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Read Woman’s Heartfelt Open Letter to Flight Attendant Who Extended Simple Offer of Kindness 17 Years Ago

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Good News Network
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17 years ago, Annemarie Kaan was on a plane flying from Australia to Canada, preparing to start her new life in a totally different country.

The nurse had just said goodbye to her family at the Sydney airport, and she was feeling anxious and lonely about living in Vancouver.

“Of course, I was excited — I’m a nurse and love to ski so when an opportunity to work at St. Paul’s Hospital came up, I grabbed it — but I also had a lot of trepidation,” Kaan wrote in an open letter published by CBC. “I didn’t know anyone where I was going so was feeling quite lonely and worried about how it was all going to pan out.”

A flight attendant for Air Canada then brought Kaan a cup of tea and the two started chatting about how she was nervous about the move.

RELATED: Mom Brought to Tears When Airline Stranger Gives Up First Class Seat for Her Sick Daughter

Sympathetic to her anxieties, the man continued to check up on Kaan throughout the journey and offered her words of comfort and encouragement.

But as they were nearing their arrival, the flight attendant approached Kaan and said: “You know, it’s going to be okay in Canada but if you ever feel like you need help or want to have dinner with someone, here’s my parents’ phone number. They live in Vancouver and if you feel lonely, call them and they’ll have you up for a meal.”

Kaan was stunned by the simple, comforting gesture. In her open letter, she said: “It was such a lovely offer and it blew me away.

MORE: When Boy Mails a Birthday Card to His Dad in Heaven, Postman Comforts Him With a Celestial White Lie

“There was no ulterior motive — you weren’t asking me out on a date or anything like that — it was just a pure act of kindness coming out of concern for me.

“It’s a moment that’s stuck with me all these years. Seventeen years later, I still think about it.”

Kaan never ended up phoning the man’s parents because she was immediately swept into a flurry of activity upon arriving in Vancouver – but she says that she often wishes she had. She even tried emailing the airline in hopes of getting the attendant’s contact information, but to no avail.

LOOK: When Stranger Finds Lost Wallet on Airplane, He Returns It to Owner With Even More Cash Inside

Regardless, Kaan published the letter in hopes of her story reaching the flight attendant – and she hopes that it will inspire others to perform similar acts of compassion.

“The kindness you showed me that day had a lasting impact,” writes Kaan. “I’ve taken a page out of your book and I try to show small acts of kindness every day — I make an effort just to smile at someone or offer them a cup of tea. It can make such a difference.

“Thank you for teaching me that life lesson because it has served me well over the years.”

Fly This Sweet Story Of Compassion Over To Your Friends On Social Media – Photo by Annemarie Kaan

“The world is not to be put in order, the world is order incarnate. It is for us to put ourselves in unison with this order.” – Henry Miller

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “The world is not to be put in order, the world is order incarnate. It is for us to put ourselves in unison with this order.” – Henry Miller

Photo: by Alicia Lynn, CC license on Flickr

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

Watch Aussie Woman Share Her Water With Thirsty Koala on a Hot Day

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Good News Network
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When this good Samaritan saw a koala who was hanging out in the Australian heat, she didn’t hesitate to share her water with the thirsty critter.

Chantelle Lowrie had been staying at a campground in southern Victoria last week when she saw the marsupial on the side of the road.

Temperatures had reached a sweltering 111º Fahrenheit (44º Celsius) when Lowrie spotted the koala, and she couldn’t help but wonder whether it needed some hydration in the heat.

“My first thought was that the poor little fella needs a drink,” Lowrie told ABC News.

LOOK: Fearless Uber Driver Stops Mid-Trip to Scoop Up Injured Hawk and Save It From the Highway

Lowrie then approached the koala as it was climbing a tree and held out her water bottle. When it spotted the water, however, it stopped and enjoyed a 25-second respite as Lowrie poured the water into its mouth.

Once it was satisfied, it continued on its merry way and Lowrie posted a video of the exchange to Facebook where it garnered thousands of views from social media users applauding the Aussie woman for her compassion.

(WATCH the video below) – Photo by C’Lowrie’s Photography

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Surgeons Successfully Implant World’s First 3D-Printed Rib – and They Plan On Doing Even More in the Future

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McKinley Corbley
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In a world first, surgeons successfully implanted a 3D-printed rib into a hospital patient.

The procedure, which was recently performed at Tokuda Hospital in Bulgaria, used an implant which was crafted out of an FDA-approved material called Nylon 680.

In addition to being drastically cheaper than titanium, the material was used to make the rib in less than 24 hours for the insignificant cost of $114.

According to 3DGence, the company that manufactured the 3D-printer used for the procedure, the material is unique because it can withstand the temperatures necessary for sterilization and it functions much more similarly to an actual rib than titanium implants.

RELATED: World’s First Cell-Grown Steak Doesn’t Cause Harm to Animals

“The patient, Ivaylo Josifov, was diagnosed with a rib deformation (and) the doctors were concerned that the deformity may progress, and decided to replace the rib with an implant,” Mateusz Sidorowicz, director of marketing at 3DGence, told Digital Trends.

The physicians say that the 35-year-old patient is in “perfect health” after the procedure, and they are already planning on performing additional surgeries with the 3D-printed ‘bones,’ including three ribs along with a sternum.

MORE: Researchers Develop Cheap, 10-Minute Test That Can Detect Cancer Anywhere in the Body

“This is a new era in thoracic wall reconstruction for patients with tumors,” says Professor Tzvetan Minchev, Head of the Cardiothoracic Surgery Department at the hospital.

“The material used has proven tissue compatibility and the accuracy of reproduction allows for large chest wall resections …with individually designed implants.”

Cure Your Friends Of Negativity By Sharing The Good News To Social Media – Photo by 3DGence

Blue Light Reduces Blood Pressure, Just as Effectively as Medication – UK Study

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Good News Network
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File photo by Aki Sato, CC

An exciting new study says that exposure to blue light is an effective, non-pharmaceutical treatment for high blood pressure, which simultaneously reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

During this study, which was published in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology, participants were exposed to 30 minutes of whole-body blue light at approximately 450 nanometers – a dose comparable to daily sunlight – followed by exposure to a control light on a different day.

Visible blue light, as opposed to ultraviolet (UV) light, is not carcinogenic. To assess the impact, participants’ blood pressure, stiffness of arteries, blood vessel dilation, and blood plasma levels of nitric oxide stores were measured—before, during, and up to two hours after irradiation with both lights.

The researchers who conducted the study from the University of Surrey and Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf discovered that exposure to whole-body blue light significantly reduced the systolic blood pressure of participants by almost 8 mmHg, compared to the control light which had no impact.

RELATED: When Blueberries and Grapes Are Combined, a Dramatic Decline in Memory Loss and Aging – Study

What’s even more remarkable is that the reduction of blood pressure from blue light is similar to what is seen in clinical trials with blood pressure lowering drugs.

Besides the blood pressure lowering effects, it was also uncovered that exposure to blue light improved other cardiovascular risk markers, including reduction of arterial stiffness and increasing blood vessel relaxation. This further supports the notion that light could aid in preventing cardiovascular disease, which kills over 150,000 people in the UK alone every year.

Researchers also found that exposure to blue light increased levels of nitric oxide which is an important signaling molecule that protects the cardiovascular system. It is believed that blue light releases it from the skin into the blood stream where it relaxes the blood vessels, increasing blood flow and decreasing blood pressure.

MORE: Want to Stop Eating Junk Food? New Research Says You Should Get More Sleep

Christian Heiss, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Surrey and NHS consultant, said: “Exposure to blue light provides an innovative method to precisely control blood pressure without drugs. Wearable blue light sources could make continued exposure to light possible and practical. This would be particularly helpful to those whose blood pressure is not easily controlled by medication, such as older people.”

This is not the first time that blue light has been revealed to have a positive impact on people’s health. Because blue lighting has been linked to improving mood, dozens of Japanese train stations have installed blue lighting as a means of reducing their suicide rates. Over the course of 10 years, the suicide rate at the stations plummeted by 84%.

Shine A Light On This Fascinating Story By Sharing It With Your Friends On Social Media – File photo by Aki Sato

Kidnapper Got More Than He Bargained for When He Chased Woman into Karate Dojo

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Good News Network
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A man who apparently was attempting to kidnap a woman off the street made a big mistake when he followed her into a North Carolina karate dojo.

Randall Ephraim, the head instructor of Bushiken Karate Charlotte Dojo, says that he was tidying up the studio earlier this week when the woman ran into the building.

“There were still some kids in the dojo being picked up by parents and a couple of adult students cleaning up when a young lady came through our doors and stated that someone was trying to harm her,” Ephraim told CNN. “Shortly afterward, a big male entered the building. Not knowing what he wanted, I assumed he was inquiring about classes.”

RELATED: Woman Prevents Girl’s Kidnapping by Pretending to be Her Mother

“I asked how I could assist him and he stated that he was there for the lady. She insisted that she did not know him and tried to kidnap her.”

The 47-year-old perpetrator had reportedly tried to force the woman into his car just outside of the facility.

Ephraim simply asked him to leave, but the kidnapper refused and began “aggressively swinging” his way further into the dojo.

MORE: Quick-Thinking Teen ‘Befriends’ Couple to Thwart Kidnapping in Progress

Ephraim then took action and forced the man outside where the perpetrator unwisely attempted to attack the instructor.

According Ephraim, the man was “dealt with accordingly.”

Although the man was later taken into custody, he first had to be wheeled away from the scene on a stretcher before being taken to jail and charged with drug use and kidnapping.

(Photo by Randall Ephraim ,Bushiken Karate, Charlotte Dojo)

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Instead of Running, These Inmates Rush to Aid Their Supervisor Who Collapsed From Stroke Along a Roadside

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Good News Network
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These three inmates could have taken advantage of their security supervisor’s medical emergency earlier this week – but instead, they stayed by his side and ensured that he was taken care of.

The Bladen County inmates from North Carolina were picking up trash on the side of the road as a part of a program that allows them to perform community service in exchange for having their jail time reduced.

Their work was interrupted, however, when their supervisor James Smith started to stumble, which led him to fall into a ditch.

The inmates immediately rushed to his side. When Smith was unable to answer basic questions, the men used his phone to call for an ambulance before stopping traffic and asking drivers for help, according to the sheriff department’s Facebook page.

LOOK: Inmates Write Heartfelt Letter to Police Department Offering Condolences for Slain Officer

Paramedics escorted Smith to the Cape Fear Valley Medical Center where doctors were able to diagnosis the episode as a stroke.

While the supervisor has been recovering in the hospital, each of the three men were honored with the sheriff department’s esteemed Life-Saving Award.

The awards can dramatically improve their chances of landing employment once their are released from prison, but the men say that they are simply happy that Smith is okay.

MORE: Organizations Learn Cheap Tattoo Removal to Help Inmates Get Jobs

“At the end of the day, knowing he is OK, that makes you feel better,” one of the inmates told WECT, with another inmate adding: “He’s a good man. He’s more than a police officer. He’s more or less like my friend. He’s just a really good guy all the way around.”

Upon presenting the awards, Sheriff Jim McVicker said: “It goes to show, if you treat people right, they’ll return the favor and treat you right, and that’s exactly what [these men] have done here.”

(WATCH the news coverage below) – Photo by WECT

Save Your Friends From Negativity By Sharing The Inspiring Story To Social Media

“You will either experience the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The choice is yours.” – Zig Ziglar

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “You will either experience the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The choice is yours.” – Zig Ziglar

Photo: in public domain, on Flickr

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

Want to Fight Air Pollution? New Study Says Planting Hedges is More Effective Than Planting Trees

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Good News Network
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If you want to protect your lungs from nearby road pollution, new research says you should be planting some hedges as the most effective way to cleanse the air.

In a paper published in Atmospheric Environment, researchers looked at how three types of road-side green infrastructure – trees, hedges, and a combination of trees with hedges and shrubs – affected the concentration levels of air pollution. The study used six roadside locations in Guildford, UK, as test sites where the green infrastructure was between 3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 meters) away from the road.

The University of Surrey researchers found that roadsides that only had hedges were the most effective at reducing pollution exposure, cutting the black carbon by up to 63%.

They also observed an appreciable reduction in harmful heavy metals that originated from the traffic.

LOOK: City is Converting Highway Pillars into Vertical Gardens to Clean the Air

Roadsides with only trees showed no positive influence on pollution reduction at breathing height, as the tree canopy was too high to provide a barrier/filtering effect for road-level tailpipe emissions.

MORE: Don’t Rake Those Leaves – Good for Your Yard, and the Planet

“The best way to tackle pollution is to control it at the source,” said Professor Prashant Kumar, the study’s senior author and founding director of the university’s Global Centre for Clean Air Research. “However, reducing exposure to traffic emissions in near-road environments has a big part to play in improving health and well-being for city-dwellers.”

“There are many miles of fences in urban areas that could be readily complemented with hedges to reduce pollution exposure for pedestrians, cyclists and people who live close to roads. Urban vegetation should be about much more than just trees on wide urban roads.”

(Source: University of Surrey)

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Police Are ‘Happily Surprised’ to Report Zero Roadside Busts for Drunk Driving On New Year’s Eve

By
McKinley Corbley
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Contrary to what you might expect, the police officers of this major city were delighted to report that none of the drivers they breathalyzed at road checkpoints were busted for driving while illegally impaired.

Surrey is the second largest city in British Columbia, Canada with a population of roughly half a million. Vancouver holds the title for biggest city with just 100,000 more residents.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police of Surrey had several road stops set up across the city throughout New Year’s Eve and New Year’s – and despite breathalyzing hundreds of drivers, no one had a blood alcohol content over the legal limit.

“We had no criminal impaired investigations or charges this year,” Surrey RCMP spokesperson Chad Grieg told Global News. “Surprised? I am, happily surprised.”

LOOK: Parking Officer Takes Pity on Driver After Finding Note in Windshield

“I think it’s people understanding it’s not just their safety, it’s the safety of other people on the road,” he added.

Additionally, Grief said that drivers were also better behaved in contrast to years past.

The lack of impairment is a prime example of the continuously declining rate of drunk driving across North America. According to the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility, their education efforts and outreach programs have been linked to a drop in impaired driving over the course of the last two decades in the United States.

RELATED: Random Company Will Pay Man’s Drunken $1,600 Uber Fare As Thank You For Not Drinking and Driving

“For more than two decades, the foundation has been leading the fight to eliminate drunk driving and underage drinking,” reads their website. “During this time, drunk driving fatalities have declined 31% and among those under 21, the number of fatalities has decreased 65%.

“Underage drinking among the nation’s youth has continued to decline with fewer reporting drinking each year – past month consumption decreasing 53% since 1991 – while the number of conversations among parents and kids has increased.”

Be Sure And Share The Good News With Your Friends On Social Media – File photo by Tech Sgt. Chad Thompson / U.S. Air Force

Instead of ‘We Are What We Eat,’ the Science of Kindness Says ‘We Are What We See’ in Daily Life

By
David Fryburg, MD, Founder, Envision Kindness
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Reprinted with permission from Envision Kindness

As a doctor who specializes in diseases like diabetes, I know a bit about nutrition and metabolism.

I really believe in the old saying “You are what you eat.” That is, the amounts and types of different foods we eat affects not only our weight, but our general health. Food is a complicated mixture of energy sources (calories), protein (to make new tissues like muscle and skin and heal wounds), and micronutrients like vitamins to support a wide range of biochemical processes.

It is pretty well understood that when our diets are imbalanced, different functions in our bodies may suffer. Taking in too little or too much of something can lead to the development of diseases. There are plenty of examples that have filled medical textbooks: people who are deficient in vitamin D, for example, suffer from bone problems and weakness; too much vitamin D may have high calcium in their blood, kidney stones, and possibly liver problems. The key to a successful diet (and nutritional health) is balance and moderation of good quality food.

Years ago when I realized that I was “ingesting” way too much negative news, I began to think about my “visual diet” and wondered what the research had to say about it. The analytical side of my brain was fascinated to find out that a few short minutes of exposure to negative news can induce anxiety, stress, and symptoms of depression.

WATCH: Heartwarming Data Reveals the Most Popular Google Searches Were About How We Can Be Good

One group of researchers found that a 14-minute video of negative TV news (not even internet-delivered news) can rapidly increase anxiety and sadness. What’s particularly noteworthy is that beyond induction of anxiety and sadness, participants of the study who saw negative news (in contrast to positive or neutral films), expressed greater anxiety related to their own personal issues.

A preliminary report from scientists and collaborators from the Huffington Post suggested that the effects of negative news exposure can last hours into the day for a substantial amount of people.

So depressing and fear-inducing news can make people feel more sad and anxious, which, in turn, can magnify their own problems for quite some time. Wow—a difficult, negative emotional cycle that can be self-reinforcing.

RELATED: 10 Best Stories When Kindness and Heroics Went Viral in 2018

How about “positive” news or stories? The few studies that exist suggest that inspiring, positive media sources have the opposite effects of negative media. These researchers found that viewing a short (4-minute) video of a young man who established a homeless shelter in Philadelphia was specifically able to induce gratitude and love in contrast to videos that were focused on inspiring admiration.

Another group of scientists showed some volunteers a video from the Oprah Winfrey show in which a musician pays tribute to his former music teacher for saving him from a life of gang activity and violence. Seeing that 7-minute video significantly increased the willingness of the participants to volunteer compared to an amusing video. Other studies of this kind showed that viewing uplifting videos may have positive or desirable effects on sexual prejudice as well as stimulating mothers to nurse.

LISTEN: A Happiness Lesson From Waitressing – It’s Not About You

All of this research led me to coining the phrase: “Just as you are what you eat, you are what you see.” In fact, I only recently learned that the word “diet” does not just refer to what food we eat – it comes from the Greek meaning for “way of life” or how one lives his or her life. With that broadened definition, the word “diet” has a greater, more all-encompassing meaning in relation to the things that we absorb–food, stories, images, sounds (music)–and how they impact us.

This does not mean we have to ignore negative news. There are important things that we can learn which can help us understand what other people are going through and how we can help to fix their problems. This all just means that we need a balanced visual diet—one that nourishes the soul and yet motivates us to take action and make things better.

Interested in learning more about the science of kindness and its role in your life? Visit EnvisionKindness.org to learn more.

Cure Your Friends Of Nasty Negativity By Sharing This Article To Social Media – Photo by Sarah Vega via Envision Kindness

Woman Who ‘Hated Muslims’ Now Wants to Share the Understanding and Love She Found in an Afghan Refugee

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Good News Network
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SWNS - Blur is at the request of the subject and was a condition of the pictures on the SWNS newswire.
SWNS – Blur is at the request of the subject and was a condition of the pictures on the SWNS newswire.

An American Christian woman who says she used to “hate Muslims” ended up falling in love with an Afghan refugee – and now she hopes that their romance will inspire and educate others.

30-year-old Krystal Ashley says she and Rayi Khan are similar to a “modern day Romeo and Juliet” after they kindled a relationship in spite of their contrasting backgrounds.

Ashley, who works as a teaching assistant, was raised in a conservative family and admits that she was once very intolerant of Islam following 9/11.

Meanwhile, 31-year-old Khan is a Muslim who fled Kabul for Paris to escape the Taliban.

WATCH: When Filmmaker Sits Down With Neo-Nazis to See if They Would ‘Hate in-Person’, She Had Extraordinary Experience

“Not at all in my wildest dreams did I expect that I was going to fall in love with someone from Afghanistan,” said the English tutor. “I had grown up in a very conservative home, and after 9/11, I jumped on the anti-Muslim bandwagon that was going on in the States.

The pair’s unlikely romance began in July 2016 when they met through friends during a soccer match in Paris, where Ashley was volunteering with a Christian nonprofit.

“It’s a complete 180,” she continued. “My first impression of Rayi was just that he was super soft-spoken and he just seemed super gentle and kind, and I did find that kind of surprising.

SWNS – Blur is at the request of the subject and was a condition of the pictures on the SWNS newswire.

They kept their relationship secret at first and Khan still hasn’t told his family because they are unlikely to accept his new girlfriend – especially since he was forced into an arranged marriage at the age of 16.

Ashley, from King and Queen County in Virginia, said Khan being married was an issue for her at first, but she has come to accept it because the marriage is null in France.

WATCH: Despite Local Racial Tension, Good Samaritan Leaps Into Action to Rescue Cop From Smoking Car

Additionally, she says the relationship has challenged her to become more open-minded.

“I tried to keep [the relationship] a secret from everyone I knew because most of the people I knew were very conservative Christian, so it was quite the scandal. On the other hand, his family basically would never accept me.

SWNS – Blur is at the request of the subject and was a condition of the pictures on the SWNS newswire.

“Also, our nations, America and Afghanistan, have been at war for a long time and his people have a lot of hard feelings against the American government,” says Ashley. “It’s a true, modern, Romeo and Juliet.”

Ashley moved to Paris in 2012 to work as a teaching assistant and began volunteering in the midst of the refugee crisis in December 2015.

WATCH: 5th Graders Hear Senior Couple’s Story of Racial Injustice and Take Action 60 Years Later

Khan fled Afghanistan in 2012 and spent time in Bulgaria before moving to France in 2014 where he was granted refugee status and granted temporary residency.

He said both his parents were murdered by the Taliban and the Islamic fundamentalist group had threatened him because he worked for an American contractor building warehouses.

SWNS – Blur is at the request of the subject and was a condition of the pictures on the SWNS newswire.

“When we talked about it it made me cry. It’s just so hard to fathom that someone can live through so much violence and come out and are still a good person,” says Ashley. “He has got this soft, gentle spirit. It is heartbreaking for me to imagine him going through so much. It made me cry when he told me.”

Khan, who does not wish to include his real name for security reasons, added: “I had a good life in Afghanistan … but I had so many problems with the Taliban and the government, I had to leave everything.”

CHECK OUT: Adorable Preschool “Twins” Take a Stand Against Discrimination

“But the best part about being with Krystal is having someone close to me who I can trust.

“Before, I spent so much time alone, going in the Metro every day. I just listened to music to pass the time. Even when I was with my friends I wasn’t really there, I was feeling unhappy,” says Khan. “Krystal has helped me so much, and she makes me feel full. I know she loves me, for real, not because of obligation or because of money.”

SWNS – Blur is at the request of the subject and was a condition of the pictures on the SWNS newswire.

The loved-up pair admit they have encountered some cultural roadblocks, but Krystal said that since they are both open-minded, they make sure to have plenty of free discussions about their beliefs.

“Culturally we have very different upbringings,” says Ashley. “Sometimes I struggle with it, but the good outweighs the bad.”

LOOK: Aunt Writes Emotional Note to Stranger Who Opened Her Arms to a Boy She’d Never Met

As for the future, the couple aren’t sure whether kids or marriage are on the cards. For now, they are taking each day as it comes.

Ashley concluded her story by saying: “I think people will be surprised by our relationship, but I hope they will read this and rethink things in their mind about their perceptions of people in Afghanistan.”

Be Sure And Share This Sweet Story Of Romance With Your Friends On Social Media

11-Year-old Boy Saves Drowning Man Twice His Size When No One Else Could Swim

By
McKinley Corbley
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When no one else was capable of saving a drowning 34-year-old man, a boy weighing only 80 pounds quickly became the victim’s hero.

11-year-old Advaik Nandikotkur was hanging out at the pool of his apartment building with his family when the man sank to the bottom of the deep end, his arms outstretched and his eyes wide from eight feet down in the water.

Surprisingly, the youngster was the only one at the pool who was capable of swimming at the time. Before his family had migrated to St. Paul, Minnesota from India three years ago, his father had never had the ability to take swimming lessons and his mother had not been allowed to take lessons because she was a woman.

Luckily, they had insisted on giving Advaik a few swimming lessons in America – “some survival skills for his own sake,” his father told CNN.

RELATED: Two Hours After Being Trained, Rescuers Save Drowning Skier From Frozen Lake Using Handy Local Invention

When trouble finally struck in the pool, however, Advaik’s father had attempted to help the man from a flotation device, but he couldn’t reach the man’s hand.

Then, at the urging of his mother, Advaik took the plunge.

Despite the man weighing almost 100 pounds heavier than the youngster, Advaik successfully managed to pull him up to the surface and tow him to the edge of the pool. Though Advaik’s uncle had never undergone CPR training, he started performing the procedure based on what he had seen in movies and television.

LOOK: Fearless Uber Driver Stops Mid-Trip to Scoop Up Injured Hawk and Save It From the Highway

A few minutes later, the man started to move his hands. Paramedics then arrived on the scene and escorted the man to the hospital where he has since made a full recovery.

The man stopped by the boy’s house later the very same week to thank him for saving his life and give him some money as a gift.

Advaik, who is very shy in the spotlight, has been reluctant to be the center of attention, but local police officers insist that he is a hero.

MORE: Hiker Was About to Die in a Snowstorm When She Was Saved by a Total Stranger Following Her Intuition

“I’ve never heard of a boy jumping in and saving an adult from a pool,” Eagan, Minnesota Police Officer Aaron Machtemes told CNN. “Officers on the scene commented the man was very lucky to be alive.”

“It’s simply superb,” added Advaik’s uncle. “If he had not been there, I don’t know. I’m sure it would not be a happy ending.”

Advaik’s father also says that he plans on taking swimming lessons alongside his son in the near future.

(WATCH the news coverage below) – Photo by Raghu Nandikotkur via CNN

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“He who fears he shall suffer, already suffers what he fears.” – Michel de Montaigne

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “He who fears he shall suffer, already suffers what he fears.” – Michel de Montaigne

Photo: by aka Tman, CC license, via Flickr

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

 

Watch Roger Federer and Serena Williams Positively Geek Over Finally Getting to Play Each Other

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Good News Network
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Though some athletes might jump at the chance to criticize their opponent, these titans of tennis had the most endearing reactions to squaring off on the court.

Serena Williams and Roger Federer played each other for the first time in their careers during a mixed doubles match earlier this week.

With 37-year-old Williams playing alongside Frances Tiafoe and Federer playing with Belinda Bencic, the tennis champs finished up their round-robin tournament with a quick match – and they were delighted by the challenge.

LOOK: When Helicopter Upsets Tennis Player With PTSD, His Teammate Abandons Game to Comfort Him Using a Song

“It was a great experience. I’m kind of sad it’s over — I was just warming up!” Williams said about Federer after the match. “Honestly, it was so fun.

“We grew up together, and so having an opportunity after all of these years to play each other — we’ve actually never done this,” she added. “It’s super cool that we actually get to do this, at this pinnacle of both of our careers.”

When asked specifically why she adored Federer as a player, she simply said: “Well, the guy is great. He’s the greatest of all time, to be honest.”

(WATCH the heartwarming interview below) – Photo by Tennis World

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Listen to Woman’s Incredible Story of How an Accidental Phone Call Pulled Her Out of Drug Addiction

By
Good News Network
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You never know who is willing to offer a helping hand – Auburn Sandstrom learned this when she was a young mother neck-deep in the throes of drug addiction.

Yet despite struggling with abuse and poverty, she found help in an unlikely place after she dialed a phone number that was written on a slip of paper – and that phone call ended up becoming a pivotal moment in her life.

Sandstrom first recounted her tale for The Moth, a nonprofit dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. Speakers are given the opportunity to tell a true story in front of a live audience, and sometimes, their stories are then shared on the radio or The Moth podcast.

Since Sandstrom’s performance was broadcasted in 2016, it has been viewed and shared millions of times.

(WATCH the video below) – Photo by Sean Carter

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For the First Time in 21 Years, Copyrighted Works Enter the Public Domain: ‘The drought is over’

By
McKinley Corbley
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In an unprecedented victory for cultural appreciation, people will now have free access to thousands of beloved published works thanks to a mass copyright expiration.

It has been 21 years since copyrighted works have been added to the public domain. Prior to 1978, copyrighted works were eligible for 75 years of copyright protection. Anything published after that year was protected for the lifetime of the creator plus an additional 50 years.

Then in 1998, several corporate media giants – including Disney – rallied for an extra 20 years of protection.

Since this most recent New Year’s Day marked the expiration of the additional two decades of copyright protection, thousands of books, films, poems, and musical pieces that were published in 1923 have finally entered the public domain.

LOOK: Man Saves Ancient Books From Dumpster Only to Look Inside Months Later and Find Amazing Inscription

The last mass copyright expiration occurred before Google existed – and experts are now saying that this most recent batch of creative works being added to the public domain in the digital age could have an enormous impact on creative and academic expression.

Some of the new works in the public domain include the renowned Robert Frost poem “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening”, as well as books by Aldous Huxley, Khalil Gibran, Edith Wharton, Agatha Christie, D. H. Lawrence, and Virginia Woolf.

Over 50,000 films that were published in 1923 have been added to the Hathi Trust website, and local theaters will be able to screen the movies for the community. Theater groups can now perform adaptions of plays, scripts, musicals, and songs. Google Books will now have a treasure trove of books that are available for free.

CHECK OUT: When Tribe Objects to Auction of Sacred Pipe, Anonymous Buyer Pays Double So it Can Be Returned

“We have shortchanged a generation. The 20th century is largely missing from the internet,” Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archive, told Smithsonian.

“The public domain has been frozen in time for 20 years, and we’re reaching the 20-year thaw,” added Jennifer Jenkins, the director of Duke University’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain.

Be Sure And Share This Exciting News With Your Friends On Social Media – Photo by Duke University’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain

Barista’s Simple Question Leads to Her Husband Extending the Life of a Stranger

By
McKinley Corbley
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Nicole McNeil’s simple question to a customer ended up saving the man’s life.

McNeil works as a barista at a Starbucks in DuPont, Washington. Back in January 2017, she noticed that one of her regulars, Vince Villano, had been looking rather depressed every time he came in to order his cold brew.

“He kind of seemed like an Eeyore, just a little bit grouchy, a little bit of a sad sack all the time,” McNeil told KIRO 7.

After several visits, she finally decided to ask: “What’s been going on with you?”

RELATED: Woman Stunned to Find Out That ‘Anonymous’ Kidney Donor is Actually Her Best Friend

She insisted that she was willing to listen to him, so Villano got the courage to sit down with her and explain that he had polycystic kidney disease, an incurable genetic condition that causes cysts to form on his kidneys.

Villano needed a kidney transplant – otherwise, he would be facing a lifetime of dialysis or worse.

McNeil was heartbroken. As the day progressed, she could not stop thinking about Villano’s predicament, so when she finally got home from work, she recounted the story to her husband Justin.

Then without hesitation, Justin said: “I’ve got a kidney, you know, we could do this. I think I’m willing to do that.”

WATCH: In Twist of Fate, NFL Star’s Organs Go to the Ailing Sports Hero Who Inspired Him

After volunteering to get tested, Justin and Villano began spending holidays and weekends together only to find that they had a lot in common – they were both Army veterans, they both liked hiking and camping, and even more excitingly, they were perfect donor matches.

The two men underwent surgery last week, and according to an update from Starbucks, the transplant was a success and they are both in great health.

Furthermore, the McNeils and Villano are now lifelong friends.

“In general, having them as friends, family, I wouldn’t want it to not be this way,” Villano told KIRO. “I can’t imagine not having them in my life.”

(WATCH the video below) – Photo by Starbucks

Cure Your Friends Of Negativity By Sharing The Sweet Story To Social Media

“Your life is the fruit of your own doing. You have no one to blame but yourself.” – Joseph Campbell

By
Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Your life is the fruit of your own doing. You have no one to blame but yourself.” – Joseph Campbell

Photo: by Nicolas Nova, CC license, via Flickr

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quotes page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

 

Watch Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Delight in Surprising His Mom With a ‘Golden Ticket’ for a New Home

By
Good News Network
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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has been known to take special care of fans and strangers, but his most recent labor of love may be the most heartwarming of all.

In an Instagram video that the movie star published earlier this week, the Rock surprised his mother Ata with a brand new home.

According to the caption, the Rock has always done his best to take care of his mother and father. After he and his parents had spent years living on the road, he finally bought them their first house in 1999.

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“They divorced about 5 years later and as with life, stuff happens and things got a little complicated,” writes the Rock. “Since then, I always made sure my mom and dad have everything they’ll ever need – houses, cars etc.

“But the house this time is a special one and the timing is very meaningful. I told her to treat this card like it’s ‘Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket’ because she gets to choose any home she wants – anywhere she wants.”

MORE: Secret Santa Pays Off $430,000 of Layaway Items at Walmart – Turns Out it Was Tyler Perry

Needless to say, Ata was stunned by the surprise – but her bewilderment quickly turned to tears of love and gratitude.

“I always say, if you got a good mama, then you gotta pretty good shot at becoming a decent human being,” concluded the Rock. “And somehow, somewhere along the line I became one lucky SOB to be able to make stuff like this happen.

“Merry Christmas Ma and WOOOHOOO enjoy your new home!”

(WATCH the video below)

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