Two-thirds of Americans are optimistic that they will be better off financially next year than they are now, according to a new USA Today/Gallup poll.
Though most Americans say the current economic conditions are poor, “58 percent say they believe the economy will be good in 2013, while two-thirds predicted that their personal finances will be better by next year,” reports Politico.
In a separate Gallup poll, fewer Americans are experiencing daily worry or stress.
Seeing eye dogs usually help blind people get around, but at one Florida Humane Society, there’s one little dog who’s actually helping out a four-legged friend.
Max and Sarah are best friends. When you see one, the other is bound to be close by.
Sarah is visually impaired and Max acts as her seeing-eye dog.
Members of the U.S. military and their families are being given free annual passes to national parks and iconic national monuments as part of an ongoing effort by First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden to show appreciation to service members and help them wherever possible.
As part of the Joining Forces initiative to support our nation’s military families, several U.S. government agencies will be issuing the passes to active duty service members and their dependents, granting free access to more than 2,000 national parks, wildlife refuges, national forests, and other public lands.
“This effort is a wonderful way to give something back, giving our military men and women and their families a chance to reconnect with their loved ones, experience the beauty of this country, and simply have a little fun,” said Dr. Jill Biden on behalf of herself and Mrs. Obama.
After years of trying unsuccessfully to develop a movie facility on his expansive property in Northern California, Filmmaker George Lucas has proposed building affordable housing, instead.
The Marin Community Foundation has stepped in to work with Lucasfilm to explore options to develop the site for people who otherwise couldn’t afford to live in super-wealthy Marin County.
Author and legendary conservationist Lawrence Anthony died March 2. His family tells of a solemn procession that followed that defies human explanation.
For 12 hours, two herds of wild South African elephants slowly made their way through the Zululand bush until they reached the house of the conservationist who had died suddenly, the man who saved their lives. But how did they know he had died?
The formerly violent, rogue elephants, destined to be shot a few years ago as pests, were rescued and rehabilitated by Anthony, who had grown up in the bush and was known as the “Elephant Whisperer.”
He published his story in 2009 in a book entitled, The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild.
According to his son Dylan, the herds loitered at Anthony’s rural compound in South African for two days – to say good-bye to the man they loved.
(READ the story from DelightMakers.com)
Author and legendary conservationist Lawrence Anthony died March 7. His family tells of a solemn procession on March 10 that defies human explanation.
For 12 hours, two herds of wild South African elephants slowly made their way through the Zululand bush until they reached the house of the conservationist who had died suddenly, the man who saved their lives. But how did they know he had died?
After a massive tornado hit Joplin, Missouri last year, thousands of families whose homes were destroyed lost their most treasured mementos.
But thanks to the dedication and hard work of Abi Almandinger, tornado survivors have been reunited with thousands of old photographs that were blown away in the wind and found by strangers.
The 39-year-old mother of two already had a passion for photographs, working as a consultant for a company that creates photo albums from digital pics. So, after the disaster when she heard about people wanting to return found photos, she knew immediately that she had found her calling.
She started a Facebook page to be used as a clearinghouse for the photos and publicized it on local media. Her page, Joplin’s Found Photos, even offers tips on restoring photos that had been damaged in the storm.
“Photos are one of our most cherished possessions and if I can help them recover their precious memories, then I will do everything I can to do so.”
(READ the full story in Huffington Post)
After a massive tornado hit Joplin, Missouri last year, thousands of families whose homes were destroyed lost their most treasured mementos.
But thanks to the dedication and hard work of Abi Almandinger, tornado survivors have been reunited with thousands of old photographs that were blown away in the wind and found by strangers.
The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland is offering forgiveness and a funeral service for a homeless man who killed himself after fatally shooting a priest and church secretary last week.
Bishop Eugene Taylor Sutton and an academic expert on forgiveness likened the diocese’s attitude to that of the Amish community in Lancaster County, Pa., that forgave the man who fatally shot five school girls there in 2006.
(READ the AP story in Baltimore Sun)
A Twitter user who threatened to commit a “real-time suicide” with live commentary was rescued by social media followers who became concerned by her online messages.
The Tweeter claimed to be a transsexual video producer, and told followers at around 7pm: “Stockpiled my meds – tonight is the night…”
Then added: “YAY! get ready for a real-time suicide – cuz i can’t be arsed with this unending bullshit… triple dose to start…”
(READ the story from The Week)
U.S. Marine Staff Sergeant Jeremy Cooney had been told that his son, Michael, born cerebral palsy, would never walk. But when the soldier returned home from Afghanistan, his 6-year-old son had a big surprise for him.
While Jeremy was deployed, Michael discovered how to stand up unassisted. His teachers then began trying to teach him how to walk with a cane. Michael did them one better: he took several steps on his own.
When the soldier returned home to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, he didn’t know his son could walk. He was taken to a gymnasium, where he watched his son begin hobbling across the basketball court straight into his arms.
Tom Frankenburg wants to give away a holiday trip for two to Malta. He booked the $1,600 trip before he and his girlfriend split, and is now hoping to pay it forward.
“I genuinely want to get rid of this holiday and after a lot of thought, I thought this would be the best way to do it,” said the young British bloke on his YouTube page. “It’s going to be something I’ll remember forever and I think it’s going to be fun.”
Since 1997, researchers have been able to quantum teleport photons. In 2010, a team from the University of Science and Technology of China in Shanghai successfully teleported a photon over 16km. Now that same team has released new findings, in which they claim to have teleported photons or over 60 miles (nearly 100km).
Canines have a sense of smell 1,000 times better than humans. So, you might imagine how amazing a dog could be at finding unwanted sewage draining into urban storm sewers. Such discharges usually come from failing infrastructure or illegal connections in sewage systems and result in nasty point-source pollution being flushed into area rivers.
Now, Milwaukee Riverkeepers has partnered with Environmental Canine Services to sniff and test over 50 manholes around Milwaukee.
A retired man in California is one of three winners of the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation’s Kindness Challenge.
The wood-working carpenter is bringing smiles to the faces of hundreds of kids with handmade toys created in his workshop garage.
His wife died 10 years ago and he needed something to keep him busy.
“I just love making things for people.”
(WATCH the inspiring video below from Storytellers for Good)
A retired man in California is one of three winners of the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation’s Kindness Challenge.
The wood-working carpenter is bringing smiles to the faces of hundreds of kids with handmade toys created in his workshop garage.
His wife died 10 years ago and he needed something to keep him busy.
“I just love making things for people.”
Exploratory drilling in Haiti has uncovered gold and silver deep inside the country’s northeastern mountains that may help relive centuries of poverty in the Caribbean nation.
Now, a Haitian engineer and his firm, SOMINE, is drilling around the clock to determine how to excavate the precious metals, potentially worth $20 billion.
Traffic deaths for all age groups continue to plunge at a record-shattering pace across America.
But the drop among teen drivers is especially important, given that traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for teens.
Teenage driving deaths, registering a historic decrease, dropped 64 percent since 1975.
The funeral of a 28-year-old waiter in southern Egypt turned into a celebration when he woke up after being declared dead.
Hospital officials had pronounced dead Hamdi Hafez al-Nubi, after he suffered a heart attack while working.
The burial ceremony was about to begin when a doctor was called in to sign the death certificate.
(READ the story from News.au)
The community of Laramie, Wyoming came together with strangers across the country in a touching tribute to a US soldier who never got the chance to finish a project which was to become a significant gift for his wife.
Before being deployed to Afghanistan with the National Guard, Captain Bruce Hays paid an auto mechanic $17,000 to transform the rusty shell of 1959 Chevy truck into a surprise gift that would remind his wife of fond memories with her father, who drove the same model.
While Bruce was serving overseas, he was killed by a roadside bomb. To make things worse, the unscrupulous mechanic had left town with all the money.
The truck remained a heap of unfinished business and sorrowful regret until word spread and the community rallied to deliver one last gift for the fallen husband and father.
A website was set up and auto enthusiasts from across the country joined the project donating car parts, like these, to help complete the restoration of the antique pickup. As a token of thanks, each contributor received a commemorative gift for their involvement. A ceremony was held unveiling the truck, with dozens in attendance, as the keys were turned over to Bruce’s wife.
(WATCH the video below, or read the story from 9-News)
