Tattoo Parlor Covers Up Racist Tattoos Free of Charge

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Feb 2, 2017

Though some people may think that tattoos last forever, this Maryland parlor believes that everybody deserves a second chance.

Southside Tattoo in Brooklyn Park, Maryland has announced that they will be providing free service to anyone wanting to get a racist or gang-related tattoo covered up.

The parlor’s special offer has already been shared 35,000 times since it was published on January 16th, resulting in the team reportedly being booked solid for the next six months.

The shop artists only request that in exchange for the pro bono services, the customers must “pay it forward” by doing something kind for someone else.

“Sometimes people make bad choices, and sometimes people change,” Southside Tattoo owner Elizabeth Cutlip wrote in a Facebook post. “We believe that there is enough hate in this world and we want to make a difference.”

Elizabeth and David Cutlip have been so inspired by the outpouring of support that the duo has started a foundation called Random Acts of Tattoo. The project’s GoFundMe page is attempting to raise $60,000 for financing a worldwide nonprofit collective of tattoo artists who can provide the same services for others in need of a fresh start. All funds will reportedly cover travel and supplies.

“Our goal was to help ex gang members in Baltimore cover their gang and racist tattoos so that they could get rid of the constant reminder of a past life,” says Elizabeth. “We have gotten hundreds of inquiries about work, some near, some far. We are truly humbled to have the ability to heal others through our art… no strings attached.”

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IKEA to Start Selling Homemade Textiles by Refugees

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McKinley Corbley

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Feb 2, 2017

The beloved Swedish furniture company plans to start selling textiles made by refugees, providing over 200 jobs for displaced individuals by 2019.

The workers will mostly be Syrian refugee women currently sheltered in Jordan. IKEA is working with local women’s organizations to ensure flexible working hours to accommodate employees supporting their families.

The products will be sold locally throughout Middle Eastern markets.

This is not the first time that the corporation has offered aid to asylum-seekers; IKEA has donated $33.3 million to lighting projects in afflicted regions, as well as upgraded 10,000 refugee tents into modular solar shelters.

In a letter addressed to the American IKEA workforce, USA Country Manager Lars Petersson explained why lending a hand to their displaced neighbors has never been more important.

“Over the past 35 years, I have lived in many countries where I have been an immigrant,” says Petersson. “As the Country Manager of IKEA in Italy, Japan, and now the US, I have witnessed firsthand the power of people working together: people from different backgrounds, nationalities, and religions uniting to achieve our vision of creating a better everyday life. This is why any proposal that would discriminate against a certain group of our customers or co-workers, or limit our ability to attract and retain diverse talent is so troubling.”

Roll Out This Story To Your Friends (Photo by Gerard Stolk)

Beloved Teacher Has Different Secret Handshakes for All 40 Students

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McKinley Corbley

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Feb 1, 2017

This teacher is giving kids a lesson in being special by giving them all individually special hand shakes.

Barry White Jr. is a 5th grade literacy teacher at Ashley Park Elementary School in North Carolina. He’s taken the time to come up with unique hand shake combo for all 40 of the students in his class.

The educator got the idea when he heard that LeBron James had developed special handshakes with all of his team mates to build morale – his students have taken it in stride.

From dabbing to the dougie – no two of these adorable greetings are the same.

(WATCH the video below)

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Computer Allows Paralyzed Patients to Communicate – And They’re Happy With Life

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Good News Network

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Feb 1, 2017

A computer interface that can decipher the thoughts of people who are unable to communicate could revolutionize the lives of those living with completely locked-in syndrome, according to a new paper. Counter to expectations, the participants in the study reported being “happy,” despite their extreme condition.

Patients suffering from complete paralysis, but with preserved awareness, cognition, and eye movements and blinking are classified as having locked-in syndrome. If eye movements are also lost, the condition is referred to as completely locked-in syndrome.

In the trial, patients with completely locked-in syndrome were able to respond “yes” or “no” to spoken questions, by thinking the answers. A non-invasive brain-computer interface detected their responses by measuring changes in blood oxygen levels in the brain.

Extensive investigations were carried out in four patients with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) – a progressive motor neuron disease that leads to complete destruction of the part of the nervous system responsible for movement.

The researchers asked personal questions with known answers and open questions that needed “yes” or “no” answers including: “Your husband’s name is Joachim?” and “Are you happy?.” They found the questions elicited correct responses in 70% of the trials.

Professor Birbaumer said: “The striking results overturn my own theory that people with completely locked-in syndrome are not capable of communication. We found that all four patients we tested were able to answer the personal questions we asked them, using their thoughts alone. If we can replicate this study in more patients, I believe we could restore useful communication in completely locked-in states for people with motor neuron diseases.”

MORE: Simple Blood Test Could Detect Cancer Ten Years Before Symptoms Show

The question “Are you happy?” resulted in a consistent “yes” response from the four people, repeated over weeks of questioning.

Professor Birbaumer added: “We were initially surprised at the positive responses when we questioned the four completely locked-in patients about their quality of life. All four had accepted artificial ventilation in order to sustain their life, when breathing became impossible; thus, in a sense, they had already chosen to live. What we observed was that as long as they received satisfactory care at home, they found their quality of life acceptable. It is for this reason, if we could make this technique widely clinically available, it could have a huge impact on the day-to-day life of people with completely locked-in syndrome.”

In one case, a family requested that the researchers asked one of the participants whether he would agree for his daughter to marry her boyfriend ‘Mario’. The answer was “no,” nine times out of ten.

Professor John Donoghue, Director of the Wyss Center, said: “Restoring communication for completely locked-in patients is a crucial first step in the challenge to regain movement. The Wyss Center plans to build on the results of this study to develop clinically useful technology that will be available to people with paralysis resulting from ALS, stroke, or spinal cord injury. The technology used in the study also has broader applications that we believe could be further developed to treat and monitor people with a wide range of neuro-disorders.”

(Source: Wyss Center)

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Asthma Drug Shows Promise For Treating Alcoholism

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Good News Network

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Feb 1, 2017

UCLA researchers have found that an anti-inflammatory drug primarily used in Japan to treat asthma could help people overcome alcoholism.

Their study is the first to evaluate the drug, ibudilast, as a treatment for alcoholism. Study participants were given either the drug (20 milligrams for two days and 50 milligrams for the next four) or a placebo for six consecutive days. After about a two-week break, those who took the drug were switched to a placebo for six days, and those who were taking the placebo were given ibudilast. The researchers found that the subjects’ craving for alcohol was significantly lower when they were taking the medication.

In addition, the participants’ reactions were measured after they were asked to hold and smell a glass of their preferred alcoholic beverage but not allowed to drink it. The subjects reported being in a better mood while they were taking ibudilast than when they were on the placebo.

The research evaluated 17 men and 7 women who, prior to the study, reported drinking alcohol an average of 21 days per month and drinking seven alcoholic beverages per day when they drank. On the sixth day of each phase of the study, participants received an intravenous dose of alcohol – the equivalent of about four drinks – to test how the medicine interacts with alcohol and whether it can be safely administered when people are drinking. (Participants stayed overnight at the UCLA Clinical and Translational Research Center, where the study was conducted.)

“We found that ibudilast is safe and well-tolerated,” said Lara Ray, a UCLA professor of psychology, director of the UCLA Addictions Laboratory and the study’s lead author. “This medication can be safely administered, including when people are drinking alcohol.”

Side effects from the drug, which included nausea and some abdominal pain, were mild, and none of the participants dropped out of the study. The research is published online by Neuropsychopharmacology, and will appear later in in the journal’s print edition.

CHECK OUT: Bar’s Simple But Clever Way of Combatting Sexual Assault

Researchers also evaluated the drug’s efficacy by looking at how well and how quickly participants could recover from a stressful situation. When the study began, the researchers asked participants to describe sources of stress in their lives. On the fifth day of each phase the study — when the participants were taking ibudilast and again when they were taking the placebo – researchers discussed those situations with the participants. The subjects’ moods improved much more quickly after hearing about their own stressful situations when they were taking ibudilast than when they received the placebo.

The treatment seemed to especially help those in the study who had depressive symptoms, which are common in heavy drinkers of alcohol. The drug appears to reduce the pleasurable effects of alcohol.

Chronic alcohol consumption elevates brain inflammation in animals, and earlier research showed that ibudilast was effective in reducing rats’ alcohol consumption. But it wasn’t a foregone conclusion that it would also be effective in humans, Ray said.

MORE: Simple Checklist Leads to 82% Drop in Mental Health Patient Suicides

For one thing, other drugs that have shown promise in rats caused too many negative side effects in humans. That’s a common problem when medications tested on animals are then evaluated for human use; Ray said that many medications that are effective in animal studies ultimately fail to help people — a phenomenon she called the “valley of death” of pharmaceutical development.

Ray, whose laboratory studies the causes of and possible treatments for drug and alcohol addiction, said testing new treatments for alcoholism is critical because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved only four treatments for alcoholism, and they have been only modestly effective.

Although the new study is promising, further clinical trials are needed, said Ray, who is also a member of the UCLA Brain Research Institute. Ibudilast is not currently available as a treatment for alcoholism.

Ray plans to test the drug on heavy drinkers who expressly want to quit drinking. (Those in the current study were not trying to quit.) She also plans to study how ibudilast reduces brain inflammation.

(Source: University of California – Los Angeles)

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Watch Overjoyed Pup’s Reaction to Finding His Favorite Toy After Five Long Years

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Good News Network

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Feb 1, 2017

Finn the Dachshund has had plenty of toys to sink his teeth into over the years – but none as beloved as his little rubber Piggy.

This pawesome pup had lost his favorite squeaky toy five years previously. Then, when YouTube user Kyle Jason Lowell introduced Finn to his long lost buddy, he went nuts.

The excited canine can be heard whining in delight as he munches, which – according to Kyle – only happens when he is with Piggy.

It’s impossible not to smile while watching this sweet clip.

(WATCH the video below)

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Caring Neighbors Cover the Lawn of a Refugee School with Loving Signs (LOOK)

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McKinley Corbley

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Feb 1, 2017

This Georgian community is making sure that their young refugee neighbors aren’t scared away by the nation’s current political status.

The International Community School in Atlanta is a charter school that has been educating refugees from all over the world for 15 years. One morning, the front yard was flooded by dozens of reassuring signs from the loving neighborhood families.

It started when one of the local women became concerned about the school families and how they had been holding up with such turbulent current events – so she posted a sign at the school reading “Stay strong, neighbors – you are welcome here”.

Inspired by the woman’s kindness, Danny Vincent – another local mom – gathered 20 different children and friends for a sign making party on Sunday.

The school yard now reportedly has about 50 different signs featuring words of love and comfort.

“For them, it was really important,” Vincent told CNN. “I think a lot of the stuff that we’ve tried to talk about, even at an 8-year-old level, feels very abstract.”

“I can say pretty confidently when she gets nervous that she is safe and she’s going to be okay, but that there are a lot of kids that aren’t. So the opportunity for her and her friends to do something tangible in the face of something confusing and out of their control, when even the adults in their lives are nervous, is really empowering.”

Click To Share The Sweet News With Your Friends – Photos by Danny Vincent

Tennessee to Become Only State Offering Free Community College For Adults

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McKinley Corbley

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Jan 31, 2017

Tennessee is already revered for providing free community college to recent high school graduates – but now, Governor Haslam is pushing for their program to include adults as well.

During the seventh State of the State address to the General Assembly, the Governor introduced the Tennessee Reconnect Act: which, if approved, would make Tennessee the first American state to offer all citizens – both high school students and adults – the chance to earn a post-secondary degree or certificate free of tuition and fees.

WATCH: School Run by Inner City Students Has Near-Perfect Graduation Rate

The expansion, which aims to provide 55% of the state’s 6.6 million citizens by 2025, has received enthusiastic bi-partisan support. The program, known as the Tennessee Promise, also doesn’t cost the taxpayers a dime since it receives its funding from Federal Pell Grants and state lottery money.

“Just as we did with Tennessee Promise, we’re making a clear statement to families: wherever you might fall on life’s path, education beyond high school is critical to the Tennessee we can be,” Haslam said. “At the end of the day, there is no higher potential for providing more opportunity for our citizens than increasing access to high quality education. And the point is, we’re doing it while maintaining discipline and responsibility to the taxpayer – keeping taxes and debt low and saving for when the economy ultimately slows.”

School Your Friends: Click To Share (Photo by USDA, CC)

Simple Breath Test Could Save Millions of People From Cancer

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Good News Network

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Jan 31, 2017

A test that measures the levels of five chemicals in the breath has shown promising results for the detection of cancers of the oesophagus and stomach.

Together, stomach and oesophageal cancer account for around 1.4 million new cancer diagnoses each year worldwide. Both tend to be diagnosed late, because the symptoms are ambiguous, meaning the five-year survival rate for these two types of cancer is only 15%.

The new research, involving more than 300 patients, showed that the test could diagnose cancer with an overall accuracy of 85%.

Dr Sheraz Markar, an NIHR Clinical Trials Fellow from Imperial College London, told the Congress: “At present the only way to diagnose oesophageal cancer or stomach cancer is with endoscopy. This method is expensive, invasive and has some risk of complications.

“A breath test could be used as a non-invasive, first-line test to reduce the number of unnecessary endoscopies. In the longer term this could also mean earlier diagnosis and treatment, and better survival.”

The trial was based on the results of previous research that suggested differences in the levels of specific chemicals (butyric, pentanoic and hexanoic acids, butanal, and decanal) between patients with stomach or oesophageal cancer and patients with upper gastrointestinal symptoms without cancer. The new research aimed to test whether this ‘chemical signature’ that seemed to typify cancer could be the basis of a diagnostic test.

MORE: Bold Trials to Kill Vicious Cancer Type is So Successful, FDA Will Fast Track to Patients

In the new study, the research team collected breath samples from 335 people at St Mary’s Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust; University College London Hospital; and the Royal Marsden Hospital, London. Of these, 163 had been diagnosed with stomach or oesophageal cancer and 172 showed no evidence of cancer when they had an endoscopy.

All the samples were analyzed with a technique called selected ion flow-tube mass spectrometry, which is able to accurately measure small amounts of different chemicals in mixtures of gases such as breath.

Researchers measured the levels of the five chemicals in each sample to see which ones matched to the ‘chemical signature’ that indicated cancer.

CHECK OUT: After Marrying On Her ‘Deathbed,’ This Bride Made a Miraculous Recovery After Quitting 1 Food

The results showed that the test was 85% accurate overall, with a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 81%. This means that not only was the breath test good at picking up those who had cancer (sensitivity), it was also good at correctly identifying who did not have cancer (specificity).

Dr Markar said: “Because cancer cells are different to healthy ones, they produce a different mixture of chemicals. This study suggests that we may be able detect these differences and use a breath test to indicate which patients are likely to have cancer of the oesophagus and stomach, and which do not. However, these findings must be validated in a larger sample of patients before the test could be used in the clinic.”

Over the next three years, the researchers will continue with a larger trial, using the test with patients who are being given an endoscopy for gastrointestinal symptoms but not yet diagnosed with cancer. This will assess the ability of the test to pick up cases within a group that is likely to contain only a small percentage of cancers.

The team is also working on breath tests for other types of cancer, such as colorectal and pancreatic, which could be used as first-line tests in general practice surgeries.

(Source: European Cancer Organization)

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Dog Chained Up For 15 Years Finds New Home Thanks to Ricky Gervais (WATCH)

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McKinley Corbley

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Jan 31, 2017

Bear the dog may have had a mostly unhappy life, but thanks to comedian and television star Ricky Gervais, he’s off to to live in a loving home for the rest of his days.

Having spent 15 years chained up to a dog house in a Suffolk County, New York backyard, doing his best to survive harsh winters with little to no care, a call to the animal rescue group Guardians of Rescue helped him find freedom.

So on Friday, when Gervais was supposed to be doing an interview with Good Morning America about his new film David Brent: Life On The Road, the actor used his platform to make a heartfelt plea for someone to adopt Bear.

MORE: Dog Escapes Shelter to Track Down Woman Who Fed Him Treats

“I was here to talk about that but I’ve just discovered there’s a dog needs adopting, so I’d rather use my segment to get him adopted,” Gervais said as he scratched the ears of the recently rescued Chow and Labrador Retriever mix. “I’m not leaving until we get a phone call this guy’s adopted. He was chained up for 15 years.”

The producer of the show told the viewers to send them a message on Twitter if they were interested in adopting the pup.

“Give him a life. He’s so loving but he’s had no life. Give him two years’ bucket list. Give him love.”

Finally yesterday, Gervais posted a selfie of him and the rescue hound announcing that Bear had been successfully adopted.

(WATCH the video below)

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The 10 Motivational Books Used By the World’s Top Achievers

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Good News Network

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Jan 31, 2017

As Buddha once said, “we are what we think”—and positive thinking is an important step in any achievement. Whether in your career or personal life, why not follow the advice that inspires some of the most successful people on the planet?

Maybe you are looking to make changes in the way you approach your relationships, or you are striving to alter the way you handle work-related stress, or looking to make your first million. Self-help books can be a valuable guide, and what better gauge of their quality than to select the ones that have helped successful people to live their dreams.

Sage UK has conducted the in-depth survey to determine the best books for shifting your mindset and creating personal happiness or professional success.

From Malcolm Gladwell’s “Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking” which builds your confidence by teaching you to trust your intuition, to “Zero To One” by billionaire philanthropist Peter Thiel, which is aimed at generating a positive approach to starting your own business, this list covers all bases when it comes to inspiring you in all aspects of life:

1) Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose – Tony Hsieh Zappos CEO

Tony Hsieh offers an insight into the numerous life lessons he learnt while pursuing a variety of business ventures over the years. Delivering Happiness highlights the importance of creating a corporate culture which focuses on the happiness of those around you, and how their joy can grow you as an individual.

Recommended by:
Padmasree Warrior (CEO of NextEv, dubbed Queen of the Electric Car by Fortune)
Simos Kitris (Founder of People per Hour)

2) Zero To One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future

Peter Thiel finds the unexplored corners of your creativity: that’s the central premise of this luminary’s bestseller. Peter Thiel argues that you need to escape competition and think for yourself if you truly want to forge your own path in business.

Recommended by:
Elon Musk (Founder of SpaceX and Tesla Motors)
Gareth Williams (Founder of Skyscanner)
John Sculley (Former CEO of Apple, Inc; and former President of Pepsi-Cola)

3) Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

In Blink, Malcolm Gladwell explores how we ‘know’ something without exactly knowing why. Gladwell teaches readers how trusting your instinct can be more effective than approaching a decision with caution, inspiring you to think in new ways.

Recommended by:
Marillyn Hewson (CEO, Lockheed Martin; “The World’s 20th most powerful woman” –Forbes)
Paul Jozefak (Managing Director of tech company Liqud Labs)

4) Search Inside Yourself

Chade-Meng Tan, Google’s personal growth pioneer, talks us through the mindfulness techniques he teaches to employees as he attempts to unlock their full creative potential. Credited with augmenting the productivity of one of the world’s pre-eminent tech companies, Meng imparts a wealth of useful mind training.

Recommended by:
Arianna Huffington (Founder, Huffington Post)
Tony Hsieh (CEO of Zappos, an online shoe and clothing retailer)

5) The Four Agreements

Don Miguel Ruiz believes there are four rules that can transform our existence: be impeccable with your word, don’t make assumptions, always do your best and don’t take anything personally. By removing self-limiting beliefs, the author suggests that we will be better-placed to harness our innate potential.

Recommended by:
Ellen Degeneres
Jack Dorsey (Co-founder and CEO of Twitter)

6) A Return to Love

Based on the author’s own experiences as a teacher and lecturer, A Return to Love looks at how the principles of love can transform and heal people during any trials or difficulties life has to offer. Sharing her own insights, Marianne Williamson offers practical applications of love and how it can change all aspects of our lives.

Recommended by: Oprah Winfrey

7) Now, Discover Your Strengths

Using the data mined from a study of over two million high-achievers, this book by Marcus Buckingham sets out 34 themes geared towards maximizing your business success. Through the completion of an online test, readers will discover which of these themes relate to their strengths, allowing them to cultivate the best working environment for them.

Recommended by:
Sheryl Sandberg (Author and COO of Facebook; founder of Leanin.org)

8) Letters From a Stoic Seneca

In this book, Robin Campbell translates the philosophical musings of Lucius Annaeus Seneca, the advisor to emperor Nero. Seneca was credited with humanizing Stoicism and transforming it from an otherwise foreboding belief system into a useful philosophy for life.

Recommended by:
Tim Ferriss (Author of self-help books on the ‘4-hour’ theme, entrepreneur, public speaker)

9) The Right Stuff

Author Tom Wolfe monitors and interviews the first Project Mercury Astronauts in an attempt to identify the mental and physical characteristics that primed them to become pioneers in their field.

Recommended by:
Peter Thiel (Co-founder of PayPal and founder of Clarium Capital)

10) The Life of the Mind

Arranging the mind into three key processes (thinking, willing and judging), Hannah Arendt delivers an in-depth exploration of the way we process information. From scholars to business specialists, Hannah believes that an inability to think is preventing us from maximizing our potential.

Recommended by:
Phuthuma Nhleko (African businessman, executive chairman of MTN Group)

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Republican Leaves Massive Tip and Kind Note For Liberal Server as Gesture of Unity

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Good News Network

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Jan 31, 2017

This restaurant diner may have been wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat appreciated his waitress’s service so much, he left a hefty gratuity with a note as an act of community.

Rosalynd Harris was working a shift at Busboys and Poets in Washington D.C. the Monday after the Women’s March – which she attended – when several men who were in town celebrating the inauguration sat down in her section.

Though they may not have been on the same page politically, Rosalynd was surprised to find that one of the supporters had left her a $450 tip.

CHECK OUT: Cops Pay Restaurant Bill For Couple Who Refused To Sit Next To Them

Also included on the bill was a note reading: “We may come from different cultures and may disagree on certain issues, but if everyone would share their smile and kindness like your beautiful smile, our country will come together as one people. Not race, not gender – just American. God bless!”

The two later conversed via FaceTime and expressed gratitude for the mutual show of respect and kindness.

(WATCH the video below)

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People Come From Around the World to See This Dad’s Ice Castles (WATCH)

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McKinley Corbley

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Jan 30, 2017

This cool dad took it upon himself to make something fun for the whole family – so he started growing his own backyard ice castles that notoriously attract families from around the world.

Brent Christensen started the Ice Castles entertainment company on an acre and a half of land outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. The castles each range from 30 to 40 feet tall and weigh about 30,000 tons each.

Brent and his ice artisans create the castles by growing and harvesting up to 10,000 icicles a day. The workers place the icicles to strategically build the framework and then they hose the area down with water so that the pieces freeze in place.

The company now has several other locations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Alberta. Many of the “buildings” are even equipped with ice slides and nighttime displays featuring lights and music.

If you want to catch the winter oasis before summer rolls around, you can check out their website for hours and tickets.

(WATCH the video below)

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Celebrity Responds to Internet Bully by Offering Modeling Gig to Plus Sized Woman

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McKinley Corbley

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Jan 30, 2017

This beautiful 19-year-old girl was being harassed on Twitter for her weight – which then resulted in her being offered a modeling gig by a celebrity actress.

Zendaya, a 20-year-old American actress and musician with her own clothing like Daya by Zendaya, stumbled across a man who was reposting pictures of a female Monmouth University student with rude captions.

Disgusted, the Disney channel star responded to the man by saying: “She is fine as hell head to toe and [I guarantee she] does’t know you exist, my man.”

She then asked social media users if they could help her track down the bullied student and ask her to be a plus-sized model for her clothing line.

The student, known as IllestCee, joyfully accepted the offer.

“I’m really speechless right now because becoming a plus size model has always been my number one goal,” wrote the student.

Since the Tweets went viral, IllestCee has received an outpouring of support and adoration with such comments as “[he] posted this hoping to slander her but ended up getting her signed to model for Zendaya … this the epitome of haters never prosper.”

Click To Share This Beautiful Story With Your Friends (Photo by Gage Skidmore)

Widower’s Search For Fishing Buddy Ends in Quite a Catch

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McKinley Corbley

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Jan 30, 2017

Ray Johnstone was only looking for a fishing buddy to replace his deceased wife and friend – but after posting a heartbreaking online ad, the internet went wild.

Ray’s advertisement read: “My name is Ray Johnstone. Australian. I’m a widowed pensioner who is looking for a fishing mate. My previous mate is now deceased. What I want is a fishing mate in a similar position to myself who also wants someone to go fishing with. I am willing to share all costs, e.g. petrol, bait, and should you happen to own a boat (I am) willing to pay all ramp fees, but happy if you are also a land-based fisherman. If you are interested, contact me to arrange a meeting to see if we could get along with each other.”

The 70-year-old had apparently already posted the plea on Facebook without any luck, so he then transferred the ad to Gumtree at the suggestion of his nurse.

Since he published the ad on January 19th, it has been viewed over 80,000 times. Social media users have started the hashtag #I’llFishWithRay and extended offers of friendship from across the country.

Following the outpouring of support, however, Ray has apparently finally found a local fishing mate in a similar social situation who will accompany him to the water later this week.

The identity of the fishing friend has not yet been revealed, however the internet community is rejoicing the success of the pensioner’s search.

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Texas Mosque Burns Down, Donations Exceed 500K in Just 24 Hours

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McKinley Corbley

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Jan 30, 2017

Regular attendees of this Texas mosque were grieving for only a short period of time before their faith in humanity was restored.

After the Islamic Center of Victoria burned down Saturday morning, the building’s heartbroken representatives created a GoFundMe campaign to rebuild the establishment. They were shocked to discover that within just 24 hours, the page had raised $500,000 of their $850,000 goal. Another day later, and they surpassed their goal.

In addition to the financial contributions, several commenters said that even though they didn’t have money to donate, they would be happy to volunteer their carpentry and construction skills.

The cause of the fire is still unknown, however the Victoria police and fire departments are currently investigating the incident alongside the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.

“Our hearts are filled with gratitude for the tremendous support we’ve received. The outpouring of love, kind words, hugs, helping hands and the financial contributions are examples of the true American Spirit,” wrote Shahid Hashmi, president of the Islamic Center. “We’re so very much thankful and appreciative of everyone’s thoughtfulness.

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Dog Escapes Shelter to Track Down Woman Who Fed Him Treats

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McKinley Corbley

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Jan 30, 2017

Ted the German shepherd-Akita mix and Abbey Boyd the SPCA worker became a match made in heaven after cheese-flavored bacon strips brought them together.

Ted was brought into the Northwest Territories SPCA in Yellowknife on Friday. Terrified by the building and surrounding humans, the canine refused to leave his kennel.

In an effort to befriend the pup, Abbey fed him some of the shelter’s bacon treats. After asking the maintenance worker if he could build Ted a bigger, more comfortable kennel, Abbey went home.

The next day at 3AM, Abbey went to work at the airport. Three hours later, she arrived home to find a dog sitting on her porch, barking in her direction. Though the duo were wary of each other, Abbey invited the dog into her house for investigation.

It was then that she noticed a small familiar mark on the pooch’s nose and recognized him as Ted.

According to the SPCA, Ted had broken out of his kennel and wriggled out from the chain link so he could trek over three miles to Abbey’s house.

CHECK OUT: Flight Attendant Adopts Stray Dog That Always Awaited Her Return From Countries Abroad

How he found Abbey’s house is a mystery, but she reportedly took the incident as a sign and is planning on adopting the hound once she moves houses.

“I can’t ignore a sign like that,” Abbey told CBC. “He showed up at my house, out of how many people [that] live here? All the dogs. All the smells. He chose my house. Where I am.”

“[I’m going to] build my bond with him that apparently, he senses more than I do. [He’s] literally sitting on a platter ready to be loved and taken care of. He’s coming with me.”

Click To Share This Pawesome Story With Your Friends (Photo by Abbey Boyd)

These Logs of Coffee Grounds Are a Lifeline for Encamped Refugees

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McKinley Corbley

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Jan 29, 2017

Instead of throwing out the grounds leftover from morning pots of coffee, these University of Toronto students are turning them into a valuable resource for refugees overseas.

Women and children in refugee camps reportedly perform 90% of their cooking using firewood. Family members are often put in danger when leaving the camp to gather more firewood, and it can be a strenuous hours-long endeavor.

The Canadian engineering students are hoping to eliminate that risk by with the creation of Moto: a fake flammable log made of sugar, coffee grounds, and paraffin wax that can burn for up to 90 minutes.

“As soon as they’re out of the camp, they’re unsafe and that leaves them open to assault,” Bennett told CBC Toronto. “Moto logs prevent the dangers associated with that, but also frees women up to spend time doing other things, whether that’s trying to find another source of revenue or spending time educating their kids.”

MORE: Coffee Roasters Hire the Homeless –Now Can’t Run Store Without Her

The team currently collects coffee grounds from local Starbucks, Second Cup, and Tim Hortons outlets. As they continue to develop their prototype, the students plan on creating a simple recipe that can be replicated regardless of location or coffee shop availability.

(WATCH the CTV News video below)

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Meditation and Music May Reverse Early Memory Loss in Adults

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Good News Network

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Jan 29, 2017

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A recent study of adults with early memory loss found that practicing a simple meditation or partaking in a music listening program may have multiple benefits for older adults with pre-clinical memory loss.

In this randomized controlled trial performed by a West Virginia University research team lead by Dr. Kim Innes, 60 older adults with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), a condition that may represent a preclinical stage of Alzheimer’s disease, were assigned to either a beginner meditation (Kirtan Kriya) or music listening program and asked to practice it for 12 minutes a day for 12 weeks.

As detailed in a paper recently published by the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, both the meditation and music groups showed marked and significant improvements in subjective memory function and objective cognitive performance at 3 months. These included domains of cognitive functioning most likely to be affected in preclinical and early stages of dementia, including attention, executive function, processing speed, and subjective memory function.

The substantial gains observed in memory and cognition were maintained or further increased at 6 months (3 months post-intervention).

Both intervention groups also showed improvements in sleep, mood, stress, well-being and quality of life, with gains that were particularly pronounced in the meditation group and sustained or further enhanced at the 3-month point.

The findings of this trial suggest that two simple mind-body routines, Kirtan Kriya meditation, which is a Kundalini yoga-based practice, and music listening, may not only improve mood, sleep, and quality of life, but also boost cognition and help reverse perceived memory loss in older adults with SCD.

The Singing Meditation

The Kirtan Kriya meditation utilizes ancient sounds – and is meant to be practiced for greater attention, concentration, improved short term memory, and better mood. The four chanting sounds used are Sa, Ta, Na, Ma—and translate to: birth, life, death, and rebirth..

MORE: Five Soothing Guided Meditations to Aid Your Campaign Against Stress

The sounds are chanted repeatedly and in order and come from the Sanskrit mantra ‘Sat Nam’, which means ‘my true essence’.

If you would like to practice the Kirtan Kriya singing exercise, watch the video below and learn the basic steps…

Repeat the Saa Taa Naa Maa sounds (or mantra) while sitting with your spine straight and eyes closed. With each syllable, imagine the sound flowing in through the top of your head and out the middle of your forehead (your third eye point).

For two minutes, sing in your normal voice.
For the next two minutes, sing in a whisper.
For the next four minutes, say the sound silently to yourself.
Then, reverse the order, whispering again for two minutes, and out loud for two minutes, for a total of twelve minutes.

To come out of the exercise, inhale very deeply, stretch your hands above your head, and then bring them down slowly in a sweeping motion as you exhale.

The finger positions, are also important and should be continued for the 12 minutes.

On Sa, touch the index fingers of each hand to your thumbs.
On Ta, touch your middle fingers to your thumbs.
On Na, touch your ring fingers to your thumbs.
On Ma, touch your little fingers to your thumbs.

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Watch Police Officer Rescue Woman From Burning Car

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Good News Network

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Jan 29, 2017

This police officer only had a matter of minutes to pull a woman from her burning vehicle.

The Spokane, Washington cop started out by smashing the car’s window to free the woman trapped inside.

After pulling her out amongst the glass, the two staggered away from the flames towards pedestrians waiting to help.

The driver was deemed unharmed and while the policeman suffered from minor smoke inhalation, he was later released from the hospital in a healthy condition.

(WATCH the video from his body camera below)

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