The book, Unlikely Friendships: 47 Remarkable Stories from the Animal Kingdom, is a beautiful collection of heartwarming animal tales released in 2011 that features cross-species bonding. A cat and a bird. An elephant and a sheep. A snake and a hamster.
Watch five of the best videos from 2011 involving animals protecting each other, befriending and even shopping in unexpected ways.
Is one of your New Year’s resolutions about spending money more wisely?
Financial analyst Vera Gibbons offers a number of tips that might help you to survive a holiday debt hangover, some of which will give you cash in your pocket right now — redeeming reward points on your credit card, changing your withholding allowance in your paycheck, selling unused gift cards, and refinancing your mortgage.
A Boston area mom who relented to get a puppy after her children begged to bring him home a year ago, is thankful she did after the 15-month-old dog saved her family from a house fire.
The pup, a dark-haired goldendoodle, began barking to shake the heavens and woke her at 4:00 a.m. just in time for the family to escape the raging blaze.
Another decision, to allow the kids to sleep next to the Christmas tree, may also have saved lives. The flames were engulfing the walls just below the girls’ bedroom.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average, an index of 30 blue-chip U.S. stocks, finished 2011 with a gain of 5.5 percent, the third consecutive year that the bellwether index has finished in positive territory.
Taken together — from the beginning of 2009’s trading through yesterday’s final 2011 session — The Dow is up 39.21%.
Millions now know his name. After cheating death three times, Ben Breedlove, 18, finally lost his life on Christmas day, but not before leaving a touching last message recorded for YouTube telling of his near-death experiences and how at peace he finally felt with his fatal heart condition.
The Austin teenager lived an active life and in his video message, recorded just a week before his final heart attack, he said he had lived a life he was proud of. His parents feel blessed by the secret video left behind and say it has helped them be strong knowing how fulfilled he was.
WATCH the video report from MSNBC (top)
See the final video from Ben.)
Millions now know his name. After cheating death three times, Ben Breedlove, 18, finally lost his life on Christmas day, but not before leaving a touching last message recorded for YouTube telling of his near-death experiences and how at peace he finally felt with his fatal heart condition.
The Austin teenager lived an active life and in his video message, recorded just a week before his final heart attack, he said he had lived a life he was proud of. His parents feel blessed by the secret video left behind and say it has helped them be strong knowing how fulfilled he was.
Academics have spent decades studying in great detail whether responsible companies are also more profitable companies, and three decades of evidence suggest that ‘betterness’ yields greater equity returns, asset returns, and profitability.
Researchers found that responsibility was significantly positively correlated with financial performance: “corporate virtue,” in their words, “is likely to pay off.”
In 1997, soon after Steve Jobs returned to the company, Apple officials contacted Stanford University and offered to donate a storehouse of materials Apple had been collecting to the school’s Silicon Valley Archives.
Two moving trucks full of documents, software, videotapes and marketing materials will help historians, entrepreneurs and policymakers understand how a tiny startup launched in a Silicon Valley garage became a global technology giant.
The Colombian city of Medellin has opened a giant outdoor escalator for residents of one of its poorest shanty towns. The escalator is divided into six sections that transform a 35 minute climb into a 6 minute ride.
Previously the residents had to walk the equivalent of a 30-story building to get to and from the city center.
Regular readers of the Good News Network know about these four major areas where global progress is heartening: War is on the decline, poverty is shrinking, women around the world find their lot improving and democracy is spreading.
Some might argue that the glass half-full perspective stretches credibility: “Only pessimists are regarded as intellectually serious,” lamented New York Times columnist David Brooks a few years ago. But in this cover story, the Christian Science Monitor follows the indicators where they lead — without opinion or predilection entering into the equation.
Regular readers of the Good News Network know about these four major areas where global progress is heartening: War is on the decline, poverty is shrinking, women around the world find their lot improving and democracy is spreading.
Some might argue that the glass half-full perspective stretches credibility: “Only pessimists are regarded as intellectually serious,” lamented New York Times columnist David Brooks a few years ago. But in this cover story, the Christian Science Monitor follows the indicators where they lead — without opinion or predilection entering into the equation.
Annette Dove had no idea that an NBC Nightly News segment would cause an avalanche of donations for her Pine Bluff program that feeds and tutors hundreds of Arkansas children after school.
It was Chelsea Clinton’s debut as a “Making A Difference” reporter, when she returned to her home state and found this inspiring story.
In an update 2 weeks later, Clinton reported that NBC viewers sent $200,000 in donations to the TOPPS program as a result of the broadcast.
Ms. Dove was able to provide holiday gifts and meals for 167 families beyond her normal clients, ensuring a happy Christmas for many more in the rural Arkansas town.
(WATCH the update below, from NBC)
Annette Dove had no idea that an NBC Nightly News segment would cause an avalanche of donations for her Pine Bluff program that feeds and tutors hundreds of Arkansas children after school.
It was Chelsea Clinton’s debut as a “Making A Difference” reporter, when she returned to her home state and found this inspiring story.
In an update 2 weeks later, Clinton reported that NBC viewers sent $200,000 in donations to the TOPPS program as a result of the broadcast.
Ms. Dove was able to provide holiday gifts and meals for 167 families beyond her normal clients, ensuring a happy Christmas for many more in the rural Arkansas town.
Americans are hopeful for what 2012 will bring for their families and the country, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll.
Overall, 62 percent of those surveyed say they’re optimistic about what 2012 will bring for the country. And for themselves and their families, Americans are even more positive, with 78 percent telling pollsters they are personally hopeful about the year ahead.
On Christmas morning, conservationists in Malaysia airlifted a young Sumatran Rhinoceros — one of the world’s most endangered animals — from an area where she had no hope of ever seeing another rhinoceros.
After monitoring her isolation for years, the Sabah Wildlife Department and Borneo Rhino Alliance flew the female rhino, named Puntung, to a forested reserve where she would encounter a potential partner.
“This is a fantastic gift for our uphill battle in ensuring the survival of this truly unique species and wonderful timing with Christmas, a time to give thanks for our blessings,” said Laurentius Ambu the Director of the SWD.
On Christmas morning, conservationists in Malaysia airlifted a young Sumatran Rhinoceros — one of the world’s most endangered animals — from an area where she had no hope of ever seeing another rhinoceros.
After monitoring her isolation for years, the Sabah Wildlife Department and Borneo Rhino Alliance flew the female rhino, named Puntung, to a forested reserve where she would encounter a potential partner.
“This is a fantastic gift for our uphill battle in ensuring the survival of this truly unique species and wonderful timing with Christmas, a time to give thanks for our blessings,” said Laurentius Ambu the Director of the SWD.
When Santa showed up at an elementary school, he was able to give every child the gift they’d asked for, except for one. She only wanted her daddy back from his job in Iraq.
When the fake Santa took off his beard, there “wasn’t a box big enough” to hold the joy his daughter felt while hugging her newly-returned father.
She had only seen him for two weeks in the last two years.
DoSomething.org, an organizations that helps teens take action on causes they care about, released its fourth annual ‘Top 20 Celebs Gone Good’ list.
Lady Gaga continues her reign as the star who uses her celebrity to do the most good. Known for her support of gay rights, AIDS, and poverty, she focused primarily this year on bullying, even advocating for anti-bullying campaigns at the White House in December. She also announced the creation of her own charity, the Born this Way Foundation, which aims to empower youth and lead them to a brave new society where each individual is accepted and loved as the person they were born to be.
Rising to number two this year is Justin Bieber due to his prolific work with Pencils of Promise, an organization that builds schools in Laos and Guatemala. Justin is also a consistent supporter of Make-A-Wish, raised funds for charity with his fragrance and holiday album, and recently distributed $100,000 to Whitney Elementary School in Las Vegas.
When it comes to personal finance, there was a number of positive advancements for US consumers this year that should help people make better choices and avoid becoming a victims of fine print legalese.
One of the good things was the opening of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which will promote financial education and write federal rules to combat unfair, deceptive, and abusive financial practices and products.
A family buried alive in snow while trapped in their SUV was rescued last week from a rural New Mexico snowdrift after two days.
Rescuers had to dig through 4 feet of ice and snow along the roadside to free the parents and their 5-year-old daughter, whose Yukon got stuck on U.S. 56 while in route to a ski holiday.
Even though the family had packed lots of water, food and sleeping bags, their core body temperatures had still dropped to 90 degrees, which marks the beginning of hypothermia.
