August was the first month since the US-led invasion in 2003 that no US soldiers were killed in Iraq.
US Col Douglas Crissman said it showed how far Iraqi security forces had come.
US Major Angela Funaro was quoted as saying: “There were two other months on record – December 2009 and 0ctober 2010 – when the US Forces had no hostile deaths, but at least one non-combat-related death (which includes accident or illness).”
With Fashion Week just days away, New York City fashionistas are lighting the way with some charity work from the heart.
The Make-a-Wish Foundation teamed up with “America’s Next Top Model” photographer Nigel Barker to fulfill a shared dream of four teenagers — to become models for a day.
Numerous hair and makeup stylists dolled up the girls in red carpet-worthy gowns and designer shoes on a fairy tale-inspired set. Barker then conducted a photo shoot for the teens, while their family looked on.
(WATCH the video below, or read the story from the TODAY show)
The Photovoltaic Association in Australia says the drop in cost of producing power from solar panels has made solar power competitive with coal-generated grid power.
Solar power generated by photovoltaic cells on rooftops has become so cheap and efficient that they now produce electricity for the same price that is charged by the electricity grid. Australia is one of the first countries in the world for such solar power to reach what is known as ‘grid parity’.
Parenting is a very complex task. If we’re not careful, we will become too focused on one aspect and let the others fall by the wayside. Many times, I see parents who are intently focused on discipline, and I’m talking about the traditional use of the word here with regard to modifying behavior. Sometimes we get very caught up in this and we lose sight of the bigger picture.
The truth is that there are many things that are more important in shaping our children than the methods and techniques we use to modify their behavior.
The Labor Department said today that employers posted 3.2 million jobs in July, up from 3.17 million in June. That is the largest number of openings since August 2008.
Total openings are about 1.1 million higher than they were in July 2009, according to the Associated Press.
A retired couple in Michigan believes that every child should have the exalted feeling of riding alone with the wind in their face. So they build custom-made tricycles in their basement for hundreds of small children with disabilities.
It costs about $200 to outfit a standard three-wheeled bike to help stabilize kids with cerebral palsy and other physical challenges.
So far, 900 children now have the joy of riding free, thanks to Gordon & Connie Hankins.
Other physical benefits result, too, when kids are pushing their muscles.
(WATCH the video below from ABC News)
Editor’s Note: I couldn’t find any contact info for the project. UPDATE: Thanks to SERI for sending the link to their webpage, for those who would like to help these generous grandparents.
A retired couple in Michigan believes that every child should have the exalted feeling of riding alone with the wind in their face. So they build custom-made tricycles in their basement for hundreds of small children with disabilities.
It costs about $200 to outfit a standard three-wheeled bike to help stabilize kids with cerebral palsy and other physical challenges.
So far, 900 children now have the joy of riding free, thanks to Gordon & Connie Hankins.
Other physical benefits result, too, when kids are pushing their muscles.
A National Guard veteran who walked more than 7,000 miles to raise money for military families returned home to a hero’s welcome in Louisville, Ky.
Troy Yocum, 32, said he started the Hike for Heroes after hearing from a veteran buddy that he was depressed because he’d lost his a job and home after deployment.
The walk, which he undertook with his wife and dog, raised $500,000 so far, for the Wish Upon a Hero Foundation.
Visit their Facebook page at: Facebook.com/HikeForHeroes.org
A National Guard veteran who walked more than 7,000 miles to raise money for military families returned home to a hero’s welcome in Louisville, Ky.
Troy Yocum, 32, said he started the Hike for Heroes after hearing from a veteran buddy that he was depressed because he’d lost his a job and home after deployment.
The walk, which he undertook with his wife and dog, raised $500,000 so far, for the Wish Upon a Hero Foundation.
Visit their Facebook page at: Facebook.com/HikeForHeroes.org
As a Hollywood actor, Josh Duhamel proves that he hasn’t forgotten about his little hometown of Minot.
He asked his girlfriend, Fergie, to bring her band, the Black Eyed Peas, to North Dakota to perform a benefit concert on Labor Day weekend.
A soldout crowd of 12,000 paid for tickets priced at $100, and all those funds will go to a recovery fund for victims of local flooding that damaged 4100 houses and hundreds of businesses.
Don Ray of Myrtle Beach was among those long-term unemployed. But now he has an encouraging story to tell. Ray had been looking for full-time employment for more than a year, sending out scores of resumes and knocking on countless doors, until he was hired for a sales job at the hhgregg store last week.
Ray said he believes that what put him in position to snag the South Carolina job was simple persistence.
While we all know eating healthy foods and exercising are the basic tenets of wellness, some of the scientific research points to unexpected activities that could boost your health.
RealBuzz.com came up with a list of 10 surprising things that can make you feel better, including taking photographs, housework, dirt and beer.
A poodle named Ted has saved a man’s life after a fire broke out in a Utah home.
When paramedics tried to catch the poodle to bring him outside, he headed downstairs instead.
He then waited until they caught up with him, before leading them to the 19-year-old man who was sleeping in the basement.
To combat excessive radiation levels in the agricultural regions surrounding the Fukashima nuclear plant, monks at a Japanese Buddhist temple began growing and distributing sunflowers, which are known to absorb radiation.
The project has blossomed throughout the country with hundreds of thousands of flowers in bloom, spurring deeper connections between people in Fukushima and the rest of the country.
To combat excessive radiation levels in the agricultural regions surrounding the Fukushima nuclear plant, monks at a Japanese Buddhist temple began growing and distributing sunflowers, which are known to absorb radiation.
The project has blossomed throughout the country with hundreds of thousands of flowers in bloom, spurring deeper connections between people in Fukushima and the rest of the country.
Dolphins in one western Australian population have been observed holding a large conch shell in their beaks and using it to shake a fish into their mouths — and the behavior may be spreading.
Researchers believe the activity might be spreading.
Absent but still the star of the show, comedian Jerry Lewis helped the 2011 Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon raise more than $61 million over the weekend, the amount Lewis was hoping for.
An annual event that stretched over 21 hours on Sunday honored his efforts during the past 45 years to raise hundreds of millions of dollars to fight the disorder through medical research, the organization said on Monday.
For patient Robert Valderzak, last month’s earthquake was a blessing in disguise. In June, the 75-year-old lost his hearing when he fell. He has been in the VA hospital since then.
But, following the earthquake which measured 5.8, the man who sat in silence for months, sat up in his bed and announced to his kids that his hearing had returned: “I can hear everything, people in the hallway.”
For patient Robert Valderzak, last month’s earthquake was a blessing in disguise. In June, the 75-year-old lost his hearing when he fell. He has been in the VA hospital since then.
But, following the earthquake which measured 5.8, the man who sat in silence for months, sat up in his bed and announced to his kids that his hearing had returned: “I can hear everything, people in the hallway.”
In New Zealand, a knitting circle formed for prisoners is churning out hats, slippers and scarves to donate to those in their community in need.
“The knitting does great things for the men’s self worth as well,” reports 3-News.
“It’s productive, you can see what you’ve produced, it goes to Women’s Refuge so it goes to a good cause,” says an incarcerated wool-spinner.
(READ the story from New Zealand’s 3-News)
