Lavish fireworks displays ushered in 2013 across the world.
Huge fireworks lit up skylines in Sydney, Hong Kong and Shanghai, and even the once-isolated country of Myanmar joined the countdown party for the first time in decades.
“We believe that we can change the life around us and become better ourselves,” President Vladimir Putin told the nation in a New Year’s Eve address. “We can become more heedful, compassionate, gracious.”
In a show of seasonal goodwill, coffee drinkers in line at a Winnipeg drive-through paid it forward for 228 customers in a row on Friday, according to the staff at Tim Hortons.
A customer at the Manitoba coffee shop started the chain by paying for his own order and the order for the car behind him. Inspired by the generosity, drivers paid it backward for the next three hours.
The pay-it-forward phenomenon is something of a trend in Winnipeg’s coffee shops. In October, the media reported strangers were ‘pouring it forward’ across the city.
(READ the story from the CBC)
In a show of seasonal goodwill, coffee drinkers in line at a Winnipeg drive-through paid it forward for 228 customers in a row on Friday, according to the staff at Tim Hortons.
A customer at the Manitoba coffee shop started the chain by paying for his own order and the order for the car behind him. Inspired by the generosity, drivers paid it backward for the next three hours.
It started as a way for one Montana family to talk about the tragic school shooting of 26 children and adults. Now it’s blossoming into an international movement to build a chain of handmade paper hearts to stretch for miles.
The Thompson family will send a first shipment of 10,000 hearts – each linked to another and with its own personal message – later this week.
Much of the participation is coming through the group’s Facebook Page, Paper Hearts Across America.
“Please take a minute to cut out a Paper Heart and write your wishes for the families in Newtown, CT,” says the Page.
“We hope to get enough paper hearts to stretch from our hometown of Billings, MT to Newtown, CT. Send as many as you can to help us send hearts of Love and Support.”
Mail to: Broadwater School 415 Broadwater Billings, Mt. 59101
(READ the story in the Billings Gazette)
A teen who had not played football since he was ten years old went from wearing a costume as his high school team mascot to playing on the field as its star quarterback.
Just two months ago, Trent Bauer, a junior at Paul Laurence Dunbar High, watched his Bulldogs team get beaten badly.
After the game he asked the coach if he could try out as a player.
Today on New Year’s Eve we remember those in public life who left us in 2012.
They were wonderful singers and actors, politicians and astronauts who made our spirits soar. They were memorable writers and novelists, sports heroes and composers.
Watch the video montage from NBC honoring those famous names who left us this year.
New Year’s Day: Ring the Bells.
At 2:00 p.m. churches, colleges/universities, and other organizations will ring their bells to mark the moment 150 years ago when Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war. The proclamation declared “that all persons held as slaves” within the rebellious states “are, and henceforward shall be free.”
New Year’s Day: Ring the Bells.
At 2:00 p.m. churches, colleges/universities, and other organizations will ring their bells to mark the moment 150 years ago when Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war. The proclamation declared “that all persons held as slaves” within the rebellious states “are, and henceforward shall be free.”
Jessica Rees was diagnosed with a brain tumor at age 11.
When she saw other children having to stay in the hospital, she wanted to help “make them happier, because I know they’re going through a lot,” she said.
So she started making JoyJars — containers full of toys, stickers, crayons, anything that might brighten a child’s day.
A local marching band will have two musicians in the Tournament of Roses Parade Tuesday. Mi So Kwak will play the flute for the Bands of America Honor Band, while high school instructor Casey Bindle marches alongside her.
Kwak appreciates Bindle lending a guiding hand. It’s tough enough for anyone to march the entire 5.5-mile parade route. Especially for Kwak, who is blind.
I was struggling to find the Christmas spirit this year and hoped a short trip to Vermont to meet my son for skiing might help.
While at the LaGuardia airport on December 16th, right after I picked up my suitcase, I went out to the bus station in front of the terminal. I saw the M60 bus to take me to go to Penn Station. I immediately jumped on the bus. I was in and paying my due and the bus driver was closing the bus door, when a young black man who was breathless jumped on and gave me my briefcase. (My apple macbook and every important travel document was inside!)
It was a close catch. I had forgotten it at the bus station.
I was struggling to find the Christmas spirit this year and hoped a short trip to Vermont to meet my son for skiing might help.
While at the LaGuardia airport on December 16th, right after I picked up my suitcase, I went out to the bus station in front of the terminal. I saw the M60 bus to take me to go to Penn Station. I immediately jumped on the bus. I was in and paying my due and the bus driver was closing the bus door, when a young black man who was breathless jumped on and gave me my briefcase. (My apple macbook and every important travel document was inside!)
It was a close catch. I had forgotten it at the bus station.
A veterinarian at UC Davis says a dog from the Philippines who became an international hero after sacrificing her snout to save two young girls may have beaten cancer.
Veterinarian Gina Davis tells the San Francisco Chronicle the dog, named Kabang, appears to have beaten the cancer she was suffering from.
Some of the most popular stories on the Good News Network in 2012 involved animals. Whether the largest elephant or smallest dog, animals are often ready to reveal hearts of true compassion and they can easily evoke an equally compassionate response in us humans.
Enjoy these top stories of the year:
Tracy Lynn DelValle of Gardner, Massachusetts posted a story and photo on Facebook proving that (in her words), “Not all kids nowadays are thoughtless.”
Tracy’s neighbor, who is aging in her 60’s, was attempting to shovel the snow around her car in the driveway yesterday.
“She looked pale, and after each shovelful, she put her head down and rested for a few minutes,” wrote Tracy, who was ill, and unable to assist.
Tracy Lynn DelValle of Gardner, Massachusetts posted a story and photo on Facebook proving that (in her words), “Not all kids nowadays are thoughtless.”
Tracy’s neighbor, who is aging in her 60’s, was attempting to shovel the snow around her car in the driveway yesterday.
“She looked pale, and after each shovelful, she put her head down and rested for a few minutes,” wrote Tracy, who was ill, and unable to assist.
The White House announced last week it was expanding the area of protected California coastline known as the National Marine Sanctuary system by almost 3,000 square miles. The designation triples the area of coastline under protection to 4,500 square miles.
While still allowing fishing in these areas off Sonoma and Mendocino, the act prohibits offshore oil and gas drilling.
HooplaHa posted a video on YouTube celebrating the end of the year with an original montage of heroes filmed in 2012.
Watch the video and see if you can spot any stories that were posted on the Good News Network…
In a field often dominated by news of felled forests and population declines, tigers have delivered a bit of holiday cheer.
Wildlife conservationists report populations on the upswing in protected areas of India, Russia and Thailand.
Despite dangerously low global numbers, tigers are rebounding in three significant landscapes, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society, fostering hope for these iconic big cats.
In a field often dominated by news of felled forests and population declines, tigers have delivered a bit of holiday cheer.
Wildlife conservationists report populations on the upswing in protected areas of India, Russia and Thailand.
Despite dangerously low global numbers, tigers are rebounding in three significant landscapes, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society, fostering hope for these iconic big cats.
