and materials bought on EBay.
Czechs Send $200K to Blast-hit Texas Town
The Czech Republic plans to donate $200,000 to help the Texas town of West recover from a devastating fertilizer plant explosion.
The government decided to provide the aid in solidarity because a significant number of people in the town of 2,700 have Czech roots.
Violent Crime Falls Rapidly as UK Becomes More Peaceful Place
The UK is becoming a more peaceful place with rates of violent crime and murder falling more rapidly in the past decade any other Western European country, researchers say.
Violent crime overall was down by a quarter in the decade ending in 2012, and murders were cut in half, according to the UK Peace Index, a report compiled by the Sydney-based Institute for Economics and Peace.
Woman Who Lost Both Legs in Boston Bombing Just Found a Reason To Smile
A mother who is recovering in the hospital after losing both legs below the knee while watching the Boston Marathon went from being devastated to feeling better.
The woman and her daughter — who is also recovering in the hospital — were visited by U.S. Marines, men who understand what it’s like to lose limbs.
They underwent the same injury and now walk with prosthetic devices.
“You will be more independent than you ever were,” he assured her. “This is the start of a new beginning.”
It is already true that this is a new beginning. The mother, Celeste, and daughter Sydney, have described moments since their injuries as “incredibly uplifting.”
In the end of the video you will see why she was joking…
— WATCH the video below
— LEARN more about the women on fundraising page set up to help pay hospital bills
— READ more about the Marines in this story at NPR
Thanks to Andrea Barnard for submitting the link!
Boston Runner and Blast Victim Form Lifelong Bond
The lives of two men, one a young marathon runner who had crossed the finish line two minutes before the bomb exploded, and an older man he rushed to help, have formed a bond neither man will soon forget.
It was 23-year-old Rob Wheeler who took the shirt off his back and wrapped it around the leg of a spectator’s injured leg. He wasn’t even supposed to be running that day. At the last minute a friend gave him the spot.
“We’re part of each other’s life now,” said the 51-year-old victim Ron Brassard, who plans to attend Rob’s graduation in May. Ron’s wife and daughter already went with Rob to a Rod Sox baseball game.
(WATCH the NBC video below or READ the story in the NY Daily News)
Thanks to Andrew N. for submitting the link
First Vaccine to Help Control Autism-Associated Bacteria
The first-ever vaccine for gastrointestinal disorders common in 90 percent of autistic children has the potential to one day alleviate additional autism symptoms.
Cases of autism have increased almost sixfold over the past 20 years, and scientists don’t know why. Although many experts point to environmental factors, others have focused on the human gut.
University of Guelph researchers developed a carbohydrate-based vaccine against the gut bug, Clostridium bolteae, which shows up in higher numbers in the GI tracts of autistic children than in those of healthy kids.
Will Ireland Plant A Million Trees in One Day?
Beginning at noon on Friday, the Irish people will pick up shovels and seedlings to embark on an initiative which aims to plant a million young native trees at many different sites across both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in 24 hours.
The non-profit charity One Million Trees in One Day will establish individual trees and woodlands in both rural and urban areas to provide valuable resources, beneficial ecosystems and a lasting legacy. The group is committed to low impact and sustainable management and will shun chemical weed-killers in its maintenance plan.