A school security guard is being praised for sharing a heartwarming moment of kindness and patience with a frightened middle school student last week.
Meaghan King, who is a special needs teacher in Santa Rosa, California, said that the student had been standing in the school hallway because she was afraid of going outside.
“She was just having hard time transitioning from the hallway to outside,” Meaghan King told ABC News. “Transitions are tough.”
As the student was anxiously clutching a Kermit the Frog toy, school resource officer Chris Morrison walking up and offered the youngster some comfort.
Inspired by the girl’s Muppet toy, Morrison gently started singing “Rainbow Connection” (The lovers, the dreamers, and me) to soothe her nerves – and it worked.
Morrison has worked with kids in the past. Prior to joining the Santa Rosa Police Department 18 years ago, she served as a teacher for at-risk students in Los Angeles for 12 years. Ms. King’s video of the sweet moment is just another testament to Morrison’s compassionate disposition.
“[Morrison] goes out of her way, goes above and beyond, especially in situations like this where a child just needs a little extra help,” Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Jeneane Kucker told ABC News. “It’s typical of her with her personality. She’s just a very caring officer, person in general to go out of her way to assist a teacher with this child.”
(WATCH the video below) – Photo by Meaghan King
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Quote of the Day: “If you’re Irish, it doesn’t matter where you go – you’ll find family.” – Victoria Smurfit
Photo: by Jeff Hart, CC license via Flickr
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A 73-year-old billionaire may have just made the single largest donation to charity in Indian history.
Azim Premji is the chairman of Wipro Ltd., the fourth-largest IT service company in the country. Though the company started by his father in 1945 had humble beginnings as a small vegetable oil manufacturer, Wipro is now worth billions.
Premji himself is ranked as the second-richest man in India, according to Bloomberg, but he has created more of a name for himself through his giving—an astonishing philanthropic legacy.
Earlier this week, Premji announced that he would be giving $7.5 billion to the Azim Premji Foundation. Since launching the education-focused charity in 2001, this contribution brings Premji’s total donation amount to a whopping $21 billion.
His donations are particularly noteworthy due to recent reports that India’s wealthiest citizens (anyone with a net worth over $55 million) are donating less money to charity than they did five years ago.
Premji, on the other hand, was responsible for 80% of the nation’s “large” private donations (donations of $1.4 million or more) in 2018, according to CNN.
Furthermore, he was the first Indian citizen to sign The Giving Pledge, a campaign which was launched by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet in order to encourage the world’s richest people to donate at least half of their wealth to charity.
The Premji Foundation says that they plan on using their founder’s latest donation to launch a new university in northern India and more than triple certain branches of their education workforce.
Pay The Positivity Forward By Sharing The Good News To Social Media – Photo by World Economic Forum, CC
If you have gardens around your house, it’s time to become aware of free resources you have been throwing away and opt to start composting as a way to increase your sustainability—and the health of your plants.
Creating your own compost reduces waste that goes into local landfills—and the result is “black gold”. Spreading it on your gardens will foster a better environment for plants while improving the long term health of the soil environment.
Naturally occurring biological processes driven by bacteria and fungi break down unwanted kitchen and yard waste, turning it into an organic material that is rich in nutrients and helpful soil bacteria that bolsters healthy roots.
Home composting can seem like a daunting task initially, but with a few steps outlined here it’s easy to begin a lifelong environmentally—beneficial habit.
To begin composting it’s important to understand the fundamentals, and why materials need to be balanced in a proper ratio for the magical decomposition to occur.
In the simplest terms, most kitchen and yard/garden waste is classified as being either ‘brown’, which is carbon-based, or ‘green’, nitrogen-based. The ’black gold’ results when the two types of materials are mixed in the proper balance. A simple rule of thumb is to make sure the compost pile has approximately 2/3 “brown” materials—like dead leaves and sticks— and 1/3 “green” materials—like rotting vegetables, banana peels, and coffee grounds.
Carbon-based materials give compost its light, fluffy body and typically consists of items that are more wood-based, or fibrous. Fireplace ashes, sawdust, or pine needles are also considered “brown” and provide food for the bacteria and microorganisms.
Nitrogen or protein-rich material (manures, food scraps, green leaves) provides the raw materials (amino acids and proteins) needed for the enzymatic reactions that are occurring. These items are considered “green” materials.
Buy an attractive compost bucket with a handle for your kitchen, to collect the egg shells, vegetable waste and coffee grounds—it makes the whole process more fun.
Now on to building a pile… The simplest way to compost is to create a pile or heap in the yard, tending to it as necessary. Situate it in a dry, shady spot, if possible.
Start by clearing a space in the yard or garden, removing grass and other plants to expose the bare soil. This allows earthworms and microorganisms to come up out of the soil into the pile, encouraging a speedier decomposition process. One method is to dig a big hole there. You can use the dirt exhumed for covering the pile, which keeps the bees or other critters away.
Another method is to build up a layer of straw or twigs as a base. A few inches of materials helps aerate the pile and provide good drainage.
Once you’ve created a base or hole, add your layers of waste, alternating between brown and green materials. Incorporate a nitrogen source such as manure or fresh grass clippings to activate the decomposition process, especially if you don’t have many worms. Some gardeners will even add a small amount of nitrogen fertilizer to jumpstart the composting.
Turning the compost pile every few weeks with a shovel or pitchfork will speed the breakdown of materials by providing oxygen and fresh “food” to the bacteria breaking down the waste under the surface.
As a natural process, decomposition has the ability to fluctuate its speed based upon the conditions and materials in a compost pile. To facilitate quicker breakdown, heed the following tips and tricks.
It’s best to cut up larger produce (like a potato or grapefruit) before adding them because smaller pieces will break down quicker.
Keep the pile moist without letting it get soggy. In areas of high rainfall cover the top of the pile with plastic sheeting or plywood. It is recommended the moisture of the materials within the pile be akin to a slightly dampened sponge.
Add nitrogen fertilizer if the amount of brown materials is too high, keeping the carbon to nitrogen ratio at approximately ⅔ carbon and ⅓ nitrogen.
When you add food waste from your kitchen, cover it with leaves, straw, dirt, or grass clippings, to keep rodents and bees away.
Don’t add diseased plants or weeds! Dispose of them in a refuse bin to avoid contaminating the pile.
Avoid adding brambles, large branches, pet waste or used litter, meat or bones, dairy products, fats or oils, pressure treated wood, and black walnut leaves or twigs.
Soon, all this organic material will begin to look like really dark soil with a deep, earthy smell. The pile will always shrink down in size, as the composting progresses, and none of the food scraps or sticks will be recognizable.
Finally, it’s time to start incorporating the compost into the garden and reaping all the benefits!
Matt Hagens writes at yardcare.life about all things yard care and gardening. His website offers buying guides, product reviews and informative articles. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and 3 girls.
Stevie Wonder may be reminiscing about his own childhood if he’s watching this completely adorable 6-year-old boy.
Avett Ray Maness is a self-taught piano player who has been tickling the ivories since he was just 11 months old.
The youngster from Dayton, Ohio has become somewhat of an internet celebrity after his mom started uploading videos of his piano performances to YouTube. What’s even more impressive than his self-directed learning is the fact that he learned to play while blind.
Born with optic nerve fibroplasia, Avett Ray is completely blind in one eye and has a little vision in the other. Significantly visually impaired, he walks with a cane and reads braille. Lack of plain sight has not deterred him, though, from finding his way among 88 keys.
In addition to accumulating thousands of YouTube subscribers, Avett Ray has also performed on stage for hundreds of people. As of late, the youngster has enjoyed playing songs—and singing—songs by his two favorite bands: Queen and The Turtles.
His mother, Sara Moore, says that she hopes her son’s talent will help to raise awareness for, and encourage people to improve, accessibility and resources for the visually impaired.
“Music is in his body,” Moore told CBS News. “He’s really practicing on performing now. Since his talent is so amazing, people are asking him to perform.”
(WATCH the video below or our international viewers can watch the clip at the CBS News website) – Photo by Avett Ray Maness
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Quote of the Day: “Wildflowers aren’t meant to be cut and tamed–they’re meant to be loved & admired.” (Just like children) – Anthony T. Hincks
Photo: by Rita M., CC license via Flickr
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IKEA furniture may be as tricky to assemble, but normal use of their kitchen cabinets and lamps may also be a challenge to homeowners with disabilities—that’s why the company is now offering open-access updates to their furniture.
IKEA Israel recently published a series of free blueprints for furniture extensions that can be downloaded from the internet—aptly named ThisAbles.
Some of the add-ons include a contraption that makes smaller buttons easier to press; an attachable handle that makes cabinet doors easier to open; and door blockers that can prevent wheelchairs from damaging the exterior.
Once the blueprints are downloaded, people with disabilities can then 3D-print the devices and easily attach them to their furniture.
The 13 different blueprints, which have been dubbed the “ThisAbles” series, were designed in partnership with the Access Israel and Milbat charities for people with disabilities.
“It was important for us to create maximum access in every aspect of the project – from the designated site that we constructed for the project, that was adapted for people with disabilities, to the products themselves, some of which can even be printed independently in a 3D printer based on models that we have made available to the general public,” says the website.
There are currently demonstration videos available on the IKEA Israel YouTube channel.
ThisAbles is also accepting suggestions for additional furniture add-ons that can be designed in the future.
(WATCH one of the demonstration videos below) – Photo by ThisAbles
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The people of a small Spanish village have been bamboozled over a series of unexplained gifts that were anonymously slipped into the mailboxes of random households.
A mysterious do-gooder has been nicknamed the “Robin Hood of Villarramiel” after leaving envelopes containing €100 ($132) at 15 different households over the course of the last week.
The recipients of the cash were so surprised by the random gifts, Mayor Nuria Simon told AFP that some of them brought the cash to the police in order to make sure that it was real.
“We’re all bewildered and expectant as we don’t know where this money comes from or who the benefactor is,” said Simon.
Additionally, she says that there has been no correlation between the recipients, only some of whom have included “a widow living with her son, couples with small children, elderly couples, middle-aged couples without kids,” etc.
The village of Villarramiel, which is located in northern Spain, only has about 800 residents – but no one can figure out the identity of the gift-giver.
Though the benefactor’s identity may forever remain a mystery, the villagers have expressed their gratitude for the Robin Hood’s unexplained compassion.
Pay The Positivity Forward By Sharing The Good News With Your Friends – File photo by Marco Verch, CC
This Irish postal service is launching an ingenious nationwide program that will give thousands of homeless people a new foothold towards getting off of the streets.
Earlier this week, An Post announced that they will be rolling out their new “Address Point” service which will allow homeless people to use their local post office as a fixed address.
Fixed addresses prove to be a major roadblock for homeless people seeking to open a bank account; arrange medical appointments; apply for jobs; or correspond with school services.
Recent reports say that there are now almost 10,000 Irish civilians who are homeless and lacking registered addresses.
Thankfully, An Post will now be working with various homeless charities and organizations to coordinate the new service so that it will launch sometime within the next few weeks.
“This will provide a service for people who are in temporary accommodation who need a secure mailing address to receive post such as school correspondence, medical appointments or to apply for a job,” a postal representative told The Independent. “We will be working with a number of service providers and and homeless charities on a nationwide basis.”
Be Sure And Share The Good News With Your Friends On Social Media – File photo by William Murphy, CC
Rather than keeping the massive sum of money that was awarded to him as a Nobel laureate, this college educator has decided to pay it all forward to his students.
George Smith, an emeritus professor of biology at the University of Missouri (MU), was awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize for Chemistry in December.
The award came with a $250,000 prize, which Smith is now using to launch the Missouri Nobel Scholarship Fund for students attending the state’s College of Arts and Sciences.
“This might surprise some people, but my first degree was actually a bachelor of arts, not a bachelor of science,” Smith said at a recent community event. “My liberal arts education was the springboard for a lifetime of learning and cultural engagement. [My wife] and I hope that supporting the liberal arts as a whole will enrich the lives of future MU students, whatever careers they choose.”
In a show of gratitude and solidarity with the 77-year-old professor, the university is donating an additional $300,000 to the scholarship fund.
MU Chancellor Alexander N. Cartwright also says that he will be launching a new university tradition in which the school will donate another $100,000 for every faculty member who wins a Nobel prize, with Smith being the first.
“Time and time again we have been overwhelmed by George’s incredibly humble attitude, and today we are amazed even further by his spirit of generosity,” Cartwright said in a statement. “Gifts such as these make it possible for more students to attend our university and have the experience of being taught by other world-class faculty.”
Smith was given the Nobel prize in recognition for his work in phage display, a process that allows researchers to easily screen and harvest molecules for attacking bacteria.
The method is now utilized in laboratories around the world, but Smith is humble about his work; according to The Kansas City Star, Smith was simply delighted to return from the Nobel ceremony in Sweden and find that the university had given him his own space on the campus bike rack.
Since Smith lives less than a mile from work, he reportedly bikes to work every day – and having his own “parking space” is apparently much more of a reward than a quarter of a million dollars.
(WATCH Smith’s heartwarming acceptance speech below) – Photo by Mizzou
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California Superbloom from - Public Domain Bureau of Land Management via Wikipedia Commons
For the first time since Dec. 20, 2011, California is free of #drought. The state had experienced some form of drought for 376 consecutive weeks. pic.twitter.com/P4lKplUDQQ
California has finally been declared drought-free after experiencing 7 years of alarmingly arid conditions – and it has resulted in a surge of butterflies and wildflowers.
According to recent reports from the U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center, California has been experiencing some form of drought since December 20th, 2011 – which is 376 consecutive weeks in total.
California conditions have been improving since 2017 when experts happily reported an abundance of rain and snowfall during the winter season.
The rain and snow reduced the amount of drought-affected state land from 97% in 2016 to just 57%. Around the same time, the U.S. Drought Monitor reported that America’s nationwide drought had finally come to an end after three years.
Now, only 7% of California is experiencing “abnormally dry” conditions – but experts reassure that these areas of southern California are expected to improve.
Thanks to the abundance of snow and rainfall across the rest of the state, reservoirs have been replenished; water levels have returned to normal; and mountains across northern California are snowcapped once more.
What a difference 5 months make, snow capped mountains and plenty of greenery in the valley! You can also see water in the Yolo Bypass west of Sacramento from recent rains on the right image. #CAwxpic.twitter.com/J2Q9MpZVYh
Furthermore, the rain has spurred a breathtaking wildflower super bloom in certain parts of the state. Super blooms generally only occur once every decade, but this is now the second super bloom that California has experienced in just a few short years (here is where you can find the best places to experience the bloom).
The super bloom has also resulted in a boom of the “painted lady” butterfly species.
According to the Los Angeles Times, painted lady populations have been just one of the butterfly species that have experienced a decline in recent years – but thanks to the super bloom, painted ladies are migrating by the millions across southern California.
Experts say that it has been 14 years since they have recorded such massive numbers, with the previous record being an estimated 1 billion painted ladies migrating south in 2005.
“The more plants, the more butterflies,” Art Shapiro, an ecologist at UC Davis and state butterfly researcher, told the news outlet. “So any year you have a real big bloom in the desert is potentially a big year for painted ladies.”
A dented penny which saved the life of a British soldier by deflecting an enemy bullet during World War I has come to light after 100 years.
Private John Trickett kept the penny in the top breast pocket of his soldier’s uniform as a poignant reminder of home during the conflict – and it proved to be his lucky coin when it took the impact of a German bullet on a French battlefield in 1914.
An enemy soldier had aimed his weapon at Pt. Trickett’s heart, but the penny deflected the danger and ultimately saved his life.
It was kept by the serviceman as a reminder of how he stared death in the eye during the war, which claimed 10 million soldier’s lives including those of his two brothers.
The bent penny, which was minted in 1889 and passed down through his family for generations, is now set to be sold at auction.
Trickett’s granddaughter, 63-year-old Maureen Coulson from Duffield, Derbyshire, said: “Everyone in our family saw the penny and heard the story of how it saved my grandfather’s life.
“His two brothers, Horace and Billy, both died in the First World War. My grandad was the only survivor.
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“My grandad was born in 1899 and would have been around 19 years old when the incident happened,” she added. “He had to come home because of the injury. It damaged his left-hand side and left him deaf in his left ear. It also affected his balance.
“We think it’s likely he signed up to serve in the army when he was under age as he looked older than he was. Many soldiers were under age, they were so keen to serve their country.
“He was a great big guy from a Lincolnshire farming background, but as soft as a brush. He worked with horses back home and couldn’t bear to see the way they were treated on the battlefield.
“When he returned to the UK, he married my gran, Clementine, and they had eight children. He had various jobs after the war, including working as a postmaster and as a switchboard operator at Barnburgh Colliery in South Yorkshire. I was only six when he died [in 1962, but] I remember him well.
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“It’s strange to think that, but for that penny, his children would not have been born and I wouldn’t be here.”
The penny is part of a collection of war-related ephemera belonging to Pt. Trickett which includes his British War Medal and Victory Medal.
The collection will be sold at Derbyshire’s Hansons Auctioneers on March 22nd for an estimated of £30 to £50.
Militaria expert Adrian Stevenson, who found the coin, said: “It looks to me like a pistol bullet hit the penny at close range.
“I’ve come across many stories of random objects saving soldiers’ lives but I’ve never seen anything like this before.
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“Soldiers used to keep objects in their breast pockets in an attempt to protect themselves from enemy fire and explosions. Shrapnel was the biggest killer in wartime.
“It’s likely John Trickett kept the penny there on purpose. When the bullet hit the coin, it ricocheted up through … his ear. It left him deaf and disabled, but still alive.
“I’ve heard about random objects deflecting bullets to save lives before but, until now, I’d never had the opportunity to see and examine them myself.
“I hope a keen militaria collector will buy and treasure these items. The penny is a poignant reminder of the fine line between life and death, particularly in wartime.”
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Quote of the Day: “It was one of those March days… when it is summer in the sun and winter in the shade.” – Charles Dickens
Photo: by Candida.Performa, CC license via Flickr
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The New York City public school system, which is the largest in the nation, announced earlier this week that they will be introducing “Meatless Mondays” to fight climate change and child obesity.
Starting in the 2019 school year, Mayor Bill de Blasio says that all New York City public schools will begin serving up free, healthy vegetarian breakfast and lunch menus every Monday.
Following a successful trial period in 15 Brooklyn schools last year, the weekly menu change will now be implemented in all 1,800 city schools.
“Cutting back on meat a little will improve New Yorkers’ health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement. “We’re expanding Meatless Mondays to all public schools to keep our lunch and planet green for generations to come.”
This shift in options to a more plant-based menu is seen as a win-win situation, with School Chancellor Richard A. Carranza saying: “Meatless Mondays are good for our students, communities, and the environment. Our 1.1 million students are taking the next step towards healthier, more sustainable lives.”
The Meatless Mondays initiative is not the first step taken by the City to ensure access to healthy and sustainable food for their students, either. The initiative will be part of New York City’s “Free School Lunch for All” program, which launched in the 2017 as a means of providing free, nutritious, healthy breakfasts and lunches to all participating New York City schools.
In the 2017-2018 school year alone, more than 150 million breakfasts and lunches were served free of charge.
Until recently, discussion surrounding solving climate change has been centered around innovation in energy infrastructure and transportation. The realities of climate change, however, are more complex than that and have forced communities to rethink their diets as well.
“Meat and other livestock products we eat are responsible for nearly 15 percent of global climate change emissions,” said NRDC Senior Attorney Margaret Brown. “The good news is, even small changes in our diets can have a big impact.”
The positive impacts of Meatless Mondays also goes far beyond the planet; health concerns for today’s youth was reportedly a strong motivator for the city’s public school system adopting the program, as childhood obesity has often been mentioned as a growing issue among New York City legislators.
Andrea Strong, the founder of the NYC Healthy School Food Alliance, does not sugar coat the health epidemic in the city. Obesity rates in kindergarten classes now affect about 1 in 5 children – but Meatless Mondays are being hailed as a progressive step forward in the fight against child obesity and climate change.
“It’s noteworthy to point out that if New York City public schools swapped out a beef burger for a plant-based protein once a month, the city would emit 375,000 pounds less of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere per year,” said Strong. “This promises to be just the beginning of a very significant shift in the way we feed our children.”
The early bird may get the worm, but a new poll suggests that ‘larks’ have a lot more in common than that.
A look into the sleep habits of 2,000 Americans revealed some interesting differences between those who stay up late and those who rise early—from their personality traits to their hobbies, and even their beliefs.
The survey, which was conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Sleepopolis in advance of World Sleep Day on March 15th, questioned an equal number of participants who were self-described as either early birds and night owls.
The survey found that the morning larks, on average, are energetic and confident, enjoy cooking, and, surprisingly, arrive late for work more often than others!
In contrast to their morning counterparts, night owls were shown to be more shy and sarcastic. They were also found to be more likely to use Instagram and to believe in ghosts.
Further research showed that night owls are more likely to be single, whereas early birds believed in love at first sight, and were more likely to be married and have children living in the house. This may be because early birds were also more likely to have tried online dating.
Early birds were found to earn more money and be more likely to work in an office (albeit showing up late).
Additionally, early birds were 10% more likely to identify as “happy”, while night owls identified more strongly as “loyal”.
Those who consider themselves early birds were found to have more active hobbies. In contrast to being more likely to enjoy walking, hiking, playing sports, and exercising in a gym, hobbies for night owls, such as reading and sleeping, were more laid-back.
There wasn’t a major difference in the amount of sleep people received – an average of six hours a night for night owls and seven hours for early birds – but the survey did find some interesting differences in how we sleep.
Early birds were more likely to be light sleepers and always feel well-rested in the morning. They were more likely to identify as clean and organized, and it shows—early birds were more likely to make their bed in the morning than night owls. They were also more likely to dream, and to always remember their dreams upon waking.
Night owls were more likely to have trouble falling asleep, and then perhaps unsurprisingly, were less likely to report high-quality sleep.
Early-risers were more likely to talk, snore and move around in their sleep, and were also more likely to prefer sleeping with music on or a window open.
On the other hand, night owls were more likely to prefer having a fan on, and enjoyed sleeping with a pet or a significant other in the bed with them.
11 Traits of Early Birds
Sleep seven hours a night
More likely to be married
Average income: $42 thousand – $4,000 more than night owls
More likely to work in an office and always be late for work
More likely to use Facebook
More likely to have high-quality sleep
Describe themselves as clean, confident, energetic, friendly, happy, organized and sociable
Hobbies include cooking, walking/hiking, playing sports and exercising at the gym
More likely to believe in love at first sight and have tried online dating
More likely to talk, snore and move around in their sleep
Wake up at 6:15 a.m.
11 Traits of Night Owls
Sleep six hours a night
Have sex twice a week; more likely to be single
Average income: $38 thousand – $4,000 less than early birds
Less likely to work in an office
More likely to use Instagram
More likely to have trouble falling asleep
Describe themselves as perfectionists, sarcastic and shy
Hobbies include reading and sleeping
More likely to believe in ghosts and cryptids (Bigfoot, Loch Ness Monster, etc.)
More likely to prefer sleeping with pets on the bed
Go to bed at 2:55 a.m.
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A Chinese man is being hailed as the “world’s kindest crook” after recently-released security footage shows him taking pity on the woman he was robbing.
The woman, who was identified by her surname Li, was withdrawing money from an ATM at an ICBC Bank in Heyuan, China last month when she was accosted by a man wielding a knife.
Terrified, Li quickly gave him the 2,500 yuan ($371) that she had just withdrawn from the machine – but when the man was unsatisfied by the amount, he asked her to show him her account balance.
Upon seeing that her account balance was at zero, however, the man simply laughs, smiles, and hands over the money that he had just taken from her.
The man can then be seen casually walking away from the bank as Li watches him go in disbelief.
The robber, who was eventually identified by his surname Deng, was later found and detained by the Heyuan Police, according to Miaopai media. Law enforcement says that he had reportedly tried to rob the woman because he “did not have a permanent job”.
Regardless of his moral motivation, the man is receiving praise from social media users around the world after the security footage of his compassionate gesture was published last month.
(WATCH the video below) – Photo by CGTN
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A 16-year-old girl has been nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her astonishing international campaign to protect the environment.
Greta Thunberg has been the inspiration for hundreds of youth-led protests around the world. She first started her movement back in August when she organized a school protest in front of the Swedish parliament building.
Every Friday since that first event, Greta has skipped her school classes so she can continue hosting her #FridaysForFuture protests during which she adds further pressure on Swedish lawmakers to take action against climate change.
Her successful campaigning has resulted in her giving lectures at the UN Climate Talks and World Economic Forum.
Greta’s weekly protests have also sparked similar events in Germany, Australia, Japan, Belgium, and France.
Tomorrow, however, Greta and her fellow environmentalists are gearing up for their largest international protest yet, with thousands of schoolchildren attending protests in 105 different countries – and counting.
1659 places in 105 countries. And counting. Tomorrow we schoolstrike for our future. And we will continue to do so for as long as it takes. Adults are more than welcome to join us. Unite behind the science. https://t.co/EFTn7eCfm6
In addition to being featured on TIME’s list of the 25 Most Influential Teens of 2018, Greta was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by three Norwegian MPs who announced the nomination this week.
“We have proposed Greta Thunberg because if we do nothing to halt climate change it will be the cause of wars, conflict and refugees,” said Norwegian Socialist MP Freddy André Øvstegård. “Greta Thunberg has launched a mass movement which I see as a major contribution to peace.”
“It is truly inspiring to see young people, led by brilliant young women, making their voices heard and demanding urgent climate action. They are absolutely correct that our actions today will determine their futures,” said Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris and chair of the C40 group of cities, according to The Guardian.
“My message to young citizens is clear: it is our responsibility as adults and political leaders to learn from you and deliver the future you want.”
(WATCH the news coverage below) – Photo by VTM via TIME
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A young disabled woman has been given a new lease of life thanks to her beloved assistance dog who helps her around the house and even pays for her shopping.
Every day, Sally Whitney gets the help she needs to live her life from a Labrador named Ethan. The service dog helps her with dozens of normal tasks, like getting dressed and even fetching food from the fridge.
Since the 31-year-old has violent seizures lasting several hours, she used to need carers to monitor her every move and help with everyday chores – but thanks to Ethan, the academic researcher is fulfilling her dreams with a new sense of freedom and independence.
“I cannot imagine my life without Ethan – he helps me from the moment I get up until the moment I go to bed and he is with me all night,” says the woman from Brighton, East Sussex.
“In the morning he helps me in the bathroom – I have a shower and he will close the door behind me. If I drop the shampoo, he picks it up and he gets me my towel. Then he goes into the bedroom, opens the draw and gets out my pants – he always goes for the pink lacy ones.
“What is impressive is when we get home, I’ll say ‘Ethan, boots.’ He waddles over and you can see him thinking he has to put the boots down before he can open the door and pick them up again.
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“Then he will take his own jacket off – he undoes the Velcro, takes it off and puts it away.”
Ethan has a huge vocabulary and can fetch items Sally requests from the fridge by tugging on a rope attached to the door handle.
The black Lab, who turned 5 years old on Christmas Day, also calls the lift, helps with laundry, and even makes contactless payments when she goes shopping.
Whitney, who exclusively uses a wheelchair, said: “It is amazing – I say ‘purse’ and he goes into my bag, finds my card and then jumps up onto my knee. I say ‘touch’ and he leans over to pay. He is very excited when it goes beep.
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“Then I ask him to get the receipt and he breaks it off with his mouth. Everyone claps and he does this pose and pricks his ears up. He absolutely loves the attention.”
The assistance dog helps keep Sally alive by spotting early warning signs of a seizure and running to get help.
“If I jerk, pass out or fall, he will leave the room and get help from my carer or my husband Ed,” says Whitney. “Because of the bond between Ethan and I, he is more perceptive to my symptoms than I am.
“Recently I was in the bathroom and for some reason, he started nudging my face, threw open the bathroom door and found my carer. Then I became dizzy and just when I was about to fall, my carer arrived and caught me.”
Back in 2008, Whitney was diagnosed with lupus – an autoimmune disease which means her own immune system attacks her organs and tissues. Four years later, she was further diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: a condition which means the tissues that should hold her organs in place are stretchy and fragile.
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The former medical student had to have carers by her side around the clock and struggled with the “emotional pressure that came with it.”
In 2015, Sally contacted UK disability and service dog charity Canine Partners, and they matched her with Ethan when he was just a 1-year-old puppy.
“Before Ethan came along, I was pitied or invisible,” says Whitney. “Some people would say ‘you are too beautiful to be in a wheelchair’ and ask me why I was disabled.
“But Ethan is that stepping stone in between; he draws people to me which means I can have proper conversations with other adults that don’t surround my illness.”
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Spurred on by her newfound confidence, Whitney signed up for an online dating site in 2016, which is when she met 34-year-old math teacher Edward Mitchell.
Ethan joined the pair on their first date to a restaurant at Brighton Marina; and the pup was also present when Ed popped the question.
The loyal Lab even acted as the ring bearer and walked Sally down the aisle when the couple tied the knot a year later in August 2017.
“I had Ethan on my left and my poor dad had to walk behind me,” says Whitney. “Ethan sprinted from the back of the church to the front with the rings; he does everything with enthusiasm and zest. The vicar took the rings and lifted them up to heaven as if it was a miracle they reached him.”
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Whitney’s transformation has also extended into her professional life and gave her the family she “never thought was going to happen.”
She is now an academic researcher and co-leader of Living Life to the Fullest: the University of Sheffield’s flagship project which explores the lives, hopes, and contributions of disabled young people.
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Quote of the Day: “Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” – Albert Einstein
Photo: by Community Eye Health by www.deltafoundation.net, CC license via Flickr
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An amused father has been given a very singular birthday gift courtesy of his two cheeky adult sons.
Since Chris and Mike Ferry both live in Florida, they were sad that they could not be with their father in Linwood, New Jersey for his special day.
As kids, they would always celebrate their devoted dad’s birthday by going out to dinner and alerting the restaurant staffers of the special occasion so they would “make a fuss” on his behalf.
Because they could not continue their mischievous tradition, however, they decided to recruit some outside help.
Their father, Christopher Ferry, was oblivious to their plans until last week when he woke up to a text message from a number he did not recognize.
“Thursday morning, I got a text that said ‘Happy Birthday,’ and I said, ‘Who’s this?’” Ferry told CBS3. “‘Nick.’ ‘Nick who?’ ‘Oh, you don’t know me.’ ‘How do you know it’s my birthday?’ ‘I read it on a billboard.’”
Sure enough, Mike and Chris had taken out an entire billboard reading “Wish My Dad a Happy Birthday – Love, Your Sons.” The billboard also featured Ferry’s name, face, and phone number.
Initially, they only expected their father to receive birthday well wishes from friends and family members who recognized his face – but with the billboard hanging above the Black Horse Turnpike in Atlantic City, his phone quickly became flooded with messages and voicemails from total strangers wishing him a happy birthday.
The billboard prank has made Ferry something of a local celebrity, too. Ferry said: “The waitress recognized me, she said, ‘Oh, you’re the billboard dad’ — so that’s my new handle, I’m the billboard dad. I love it, it’s really cool.”
Though the slew of well wishes has pretty much rendered Ferry’s phone temporarily unusable, he says that he is taking the outpouring of love in stride. As of yesterday, he had received over 15,000 well wishes from strangers – some of the messages included praise for raising such adoring sons; others included heartfelt anecdotes about their own fathers.
Regardless, it seems pretty safe to say that Chris and Mike have made up for their absence on Ferry’s birthday, which is on March 16th.
“We’re very excited to see my dad smile because he really deserves it,” said the brothers.
(WATCH the news coverage below) – Photo by CBS3
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