The Missouri House of Representatives today passed a resolution honoring AmeriCorps members from across the country who have played an indispensable role in helping the city of Joplin recover from the devastating tornado that flattened more than 7,000 buildings in the city on May 22, 2011.
AmeriCorps members from 20 organizations in seven states served in Joplin providing homeowner assistance, removing tons of debris, operating donation warehouses and even offering legal services.
A fund has been created and a guardian angel stepped forward for a 101-year-old Detroit woman displaced from her home by eviction.
A longtime member of her church took in the wheelchair-bound woman, whose son couldn’t keep up with the taxes. 68 year-old Polly Cheeks was a student in her Sunday school class long ago.
What’s more, after seeing the news report about the good Samaritan’s kindness, a St. Clair Shores-based contractor volunteered to build the wheelchair ramp needed at her new residence.
A fund has been created and a guardian angel stepped forward for a 101-year-old Detroit woman displaced from her home by eviction.
A longtime member of her church took in the wheelchair-bound woman, whose son couldn’t keep up with the taxes. 68 year-old Polly Cheeks was a student in her Sunday school class long ago.
What’s more, after seeing the news report about the good Samaritan’s kindness, a St. Clair Shores-based contractor volunteered to build the wheelchair ramp needed at her new residence.
Google, Facebook, and other big technology companies are jointly designing a system for combating email scams known as phishing.
Such scams try to trick people into giving away passwords and other personal information by sending emails that look as if they come from a legitimate bank, retailer, or other business.
To combat that, 15 major technology and financial companies have formed an organization to design a system for authenticating emails from legitimate senders and weeding out fakes.
Coconut oil has a surprising number of health benefits, from relieving stress to bolstering your immune system. It’s rich in the lauric, capric and caprylic acids. These omega three fatty acids give it its antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti fungal properties.
It can be used to cook food, moisturize skin, and treat infections. With all of these benefits, it’s hard to imagine why you wouldn’t add coconut oil to your life.
The Guinea worm disease soon will be relegated to the history books, thanks to The Carter Center’s ongoing eradication program and new donations from Bill and Melinda Gates and the president of the United Arab Emirates announced today.
When The Carter Center began spearheading an international campaign to eradicate the horrific disease in 1986 there were more than three million cases in 21 countries. After 25 years, the total number of cases is just 1,060 — most occurring in South Sudan, Mali, and Ethiopia.
$40 million in new donations from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation will enable The Carter Center to end Guinea worm disease by 2015.
A few years ago, a mom in a small Mississippi town was chastised by neighbors and the press for teaching her 10-year-old son to walk to soccer practice by himself. The first time he set out on the route, which was less than a mile, a cop picked him up, scolded him that it wasn’t safe, and warned his mother that they’d received “hundreds” of calls to 911 about the boy out by himself, and she could be prosecuted for “child endangerment.”
That day marked a turning point for Lori LeVar Pierce.
Instead of cowering in shame, she called the chief of police and asked if the town really was so dangerous a kid couldn’t walk to soccer. The chief said it was very safe and apologized for the cop’s actions.
A few years ago, a mom in a small Mississippi town was chastised by neighbors and the press for teaching her 10-year-old son to walk to soccer practice by himself. The first time he set out on the route, which was less than a mile, a cop picked him up, scolded him that it wasn’t safe, and warned his mother that they’d received “hundreds” of calls to 911 about the boy out by himself, and she could be prosecuted for “child endangerment.”
That day marked a turning point for Lori LeVar Pierce.
Instead of cowering in shame, she called the chief of police and asked if the town really was so dangerous a kid couldn’t walk to soccer. The chief said it was very safe and apologized for the cop’s actions.
Customers at a landmark burger joint called Fat Smitty’s on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula have wondered for years how much money was tacked to the eatery’s walls and ceiling.
The owners enlisted local Boy Scouts to take down the cash this weekend, including many dollar bills decorated by patrons who stuck them on the walls.
How would you like to go to a private liberal arts college that will give you a full-ride tuition scholarship for four years?
Antioch College in Yellow Spring, Ohio, is waiving the tuition for all its students, who enroll in the next three years.
The college, originally founded in 1850, shut its door in 2008 after years of decline and management problems.
Bird enthusiasts are reporting rising numbers of snowy owls from the Arctic winging into the lower 48 states this winter in a mass southern migration that a leading owl researcher called “unbelievable.”
Thousands of the snow-white birds, which stand 2 feet tall with 5-foot wingspans, have been spotted from coast to coast, feeding in farmlands in Idaho, roosting on rooftops in Montana and soaring over shorelines in Massachusetts.
UN nuclear inspectors began a critical mission to Iran on Sunday to investigate allegations that it seeks nuclear warheads.
The U.N. nuclear agency delegation includes two senior weapons experts.
“We’re looking forward to the start of a dialogue,” said IAEA’s Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts.
Stressed-out travelers willing and able to be flexible now have a new way to relax and refresh at San Francisco International Airport.
On Thursday, the airport officially opens what it claims is the world’s first dedicated yoga room at an airport.
Israel’s defence ministry says it will soon begin clearing thousands of mines in southern Israel.
In a statement Sunday, defense official Ervin Lavi says the ministry will clear 60 acres of land near the Dead Sea in March.
The online news-sharing community, Reddit, has come to the rescue more than once when a member has posted a painful or inspiring story.
Yesterday, a member posted the photo of a heroic Kenyan man who was attacked in the face with a machete after trying to defend an orphanage from a gang of thugs. He asked if the people could help raise $2000 to fund a cement wall with barbed wire to help secure the grounds for the children and their defender, Omari.
24 hours later, the photo of Omari’s wounds, along with the heart-wrenching appeal, moved the community to raise more than $65,000 in donations.
As the donations poured in, so did the thanks from the Faraja Orphanage in Ngong, Kenya which posted photos of gratitude to the Reddit folks for their kindness.
A year ago, Reddit users were moved by the owner of a toy store who shared the story of a 7-year-old girl being bullied because of the effects of a life-threatening disease. The shopkeeper wanted to raise money to give her a shopping spree. The online community gave $19,500 to ensure the girl’s final year was a happy one.
Visit Reddit to see the story, and joine one of the most philanthropic communities on the Web.
The online news-sharing community, Reddit, has come to the rescue more than once when a member has posted a painful or inspiring story.
Yesterday, a member posted the photo of a heroic Kenyan man who was attacked in the face with a machete after trying to defend an orphanage from a gang of thugs. He asked if the people could help raise $2000 to fund a cement wall with barbed wire to help secure the grounds for the children and their defender, Omari.
24 hours later, the photo of Omari’s wounds, along with the heart-wrenching appeal, moved the community to raise more than $65,000 in donations.
South Korean civic groups received the okay to deliver eight trucks of food aid to North Korea Friday in an effort to help the starving people in that country.
The 180 tons of flour is being delivered to hospitals, schools and day care centers with the hope that the measure will also lead to a softening of strained inter-Korean relations, following the passing of North Korea’s leader.
When one of the nation’s 15,000 air traffic controllers does something wrong, you always hear about it. When one of them does something right, averting disaster, it’s called a save, and many times we don’t hear about these stories.
Charlie Rohrer, a controller for 22 years, had just finished a class on how to recognize the symptoms of hypoxia. A week later, while working his shift at the Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center, Rohrer diagnosed the condition, which occurs when a pilot flying at high altitude is deprived of oxygen.
After talking with the pilot of a small-engine plane, he noted the slurred speech and began taking action to avoid imminent disaster.
Soon after, the man had passed out and his wife was left to control the plane until it could be guided to a lower altitude.
Rohrer and 14 of his fellow controllers will be honored for their saves at an annual awards ceremony by their union, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.
Read about Rohrer’s save, and hear the air traffic control tower recording, at CBS News.
Read about another recent save, Controllers Guide Pilot Though Clouds Just in Time, in the Seatle Post-Intelligencer.
After being abandoned by his owner just over a year ago, a young mutt was finding it hard to fit in.
The energetic hound-boxer mix would not stop jumping up on people, mouthing on their arms and legs. It took a trainer from a police K-9 group to spot the dog’s real potential.
On a hunch, Adam Witherspoon tested the hyper dog for aptitude and was “stunned” by the outcome.
“His hunt drive was just through the roof.”
Now, he is a star on the police force.
After being abandoned by his owner just over a year ago, a young mutt was finding it hard to fit in.
The energetic hound-boxer mix would not stop jumping up on people, mouthing on their arms and legs. It took a trainer from a police K-9 group to spot the dog’s real potential.
On a hunch, Adam Witherspoon tested the hyper dog for aptitude and was “stunned” by the outcome.
“His hunt drive was just through the roof.”
Now, he is a star on the police force.
