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Everyone in This Village Can Speak Sign Language So Deaf Residents Can Be Treated Equally

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This village of 3,000 people is not quite like most communities.

Almost everyone in the little village of Bengkala in Bali can speak sign language so they can properly communicate, welcome, and respect their 40 deaf residents.

WATCH: Despite Being Blind and Partially Deaf, Man Has Traveled Solo to 125 Countries on 7 Continents

Ordinarily, a town of 3,000 people would have an average of 4 deaf residents, but the community experiences a high rate of deafness due to a recessive gene that has been passed down for the last seven generations.

Instead of ostracizing their deaf neighbors, however, the town made up their own form of sign language called Kata Kolok.

(WATCH the video below)

Help Your Friends Hear About This Cool Story By Sharing To Social Media – Photo by Great Big Story

Thousands of Leading AI Researchers Sign Pledge Against Lethal Robots

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Over 2,400 leading leading scientists and researchers specializing in artificial intelligence have taken a firm stance against wielding their technology in a lethal way.

Demis Hassabis from Google DeepMind and Elon Musk of SpaceX are some of the bigger names who have signed a pledge against manufacturing, building, developing, using, or selling AI robots that can target or attack humans without oversight. 170 other AI-related firms, businesses and organizations have also signed the pledge.

The pledge was facilitated by The Future of Life Institute, which is a Cambridge-based nonprofit dedicated to ensuring the regulation of dangerous AI technologies.

“Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to play an increasing role in military systems,” reads the pledge. “There is an urgent opportunity and necessity for citizens, policymakers, and leaders to distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI.

RELATED: Drones Offer Groundbreaking New Protection for Wandering Elephants

“In this light, we the undersigned agree that the decision to take a human life should never be delegated to a machine. There is a moral component to this position, that we should not allow machines to make life-taking decisions for which others – or nobody – will be culpable.”

In addition to the pledge, 26 countries in the United Nations have endorsed a ban on the use and development of lethal autonomous weapons systems, also known as LAWS.

Be Sure And Share The Good News With Your Friends – Representative DoD Photo by EJ Hersom

Good Manners Pay Off: When Man is Desperate to Meet Lotto Deadline And Stranger Lets Him Go First

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Photo by Ben Lack Photography

A man and his fiancé are now millionaires thanks to a compassionate stranger.

Arron Walshaw was desperate to buy a ticket for the Lotto Millionaire Raffle last week before it closed. When he quickly popped into a shop in Osset, West Yorkshire, he walked up to the counter and ended up waiting behind a woman who had approached the cashier before him.

Sensing his anxiety, the woman told Walshaw to go ahead of her. With two minutes to spare, he bought a ticket for the raffle. He thanked the woman and left.

The next day, Walshaw and his fiancé, Ceri Hall, went about their business and ran a few errands. The two spent some time counting pennies in their home to see if it was enough for a weekend camping trip. Then, they checked their lottery app and saw that they had won £1,000,000 ($1,305,000).

RELATED: Woman Wins $1,000 Weekly Lotto Payout – and Proves Money Can Buy Happiness By Giving It All Away

“We had lots of pennies lying around the house and we just decided that evening to count up how many we had,” says Hall.

“We were chuffed when we worked out we had over £50 in pennies. That was going to be used to go camping. But that was all blown out of the water when we later checked our ticket.”

Walshaw and Hall believe that they would not have been winners if the woman had not let him cut in line.

WATCH Powerball Winner’s Amusingly Endearing Retelling of How and Why He Won $183 Million

“She must have seen that I was in a rush because she insisted I went before her. What a stroke of luck that turned out to be,” said Walshaw.

“I don’t think I would have been in time to buy my ticket if she hadn’t let me go first. We would love to meet her again and say thank you for changing our lives.”

The couple plans on using the money to plan their first home together – and it’s all thanks to a kind woman who let the stranger jump in line.

Share The Fateful Story Of Good Manners With Your Friends – Photo by Ben Lack Photography LTD

“There is no passion in playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” – Nelson Mandela (on the 100th anniversary of his birth)

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Quote of the Day: “There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” – Nelson Mandela, on the 100th anniversary of his birth

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?

Africans Are So Happy Border Fight is Over They’re Calling Random Phone Numbers On the Other Side

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Andy Corbley
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Have you ever been so happy that you began to celebrate with total strangers? Well, in the wake of a historic peace agreement in East Africa, the people of the region have every cause to do so.

Ethiopia and Eritrea – two East African countries that have been at odds since 1993 when Eritrea voted with a super majority to separate from Ethiopia – have just agreed to end the conflict which saw many families split apart as the borders shut down and phone lines were cut off.

Now, however, as telecommunications reboot between the two East African neighbors, people are celebrating in a very unusual fashion. Selehadin Eshetu, an Ethiopian, spent 3 days dialing random phone numbers before someone from Eritrea picked up.

“I am Selehadin and I am calling from Ethiopia,” said Eshetu, according to NPR, “and I am calling randomly to say hi and to tell you how happy I am.”

RELATED: These Tales of Kindness From the World Cup Are the Best Examples of Humanity at its Finest

Eshetu told the news outlet that he “heard the same happiness from the voice at the other end of the line.” The voice told Eshetu that the peace agreement was huge for him and he wanted this relationship to continue. “And he said, ‘I am going to save your number; I am going to call you regularly. We will be family.’”

Selehadin is just one of a large number of people reaching out from both countries to express their joy over such a wonderfully positive and historic moment. Feeling like she wanted to be part of history, Frehiwot Negash did a Google search for Asmara, the Eritrean capital, and found the number for the Crystal Hotel.

“When I called,” she told NPR, “the receptionist answered, and I said, ‘I am calling from Ethiopia to say congratulations.’ And I told her, ‘I am very happy.’ The receptionist then told her she was happy too. Negash told her that someday she would fly to Asmara – and the receptionist replied, “We will welcome you.”

MORE: Muslims Take Out Full-Page Newspaper Ad to Denounce Anti-Semitism Against “Our Jewish Sisters and Brothers”

Early in April, Abiy Ahmed took over as Ethiopian Prime Minister after the previous leader resigned suddenly in February amid massive anti-government protests. In Ahmed’s inaugural address, he called upon Eritrean leaders to aid him in ending the deadly 20-year-old border conflict and resolved to create a new chapter in the two nation’s histories.

Mr. Ahmed’s administration has also been praised for its release of thousands of jailed political prisoners, and a greater focus on maintaining the basic rights of Ethiopians, as well as a more open relationship with the press.

Spread The Joy By Sharing This Inspiring News With Your Friends – Photo by Simon Berry, CC

The Mathematics of Weight Loss, and Toppling the Diet Myths Along the Way

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Chithra Rajan
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The Lesson: When somebody loses weight, where does the fat go? Confused? You aren’t alone. In these modern times, obesity is one of the most pressing health issues plaguing the world. Millions of people have struggled with weight loss, and the overwhelming majority of Americans are grossly undereducated on their basic high school math and chemistry. Businesses, “health gurus”, and various other so-called specialists gleefully take advantage of these two facts in order to sell useless products that are based on pseudo-science. In his simple yet effective talk, Ruben Meerman utilizes fun chemistry demonstrations and simple mathematics in order to give listeners an easy-to-understand explanation about where fat actually goes and the only proven way to lose it.

Notable Excerpt: “And the question was this: When somebody loses weight, where does it go? What does it become? How does it get out of your body? You’re probably dumbstruck by the question. These people were, so listen to this. ‘Um. These are the mysteries of science. I have no idea. I’d like to say into the ether? It gets used up. The universe. Another dimension. It doesn’t go anywhere. It becomes nothing. It doesn’t exist anymore I guess. Sweat. Moisture. It evaporates…Well, basically, you burn it up as energy.’ So, what the heck is going on? We’re in the middle of an obesity epidemic. I don’t need to tell you about it. So why don’t these people know the answer to this fundamental question? Because not one of them was right. And we do know the answer. This is not ground-breaking stuff I’m about to tell you.”

The Speaker: Ruben Meerman is an Australian researcher, public speaker, and television science presenter. Passionate about education for all, Meerman visits schools as “The Surfing Scientist” in order to capture kids’ attention and curiosity about science with exciting demonstrations. Recently, he has published research in the British Medical Journal concerning weight loss and fat metabolism pathways.

Books: Meerman’s book “Big Fat Myths” simplifies the world of health into a few simple, science-based truths while casting aside harmful weight loss myths.

(LISTEN to the fascinating talk below)

Good Advice? SHARE It – Or Check Out More On Our Good Talks Page…

When Cops See Boy Wearing Torn, Dirty Socks, They Return With New Shoes and Ice Pops

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Two anonymous police officers are being hailed for protecting the feet of a young boy and serving up a sweet treat in the process.

According to a Facebook post from the Tukwila Police Department in Washington, two cops were patrolling a local park when they spotted a youngster who was wearing dirty, torn-up socks and sporting a large bloodied cut on his foot.

When asked why he wasn’t wearing shoes, the boy said that his shoes were too small for him to wear.

So while one of the officers kept the boy company, his partner went to the store and bought a new pair of shoes. Not only that, he returned to the park with several ice pops for the three of them to enjoy.

LOOK: Police Officer Stands in the Pouring Rain With a Smile as She Protects Critter From Traffic

“Because what isn’t better than a cold popsicle on a hot summer day?!” wrote the department on Facebook.

One of the officers was photographed tying up the boy’s shoes while the kid enjoyed his sweet treat.

The compassionate cops were only identified as “Sergeant Modest and Officer Bashful” as a means of “protecting their bashfulness”, but the photo of the policeman and the boy has already garnered tons of praise on social media.

Don’t Freeze: Share This Sweet Story With Your Friends – Photo by Tukwila Police Department

State is Boosting Bee Populations By Giving Free Hives and Equipment to Beekeepers

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Credit: Orangeaurochs (CC license)

As a means of boosting bee populations, Virginia has launched a new program that distributes beehives and beekeeping equipment directly to state beekeepers.

The Beehive Distribution Program, which is being administered by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), provides beehive equipment directly to eligible beekeepers.

Residents of Virginia who are 18 years of age or older are eligible to receive up to three beehive units per year. Individuals who receive a beehive unit will be registered as beekeepers with VDACS, allowing for periodic inspection of beehives by the agency.

RELATED: The Grateful Dead Helps to Save Bees and Butterflies Through Jerry Garcia’s Legacy

Staff will review applications for the Beehive Distribution Program in the order in which they are received. If all available beehive units are distributed before the fiscal year ends on June 30, 2019, VDACS will stop accepting applications and notify applicants that the program has ceased processing applications for the fiscal year. Applications will not carry forward to the next fiscal year.

To apply for the program as a beekeeper, click here.

Be Sure And Share The Buzz With Your Friends – Photo by Orangeaurochs, CC

Watch Dog Push His Disabled Owner’s Wheelchair Down the Street

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Dingong the dog is a perfect example of why canines are man’s best friend.

The 7-month-old pup was spotted on the streets of Davao in the Philippines pushing his disabled owner along in a wheelchair.

His 46-year-old owner, Danila Alarcon, lost the use of this legs in a motorcycle accident several years ago – which is why Dingong helps to push his wheelchair through Davao.

A woman named Faith Revilla had been driving home with her husband when she spotted the heartwarming duo last month.

WATCH: Hummingbird Refuses to Leave the Dog Who Saved Her Life 

She pulled out her phone and filmed the pup pushing the back of the wheelchair with his head.

Revilla was so touched by the Dingong and Alarcon’s bond, she stopped the man and offered to buy him lunch.

“t was a really beautiful moment when we saw the pair of them,” says Revilla. “We took Danilo to our favorite buffet. We wanted to treat him.”

(WATCH the video below)

Be Sure And Share This Pawesome Story Of Companionship With Your Friends

‘Captain Wiggle Wings’ – The U.S. Pilot Who Dropped Tons of Candy for Kids in Berlin After Fighting Their Country

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70 years ago today, a US Air Force pilot went down in history as the man who started dropping candy with miniature parachutes – because every child deserves a sweet treat, even in times of war.

In 1948, the Soviet Union instituted the cruel ‘Berlin Blockade’ as an attempt to cut off all inroads to West Berlin, yet they refrained from stopping the massive humanitarian airlift led by American, British, and French flyers.

For nearly a year, more than a quarter million flights delivered thousands of tons of food and fuel, coal, and liquid fuel to the otherwise strangled German city, which was surrounded by 1.5 million Soviet military troops. Despite the Germans having been the sworn enemy of the West just three years earlier, the merciful airlift—dubbed Operation Vittles—gained popular support and was called “America’s greatest humanitarian mission”.

Gail Halvorsen, one of the many Airlift pilots, decided to use his off-time to fly into Berlin and make movies with his hand-held camera. He arrived at Tempelhof on July 17th, 1948 on one of the C-54s and walked over to a crowd of children who had gathered at the end of the runway to watch the aircraft. He introduced himself and they started to ask him questions about the aircraft and their flights. As a goodwill gesture, he handed out his only two sticks of Wrigley’s Doublemint Gum. The children quickly divided up the pieces as best they could, even passing around the wrapper for others to smell.

RELATED: Holocaust Survivor Indebted to American Troops Donates $1Mil: ‘First they saved us. Then … they welcomed us’

He was so impressed by their gratitude and that they didn’t fight over the gum, he promised the children that he would drop off more candy the next time he returned. Before he left them, a child asked him how they would know it was him flying over. He replied, “I’ll wiggle my wings.”

The next day on his approach to Berlin, he rocked the aircraft and dropped some chocolate bars attached to a handmade handkerchief parachute to the children waiting below. Every day after that, the number of children increased and he made several more drops. Soon, there was a stack of mail in Base Ops addressed to “Uncle Wiggly Wings”, “The Chocolate Uncle” and “The Chocolate Flier”.

MORE: Holocaust Survivor Explains How an Unlikely Reunion Helped Him to Love Humanity Once More

When an officer heard about it, he immediately expanded it into “Operation Little Vittles”. Other pilots participated, and when news reached the US, children all over the country sent in their own candy to help out. Soon, major candy manufacturers joined in.

In the end, over twenty three tons of candy were dropped on Berlin during the airlift that kept that blockaded city alive and the operation became a major propaganda success.

(WATCH the video below)

Be Sure And Share This Sweet Piece Of History With Your Friends

“Self love isn’t a destination, it’s a journey that doesn’t end. Never stop searching for more ways to love yourself.” – Reyna Biddy

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Quote of the Day: “Self love isn’t a destination, it’s a journey that doesn’t end. Never stop searching for more ways to love yourself.” – Reyna Biddy

Photo: by Nathan Russell, CC license

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?

‘I was going to die, she brought me back’: Girlfriend Saves Life of Teen Struck by Lightning

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A young couple’s weekend camping trick took a turn for the worst when Juliette Moore exited their tent to find her boyfriend face down in the grass without a pulse.

Juliette and her 18-year-old boyfriend Isaiah Cormier had been camping near Denver, Colorado when a lightning storm rolled into the area. Isaiah had been standing next to the tent when authorities believe that a bolt of lightning jumped from a nearby tree into his neck.

Upon seeing the flash of light from inside the tent, Juliette walked out of the tent and saw Isaiah on the ground.

As fate would have it, she had taken a CPR class one month before the camping trip, and she immediately began chest compressions. After one round of resuscitation, her boyfriend started gasping for air, only to stop breathing once more. After the second round, he finally regained consciousness.

RELATED: Train Passenger Uses a Twitter Post to Help Rescue 26 Girls From Traffickers

“Luckily, his girlfriend was right there, moved into swift action, started resuscitation efforts and began CPR,” Sgt. David Salaman of the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office told WMUR. “It’s very important that resuscitation efforts were started right away.”

The couple rushed to meet paramedics near the campsite so Isaiah could be taken to a hospital in Boulder County. Despite now having a scar on his neck from the incident, his family is stunned by his miraculous recovery – and they credit Juliette with his survival.

“I was going to die. She brought me back. I was going to die again. She brought me back,” Isaiah told WPIV.

(WATCH the interview below)

Be Sure And Share The News Flash With Your Friends – Photo by WPIV

These Simple LED Lights Dramatically Reduce Fishing-Related Deaths for Sea Turtles and Birds

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Illuminating fishing nets with low-cost lights could reduce the impact that they have on seabirds and marine-dwellers by more than 85%, new research has shown.

A team of international researchers has shown the number of birds caught in gillnets can be drastically reduced by attaching green battery-powered light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

For the study, the researchers led by Dr Jeffrey Mangel from the University of Exeter compared 114 pairs of gillnets – which are anchored in fixed positions at sea and designed to snare fish by the gills – in fishing waters off the coast of Peru.

They discovered that the nets fitted with the LEDs caught 85% fewer guanay cormorants – a native diving bird that commonly becomes entangled in nets – compared with those without lights.

RELATED: How Technology Has Revolutionized Hair Loss Solutions

Coupled with previous research conducted by the same team, that showed LED lighting also reduced the number of sea turtles caught in fishing nets by 64%, the researchers believe the lights offer a cheap, reliable and durable way to dramatically reduce the capture and death of birds and turtles, without reducing the intended catch of fish.

The research is published in the Royal Society journal Open Science on Wednesday, July 11 2018.

“We are very encouraged by the results from this study,” said lead author Dr Mangel. “It shows us that we may be able to find cost-effective ways to reduce bycatch of multiple taxa of protected species, and do so while still making it possible for fishers to earn a livelihood.”

LOOK: People Have Passively Planted Over 30 Million Trees Simply by Surfing the Web

Peru’s gillnet fleet comprises the largest component of the nation’s small-scale fleet and is conservatively estimated to set 100,000km of net per year in which thousands of turtles and seabirds become entangled.

The innovative study, carried out in Sechura Bay in northern Peru, saw the LED lights attached at regular intervals to commercial fishing gillnets which are anchored to the bottom of the water. The nets are left in situ from late afternoon until sunlight, when the fishermen collect their haul.

The researchers used 114 pairs of nets, each typically around 500-metres in length. In each pair, one was illuminated with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) placed every ten metres along the gillnet floatline. The other net in the pair was the control and not illuminated. The control nets caught 39 cormorants, while the illuminated nets caught just six.

MORE: Researchers Have Finally Created Simple Eco-Friendly Machine That Recycles Used Diapers

A previous study, using the same LED technology, showed they also reduced the number of sea turtles also caught in gillnets. Multiple populations of sea turtle species use Peruvian coastal waters as foraging grounds including green, olive ridley, hawksbill, loggerhead and leatherback.

Professor Brendan Godley who is an author of the study and Marine Strategy Lead for the University of Exeter, said: “It is satisfying to see the work coming from our Exeter Marine PhDs leading to such positive impact in the world. We need to find ways for coastal peoples to fish with the least impact on the rest of the biodiversity in their seas.”

(Source: University of Exeter)

Be Sure And Share The Good News With Your Friends – Photo by ProDelphinus / University of Exeter

When Terminally Ill Boy Writes His Own Obit Asking People to Have Fun, His Parents Deliver

By
McKinley Corbley
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Garrett Mathias was only 5 years old when he passed away from cancer earlier this month – but not before he was able to leave behind some humor and fun for his family and community.

The boy from Urbandale, Iowa was diagnosed with a rare form of pediatric cancer nine months ago. Despite being treated for the illness, he was given a terminal prognosis.

So as a means of helping him to write his own obituary, his parents sat down with Garrett and asked him several questions about his life and funeral requests. The obit is now getting national attention for its humor and simple wisdom.

For starters, Garrett identifies himself using his pseudonym, which is “The Great Garrett Underpants”. He goes on to say that his favorite people in the world are his family members and Batman. His says that his favorite things are “playing with my sister, my blue bunny, thrash metal, Legos, my daycare friends, Batman and when they put me to sleep before they access my port.”

LOOK: Paramedic Crew Goes Out of Their Way to Grant Patient’s Last Wish at the Beach

His dislikes are “pants!, dirty stupid cancer, when they access my port, and needles.”

When he dies, he says: “I am going to be a gorilla and throw poo at Daddy!”

He also adds that “I want to be burned (like when Thor’s Mommy died) and made into a tree so I can live in it when I’m a gorilla.”

Finally, to top off the unusual obit, Garrett says that “funerals are sad” and he would rather have a fun celebration of life with snowcones, 5 bouncy castles – one for each year of his life – and an appearance from Batman.

WATCH: Man Takes Mom on Bucket List Adventure as Redemption for Unappreciative Younger Years

He also finished up the interview with a final remark: “See ya later, suckas!”

On Saturday, his parents held the funeral with all of the youngster’s requests – and they’re glad that they did.

Instead of having to stand in a church for several hours, Garrett’s family, friends, and community enjoyed a “Celebration of Life” featuring superhero appearances, snowcones, fireworks, face painting, and a symbolic Asgardian viking funeral with flaming arrows.

“A private burial of Garrett’s ashes will be held at a later time once his parents figure out how the hell to get his ashes made into a tree and locate a nature preserve, so his tree resides in a protected area,” wrote the family.

If you’d like to donate to the Mathias family fundraiser, you can visit their GoFundMe page.

(WATCH the video below)

Be Sure And Share This Moving Story With Your Friends – Photo by Des Moines Register

19-Year-old French Superstar Donates Every Penny of World Cup Earnings to Charity

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Good News Network
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The French soccer team claimed a 4-2 victory against Croatia during yesterday’s World Cup final, but one of their “wonderkid” players is winning hearts for showing his true character off the field.

19-year-old Kylian Mbappe, who is a forward player for the team, made roughly $22,500 for each of the seven games that France played in the World Cup. On top of that, he was given a $350,000 bonus for winning the tournament, which totals up to half a million dollars in earnings.

But instead of spending his winnings on a Bugatti Roadster, he is donating every Euro to charity.

Premiers de Cordee helps disabled and hospitalized children to enjoy sports, and is the favorite charity for Mbappe, who has donated his time previously.

RELATED: These Tales of Kindness From the World Cup Are the Best Examples of Humanity at its Finest

“Kylian, he’s a great person,” Sebastien Ruffin, general manager of the charity, told Le Parisien.

“When his schedule allows it, he intervenes for us with pleasure,” he added. “He has a very good [relationship] with children, he always finds the right [words] to encourage them. I sometimes even feel that [he] takes more pleasure to play with the kids than the kids themselves.”

Mbappe also pays proper respect to his elders. Upon becoming the second youngest soccer player to score in a World Cup final, Brazilian football legend Pelé posted to Twitter saying: “If Kylian keeps equalling my records like this I may have to dust my boots off again…”

Mbappe’s humble response? “The king will always be the king.”

Score Big With Your Friends And Share This Sweet Story With Your Friends – Photo by FIFA World Cup Twitter embed

“Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” – Scott Adams

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Quote of the Day: “Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” – Scott Adams

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?

Immigrant Endures Misery in Search of American Dream, Stays Positive Until a Brilliant Idea Unlocks it (Podcast)

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Many musicians move to Los Angeles, but fail to find success. Instead of going home, this immigrant stayed—and persevered through agonizing years—until he serendipitously stumbled onto a brilliant idea that unlocked the American Dream. Click above to hear The Good News Guru tell the inspiring story (from the July 13, 2018 Ellen K. Morning Show on KOST-103.5 radio).

WATCH a video and learn more, at Good News Network…

Immigrant Endures Misery, But Stays Positive Until a Brilliant Idea Unlocks the American Dream

By
McKinley Corbley
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LISTEN to this story on the radio with The Good News Guru, from Friday’s broadcast with Ellen K and Geri, GNN’s founder, on KOST-103.5 — Or, READ the story below… (Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes – or for Androids, on Podbean)

Many musicians migrate to Los Angeles, but fail to find success. Instead of quitting and going home, this guy stayed—and persevered through agonizing years—until he serendipitously stumbled onto a brilliant idea.

He discovered his path to prosperity in an unlikely way, too—by becoming depressed and gaining 50 pounds.

There were many days when he felt like quitting, reports Entrepreneur. But, during all the lousy dishwasher and janitorial jobs, Robbie Cabral kept hearing a voice inside saying, ‘This will lead to something else—keep pushing forward—stay positive’.

He finally did find fortune—but only after he was laid-off from a good job in management right before Christmas, when his wife was about to give birth to their first child.

The young man from the Dominican Republic became so depressed he gained 50 pounds. Then, he joined a gym.

POPULAR: Farmers Stay Silent During Auction So Young Man Can Win Back His Family Farm

Every time he went, he would notice people having trouble with their locks, forgetting their combinations, losing their keys, or having cheap ones broken into and their possessions stolen.

Cabral got the idea to make a smart lock that can only be opened with your fingerprint.

Despite having no tech experience, he managed to find an engineer to help him build a prototype. He also needed to endure family pressure for three years, as they told him to ‘get a REAL job.’

Finally, he signed up for the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas—with his prototype called Benjilock— and it was a huge success. It won an innovation award there, and someone suggested that he audition for the Shark Tank television show, which was hosting a casting call at the very same convention.

MORE: Once Mocked for Constantly Raising His Hand in Class, Former Homeless Kid Overcomes Odds to Live Harvard Dream

Sure enough, he was featured on the show in October, passionately pitching his Benjilock. He was offered nearly a quarter million dollars of investment money, in exchange for 15% of his company. In December, he was surprised during a television interview with his first royalty check for $100,000, and he wept.

Throughout all those crappy jobs, he listened to his gut and followed his passions until he eventually unlocked the door to the American Dream.

(WATCH an interview below)

Encourage Your Friends…Share the Inspiration – Photo by CNBC

Veteran-Run Business is Left Destitute When Equipment is Stolen, But People Spend $15K to Replace It

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Good News Network
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When Cody Nichols discovered that someone had stolen several thousand dollars worth of equipment from his veteran-run landscaping business, he feared the worst for his employees.

The former Marine had started a company called Our Troops Services so he could hire fellow vets who were having trouble adjusting to civilian life. He and his employees normally work on fences, construction, and lawn care in Tulsa, Oklahoma – but their work came to a halt back in May when someone robbed them of their equipment.

The crew tried to fulfill their lawn contracts by using push mowers on acres and acres worth of greenery, but they soon fell behind on the work.

Little did they know, a nonprofit called Soldier’s Wish had heard about their predicament and had already begun rallying people to assist the small business.

RELATED: Two Veterans Have Spent an Unbelievable 15,000 Hours Driving Disabled Vets to the Hospital

“People came out of the woodwork wanting to help,” one of the charity’s workers told Tulsa World. “We were able to raise the money to replace everything.”

Within weeks of the theft, when Nichols was saying that he was “just barely hanging in”, the charity surprised him and his workers with $15,000 worth of shiny new equipment.

MORE: When Homeless Man Helps Woman With His Last $20, She Repays Him 100-Fold

“You really saved us,” Nichols told the charity, according to Tulsa World. “I really thought our company was going to die.”

As a means of making up for his employees’ lost income, Nichols started a GoFundMe page which has already raised over $7,000 in donations.

(WATCH the interview with Nichols below)

Share The Inspiring Story Of Charity With Your Friends – Photo by Cody Nichols

Girl’s Postcard to a Veteran Boasts the Simple Wisdom of Children

By
Lauri Gwilt
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US military photo

When a certain work assignment brought me to Nebraska for two weeks, this Canadian was given a wonderful opportunity to become immersed not only in the passion and pride of American culture, but in the generous nature of the Heartland.

I was celebrating my first ever Memorial Day when one of my local friends invited me to join her, along with many other community members, to place 900 American flags in the small town’s park before the holiday ceremony to commemorate veterans lost in war. I enthusiastically accept her thoughtful invitation.

Following the emotional service, we wandered over to see a display of military memorabilia from the little American town. Scattered among these reminders of the past were hundreds of postcards written to veterans by local school children.

It was quickly obvious that the teachers must have coached the children with examples of what to write, because table after table was filled with postcards that contained the same three messages – except for one that was written by a child named Emily, saying: “THANK YOU FOR PROTECTING THE GOOD.”

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I stood and stared at the postcard for a long time, contemplating this big message from such a little girl. For me, its meaning went far beyond the original intention of the postcard.

US military photo

As I absorbed Emily’s words, Mike McCardell suddenly jumped into my mind. Mike is a reporter for a local news program in my home province of British Columbia. For more than thirty years, Mike wrapped up the last five minutes of the six o’clock news with a feel good story, celebrating the people and places of Vancouver. Some BC-er’s would even go so far as to say that Mike’s segment was the best part of the program – and it was the only reason why they watched the news.

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He has since retired from broadcasting, but his lens on the world and his eye for the human condition still inspires me to look for, and even protect, the good in everyday life – to make a conscious decision to celebrate what’s right.

In a world that can often be preoccupied with the bad, I am grateful for guides like Emily and Mike who remind me to seek, celebrate and protect THE GOOD… in myself, in others, and in life.

Since 1997, Lauri Gwilt has centered her career on assisting people from across North America to discover the connection between how they’re thinking, and how their lives go. She is co-author and co-host of The Habit of Celebration, an e-course from the Celebrate What’s Right initiative developed with former National Geographic Photographer, Dewitt Jones.

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