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Number Of Hungry US Kids Drops To Lowest Level Since Before Recession

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Good News Network
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The number of Americans struggling to get enough to eat last year showed a big decline, according to a new report that revealed good news–especially for children.

The government agency USDA, which provides food and nutrition assistance programs for low-income households, says the estimated percentage of U.S. households that were food insecure in 2015 declined significantly, continuing a downward trend from a high of 14.9 percent in 2011 to 12.7 percent last year.

The number of children experiencing food insecurity during the year dropped almost two percent from 2014.

RELATED: “Uber Against Hunger” Delivers Unused Food To Needy, Hits Milestone

Only 59 percent of food-insecure households in the survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau reported that in the previous month, they had participated in one or more of the three largest Federal nutrition assistance programs (SNAP; Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and National School Lunch Program).

WATCH: 12-Yr-Old Opens Food Pantry, Gets Huge Surprise From Huge Food Manufacturer

The 2015 food security survey covered 39,948 households comprising a representative sample of the U.S. civilian population of 125 million households.

SHARE the Positive Trend… (Photo: CNN Heroes) 

Single Mom Disguises Herself as a ‘Dad’ So Son Won’t Feel Left Out

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McKinley Corbley
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yevette-vasquez-facebook

This single mom wasn’t afraid to butch up if it meant her sweet child wouldn’t feel left out on Donuts for Dads Day.

Yvette Vasquez was dropping her son Elijah off at Sue Crouch Intermediate School in Fort Worth, Texas when she noticed that there were more cars in the parking lot than usual.

When she asked why, Elijah explained it was because there was a special parenting event – but it was for dads only.

WATCH: 82-Year-old Woman Finally Finds Long Lost 96-yo Birth Mother

Noticing the sad look on the boy’s face, Yvette insisted they drive the 7 minutes back to their home so she could be his father for the day.

One plaid shirt, fake mustache, and spritz of cologne later, ‘Mr. Vasquez’ was escorting her son into the school weather they liked it or not.

MORE: Grandfather Donates Kidney, Sparks Idea for Voucher Program That is Spreading Life

However, not only did most of the fathers there applaud her courage, but her Facebook photos with the hashtags #WeGettingThemDonuts and #ILoveHim became an instant hit with parents everywhere.

 

Multiply The Good: Click To Share – Photos by Yvette Vasquez

Old New York City Toilets Used to Reintroduce Oysters

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Good News Network
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New York City officials announced a plan yesterday to restock New York Harbor with oysters using old toilets to create their habitat.

Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection said porcelain from 5,000 recycled toilets will be installed to provide oyster beds and breeding grounds. Fifty thousand live oysters will also be lowered into the sea.

MORE: Seafood Lovers Rejoice – Chesapeake Blue Crabs Rebound Like Crazy

Oysters once thrived in the city’s waters. Scientists estimate half the world’s oysters once lived in New York Harbor through the 17th century.

Their populations declined from pollution, and Dutch colonists began overharvesting them.

Officials note that oysters returned to New York Harbor on their own in the past few decades, after the passage of the 1972 Clean Water Act led to healthier waterways. But de Blasio’s office still labeled the species “functionally extinct.”

RELATED: World’s Largest Vertical Farm Near NYC Uses 95% Less Water and No Pesticides

The mollusk deposit will provide a boon to local ecosystems.

“This oyster bed will serve multiple purposes — protecting our wetlands from erosion, naturally filtering our water and providing a home for our sea dwellers are just a few,” said de Blasio in a statement (Ben Guarino, Washington Post, Sept. 7).

Reprinted with permission from E&E Publishing

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Animal Lovers Rejoice! There’s Now a Wine For Your Furry Friends

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McKinley Corbley
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cat-with-wine-apollo-peak

After you’ve had a long day at the office and all you want to do is crack open a bottle of red in order to properly relax and close out the evening, you now no longer have to worry about finding a drinking partner to accompany your habits.

This 100% organic, non-alcoholic wine is created in the foothills of the Colorado mountains by a pet pampering company known as Apollo Peak.

MORE: Dogs Can Now Join NYC Diners at Outdoor Tables, Say New Rules

Whether you’re a cat owner who can’t find the right companionship in humans anymore, or a dog owner who just wants to have some fun with their pooch, anyone can empathize with this company’s motto: why drink alone when you can drink with the special somebody that has always understood you?

The two feline flavors, Pinot Meow and MosCATo, are infused with salmon oil, organically grown beets, and catnip, making for a sweet treat for any pussycat in your home.

RELATED: Woman Reads to Shelter Dogs to Ease Their Loneliness—And Her Own

The dog wines, CharDOGnay and Zinfantail, are not just tasty – the natural concoction of ingredients can also help your dog relax and sooth digestion.

Spread The Pawesome News: Click To Share – Photo from Apollo Peaks

This Rescue Dog Found New Life Sniffing Out Illegal Pornography

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McKinley Corbley
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URL the Dog–Youtube

URL was a shelter dog that had been given up to the pound by two different families because he just wasn’t what they were looking for – until the local police force saw the potential for an important one-of-a-kind job.

This pooch is one of the few trained canines that has the ability to sniff out micro SD cards, thumb drives, cell phones, or tablets that may contain illegal child pornography.

Electronic storage devices have a special common chemical in their circuitry that trained hounds – like URL – can detect.

RELATED: Shelter Offers “Unadoptable” Feral Cats to Hunt Rats —With Big Success

Since storage devices are usually small and easy to hide, investigators may have a hard time finding them without spending ages combing a house. But now, when police receive a warrant for a suspected crook, URL is sent in to sniff out any evidence that the specialists may have missed.

The 17-month-old black Labrador may be young, but this crime-fighting canine is the dog responsible for the imprisonment of Jared Fogle, the former Subway spokesperson incarcerated for illegal child pornography use.

MORE: ‘Bad Dog’ Destined to Spend Life in Shelter Catches 150 Poachers in Two Years

URL’s partner Detective Cameron Hartman has also not just given the dog an important job, but takes him back to his home in Weber County, Utah every night after a hard day of busting bad guys.

“A few families kinda gave up on him,” Hartman told KUTV. “It’s been awesome so far and we’re really just excited to help whichever agency is out there that needs something so unique as this.”

(WATCH the video below)

 

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Class Goes Wild When Student Wins Them Good Grade With Miracle Shot (WATCH)

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McKinley Corbley
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It was one shot in a million, but when this college student’s professor said he would give the whole class an A on their upcoming chemistry test if he was able to land a shot in the trash can, he knew he had to try.

Ohio State University student Vinny Forte took on the bet and sent a little paper ball sailing across the entire lecture hall until it landed perfectly in the waste paper basket.

VIDEO: Gymnast Falling on Her Head Saved By Coach With Ninja Move

And the crowd went nuts.

A former student of the class says that the professor, Dr. Christopher Callam, has made the bet every year without any winners – until now.

(WATCH the video below)

 

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Former Politician Surprises Wisconsin Teachers by Funding All Classroom Requests for Entire State

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Good News Network
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Yesterday, as thousands of Wisconsin classrooms kick off the school year, Herb Kohl Philanthropies announced they are fully funding the requests of every Wisconsin teacher posted on the education crowdfunding site DonorsChoose.org. That means that if you went to the website at 12:01am on Tuesday and searched projects in the state, you would have found absolutely none because former U.S. Senator Herb Kohl had funded all of them.

As a result of his generosity, approximately 600 Wisconsin teachers will receive materials for their 43,000 students — ranging from health and hygiene items to paper, pencils and books to laptops, musical instruments and microscopes.

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“We owe a lot to our teachers and hold enormous hope for our students,” said Kohl, a successful businessman from the state who founded Kohl’s department stores. “They are both a constant source of inspiration.”

On DonorsChoose.org, teachers post projects requesting materials they need for their classrooms, and anyone across the country can support the projects that inspire them.

LOOK: Stranger Waiting in Line Behind Teacher Pays For Her School Supplies

Among the projects funded were robotics kits for Ms. Heard’s 3rd–5th grade students to explore modes of transportation throughout Wisconsin’s history, and materials to take learning outside for Ms. Mortensen’s first grade students at Midvale Elementary School in Madison.

Nearly 700 projects were funded in 140 Wisconsin school districts. Sen. Kohl posted a message on every funded project, letting teachers know they were part of the surprise.

CHECK OUT: Lawyer Gives Full Backpacks To Every Elementary School Kid in Detroit

“I would like to personally thank Herb Kohl for his recognition of the importance of our work and for his willingness to help turn the dreams of those educators and students into realities,” said Dr. Tony Evers, State Superintendent of the Department of Public Instruction.

Herb Kohl Philanthropies has long supported Wisconsin’s teachers and their schools through a Scholarship and Fellowship award program. He also sponsors the state’s Teacher of the Year program and has added a new category to his award program that recognizes Principals for outstanding school leadership. In addition, they support literacy, pathways to college and experiential learning.

SHARE Some Good News!… (Photo via Whitney Achievement Elementary School) 

Do Your Kids Have Grandparents? This Group Offers Surrogates and a Way to Connect

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Good News Network
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Grandparents Playing-CC Sean Dreilinger

There are many families whose children have lives with no grandparents involved –and, likewise, many seniors who would enjoy conversations with youth, but have no grandkids of their own.

That’s why a Florida woman created one of the first known ways to connect surrogate grandparents with families who need them.

Donna Skora looked for a solution, instead of “wallowing in self-pity”, after her daughter-in-law wouldn’t allow Donna and her husband to have any relationship with their grandson. She was inspired to fill the void by finding another family who wasn’t lucky enough to have grandparents of their own.

MORE: Dad Can Only Donate Life-Saving Liver to One Twin, So a 19-yo Stranger Steps In

She founded Surrogate Grandparents USA, a Facebook group that connects families in any state with seniors looking to make meaningful connections. Though the concept for the group existed in other countries, none had been created in the United States.

WATCH: College Student Sacrifices to Save Money, Eliminates Grandparents’ Mortgage

“Rick and I decided it was time to try to do something that might turn this negative situation into something positive,” Donna told the Good News Network. “After all, if we aren’t allowed to love our own grandchildren, then we will love someone else’s children – and, at the same time, create the possibility for so many others.”

Since group’s debut in February 2015 with just 30 members, it has now grown to include over 1,500 members and families. A published list is accessible after you request to join the closed group. It shows most of the big states like California, Illinois, Arizona, Florida, New Jersey, and North Carolina, have nearly equal numbers of families and eager surrogates.

RELATED: When a Preschool Opens Inside a Nursing Home All Heaven Breaks Loose

Dozens of seniors have been introduced in this supportive environment to families in need of role models, mentors, or just helping hands. Once they meet on the Facebook page, they take their relationship off line to get to know one another. If the connection sticks, their names are taken off the list of those looking for a match.

Donna and Rick have also found companionship after connecting with a single mom and her 13-year-old daughter.

CHECK OUT: This Doctor Broke The Law To Engineer a Better Nursing Home, And the Death Rate Plummeted

“Even though they live in another state, this relationship continues to get stronger each day. We keep in contact with each other daily, via text messages, and try to video chat weekly. They have come to Florida to visit with us and we are planning on taking a trip to go see them sometime later this year. It has helped to fill the void that was in our lives, and helped fill the void in their lives too.”

(WATCH a video below…)

Spread The Love: Click To Share the Solution – Photo by Sean Dreilinger, CC, and Sun Star

The America I Know, The Humanity I Know

By
Rajiv Ramchandra
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American trees and lake - Submitted by Rajiv Ramchandra

I start to write this as I sit in a coffee shop in a mall in India. It’s early August. The monsoon is ending, but it feels like the beginning. The heavens have favored this parched land, and the earth and leaves appear nourished, refreshed and renewed. It has been difficult to avoid another spectacular deluge taking place on the other side of the world – the dissonant downpour of the US Presidential election. I am protected by a loyal umbrella: my unshakable faith in humanity.

Days go by. I am sitting on a balcony, taking in the different shades of rich green surrounding me. I am in awe of all this beautiful life, seen and unseen, of its diversity, and how it flourishes in harmony so effortlessly. I think of America again. I lived on her shores for nearly a decade.

This is how I see her. This is the America I got to know.

Late one evening years ago, during the depths of a difficult winter in New York, my car got stuck in the snow. Without me asking, two young men pulled over and pushed the car out. For many years I lived without family nearby. A co-worker, who has four great sons, treated me like his fifth. I was invited to Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, helped countless times with my house, and shared precious uninhibited moments discussing favorite scenes from the latest animated movie. Hilarious impressions ensued. I worked at a university. A kind-hearted man who held meditation sessions on campus became a friend. We often talked long after the sessions ended. He listened when I needed help with some old wounds. This is the America I got to know. Perhaps not the America many outside of her borders know of.

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I stopped watching and reading the news weeks ago. There is only one source that I go to. A girl asks her mother’s boyfriend of 17 years to be her dad. He breaks down in tears. An 86-year-old man is paying for the college tuition of eight high school students he’s never known. An 11-year-old boy has donated 6425 smoke detectors to families across Texas. He dreams of one day becoming a firefighter. This is the America I got to know. Perhaps not the America many outside of her borders know of. Many inside may not either.

INSPIRING: Stolen Gnome Returned to Driveway After 8 Months With Book Detailing Epic Trip–LOOK

I am not a citizen of America. But I lived on her shores. And how blessed I was. Whether I get to set foot on her hallowed soil again or not, whether I have the opportunity to give back even a fraction of what I received, I wish upon her the words — a prayer — of a Nobel laureate published more than a hundred years ago.

“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action –
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.”

Indeed, it is a prayer I wish upon every nation.

It’s late in the evening now. I go back to my one source before going to bed. A homeless man offers money to pay a student’s bus fare. A Chinese billionaire donates $2 billion to support educational, medical and environmental causes. A teacher in Afghanistan turns his bike into a mobile library and cruises the countryside, giving kids a chance to read. Syrian refugees are giving back to their host country Canada and those affected by the Alberta wildfire – money, hampers of toys, clothes, food, provisions, and furniture that they received only months before.

MORE: Michael Jordan Gives $2M To Building Trust Between Blacks and Police

This is how I see humanity. This is the humanity I know. Perhaps not the humanity visible to those distracted by the dissonance. But clear as day to those returning her sacred embrace.

SPREAD Some Good News… (Photo by Rajiv Ramchandra)

Dogs Can Actually Understand What Humans Are Saying, Study Says

By
McKinley Corbley
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Dogs-Eniko Kubinyi

We’ve always known that dogs understand us on incredibly personal levels – but in a recently released study, we now have concrete evidence that dogs not only understand our feelings, but the exact words we’re saying.

A team of Hungarian scientists gathered several well-trained canines to go through an MRI machine in order to read their brain activity.

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

Through pre-recorded tapes, the hounds listened to their trainers recite different phrases in angry, neutral, and happy tones of voice while they were in the machine.

What they discovered was that dogs use the left hemisphere of their brain to process words while their right side distinguished tone – which is almost identical to how humans understand language.

RELATED: High School Cross Country Team Take Shelter Dogs For a Run

This essentially means that even if you were to say “Bad dog!” or “We’re going to the vet!” in a cheerful tone of voice, the pooch would still be hear the negative words and feel accordingly.

“It shows that for dogs, a nice praise can very well work as a reward, but it works best if both words and intonation match,” Attila Andics of Eötvös Loránd University, lead author of the study said in a statement. “So dogs not only tell apart what we say and how we say it, but they can also combine the two, for a correct interpretation of what those words really meant.”

(WATCH the video below)

 

Click To Share This Pawesome Story With Your Friends – Photo by Eniko Kubinyi

Football Star Who Sat With Lonely Boy Comes Back With Another Surprise

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McKinley Corbley
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Travis Rudolph and Boy at Lunch – Facebook

Bo Paske became famous overnight when a security officer at his middle school snapped a photo of Travis Rudolph sitting next to him at a lunch table.

Rudolph, who is a beloved wide receiver for the Florida State University football team, was visiting Montford Middle School for a community outreach program in Tallahassee, Florida.

WATCH: Federer Builds 50 New Preschools in Africa, Mobbed by Kids on First Visit

After their pizza-munching photo was shared all over the internet – including a heartfelt thank you from Bo’s mom Leah Paske – Rudolph decided to give a little extra something to his new 11-year-old friend with autism.

 

On Monday, the sports star presented Bo with a personalized Seminoles football jersey emblazoned with the boy’s last name and Rudolph’s number 15.

He didn’t stop there either: Rudolph also presented the Paskes with tickets to the Monday night’s season opener against the University of Mississippi in which the wide receiver scored a touch down before a 45-34 win.

MORE: UK Football Stars Buy Hotel, Invite Homeless to Stay For Winter

Leah and her son have become avid Seminoles fans since the player’s kind gesture brought so much positivity in their lives, and they insist that they will be cheering for Travis at every game.

Click To Share This Touchdown With Your Friends

Flight Attendant Delights Passengers With Looney Tunes Safety Speech

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Good News Network
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Southwest Airlines Puppeteer-Youtube

To these unsuspecting passengers, it sounded like their airplane was being taken over by the Looney Tunes gang.

Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Sylvester, Daffy Duck, Tweety Bird, and the Tazmanian Devil – all on a Southwest airlines flight arriving in Chicago last week.

RELATED: Trucker Posts Hilarious Pics While ‘Babysitting’ His Daughter’s Doll for the Day

The impersonator, Zach Haumesser, has been a puppeteer for 15 years, and decided to surprise his flight crew with some old fashioned cartoon shenanigans.

(WATCH the video below)

 

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Librarian Secretly Squirrels Away $4Mil to Donate to School After His Death

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Good News Network
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Robert Morin-UNH

This 77-year-old university librarian lived a quiet, simple life cataloging the school’s media during work days – that’s why the college was all the more shocked when they found out that he had left them a small fortune after his death.

Robert Morin had amassed a $4 million estate which he bequeathed to the University of New Hampshire after he passed away last year.

RELATED: Woman Donates Entire Toy Store to Kids in Homeless Shelters

The donation will go towards scholarships, upgrading the library media room, a video scoreboard for the football field, and a career center for alumni and students alike.

“Unrestricted gifts give the university the ability to use the funds for our highest priorities and emerging opportunities,” said Deborah Dutton, vice president for advancement and president of the UNH Foundation in a statement. “This is an extraordinary gift that comes at a critical time for launching a number of initiatives that are only able to move forward because of his generosity.”

MORE: Businessman Gives $18 Mil to Restore DC’s Lincoln Memorial, His 4th “Patriotic Gift”

The university explains that Bob was a zealous consumer of media – between 1979 to 1997 he watched more than 22,000 videos. Following this feat, he switched his attention to books. He read, in chronological order, every book published in the U.S. from 1930 to 1940 – excluding children’s books, textbooks and books about cooking and technology. At the time of his death he had reached 1938, the year of his birth.

Give Your Friends A Good Read: Click To Share – Photo by UNH

Asteroid Named After Freddie Mercury in Honor of His Birthday

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Good News Network
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Freddie Mercury Certificate-Facebook

Late last night on Sunday, September 4th, Brian May from rock and roll band Queen unveiled ‘Asteroid 17473 Freddiemercury’ designated in Freddie’s honor at the Freddie For A Day 70th birthday party held at Montreux Casino in aid of Mercury Phoenix Trust. Over 1,250 fans had gathered to celebrate.

“I’m happy to be able to announce that the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center has today designated Asteroid 17473, discovered 1991, in Freddie’s name, timed to honor his 70th Birthday,” Brian May wrote on Facebook. “Henceforth, this object will be known as Asteroid 17473 Freddiemercury.

“Published in the September 4th announcements of the Minor Planet Center, operating out of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory), this announcement is to recognize Freddie’s outstanding influence in the world.

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“I’m grateful to my dear friend Joel Parker of the Southwest Research Institute (active in the recent groundbreaking NASA Pluto mission and ESA’s Rosetta mission), for working on this idea, and making this happen.

“Where is Freddie’s Asteroid? It’s in the main Asteroid Belt, out between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, and is about 3 and a half kilometers across. It has an albedo of about 0.3 – which means it only reflects about 30 per cent of the light that falls on it; like many asteroids, it’s a dark object – rather like a cinder in space. Viewed from the Earth, it is more than 10,000 times fainter than you can see by eye, so you need a fairly-sized telescope to see it… and that’s why it wasn’t discovered until 1991.

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“We have a nice certificate of ‘adoption’ issued by the International Astronomical Union and the Minor Planet Center, which says ‘This name is in honor of Freddie Mercury, with the following citation:

“Freddie Mercury (Farrokh Bulsara, 1946-1991) was a British songwriter, and the lead singer for the legendary rock group Queen. His distinctive sound and large vocal range were hallmarks of his performance style, and he is regarded as one of the greatest rock singers of all time.’

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“Thanks to Marc Buie who provided the contact to the observer, and Brian Skiff from Lowell Observatory, and special thanks to Gareth Williams at the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center.

“And so – for its first appearance in public … Asteroid Freddiemercury!

“Happy Birthday, Freddie!”

WATCH: Prince’s Digital Legacy Honored in Online Museum

In issuing the Certificate of Designation, Joel Parker of the Southwest Research Institute said the following:

“Singer Freddie Mercury sang, ‘I’m a shooting star leaping through the sky’ – and now that is even more true than ever before. Today in celebration of his 70th birthday, an asteroid has been named Freddiemercury in honor of the charismatic singer for the band Queen.
Asteroid names are governed by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and published by the Minor Planet Center. When an asteroid is initially discovered it is given a ‘provisional designation’ until enough measurements have been made that its orbit is accurately determined. At that point, it is given a number and is eligible to get a name as well. In this case, the asteroid in question was discovered in 1991 and was given the provisional designation ‘1991 FM3’. It has been observed and its position and orbit measured over 1,100 times, and it was given the number 17473. When a proposal to name an asteroid after Freddie Mercury was received by the Minor Planet Center, the IAU group selected this asteroid partly due to the ‘FM’ in the designation.

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“The name approved by the IAU is the formal and official name forever to be associated with this asteroid; so, any scientific papers in the future that study this asteroid will refer to it as ‘17473 Freddiemercury’.

“But even if you can’t see Freddiemercury leaping through the sky, you can be sure he’s there – ‘floating around in ecstasy’, as he might sing – for millennia to come.”

Be A Champion: Click To Share The News – Photo by Queen

Crafty Humans Saved Pup’s Life By Making Him Special Feeding Chair

By
McKinley Corbley
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Eli The Puppy-CNN

If it hadn’t been for some persistently crafty humans, then this poor pup might have starved to death.

When Eli the German shepherd was brought into the Ada Animal Hospital in Boise, Idaho, he was smaller and more feeble than any other hound in his litter.

Eli couldn’t keep any of his food down, so his breeders gave him up to the clinic for special care.

RELATED: Deaf Girl Teaches Deaf Puppy Sign Language in Cutest Video Ever

X-rays showed that Eli had a megaesophagus – an organ that becomes swollen and useless, preventing any food from digesting.

Several surgeries proved fruitless at fixing the pup’s digestive situation and the situation seemed dire.

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That’s when the office’s manager built a feeding chair for Eli that keeps his body vertical while he eats, allowing gravity to push the food into his stomach.

In just 3 weeks, the canine has gained over 30 pounds and has started a long happy puppy partnership with Savannah Amberson, his owner at the clinic.

(WATCH the video below)

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WWII Vet Tears Up When Navy Sailors Surprise Him With Song (WATCH)

By
McKinley Corbley
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Saluting Veteran-Youtube

Ernie Thompson was alive to see the end of World War II – and since he’s still alive today, these Navy sailors wanted to show their appreciation for his service.

While Ernie was sitting outside his home in California, 24 servicemen of the Battleship IOWA came marching down the street singing the classic Navy song “Anchors Away”.

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The 98-year-old USS Missouri veteran was so overcome with emotion, he started to cry in gratitude.

Each volunteer shook Ernie’s hand and thanked him for all he did for the country during the war.

(WATCH the video below)

 

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Giant Panda No Longer Endangered!

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Good News Network
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Giant panda by Bernard DE WETTER / WWF
After years of conservation work on behalf of the iconic species, the giant panda has just been downgraded from ‘Endangered’ to ‘Vulnerable’ on the global list of species at risk of extinction,

The surprising piece of good news demonstrates how an integrated approach between governments and environmental groups can save our planet’s endangered species.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature announced the upgrade to the giant panda’s status, pointing to a 17 percent rise in the population in the decade up to 2014.

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“Knowing that the panda is now a step further from extinction is an exciting moment for everyone committed to conserving the world’s wildlife and their habitats,” said WWF Director General Marco Lambertini. “The recovery shows that when science, political will and local communities come together, we can save wildlife and also improve biodiversity.”

WWF’s panda logo was designed by the organization’s founding chairman, the naturalist and painter Sir Peter Scott in 1961. Twenty years later, WWF became the first international organization to work in China.

WATCH: Panda Cub Plays in the Snow for the First Time

Ever since, WWF has been working with the government on initiatives to save giant pandas, including helping to establish an integrated network of giant panda reserves and wildlife corridors to connect isolated panda populations as well as working with local communities to develop sustainable livelihoods and minimize their impact on the forests.

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These efforts have seen the number of panda reserves jump to 67, which now protect nearly two-thirds of the 1,864 wild pandas in China. They have also helped to safeguard large swathes of mountainous bamboo forests, which shelter countless other species and provide natural services to vast numbers of people, including tens of millions who live alongside rivers downstream of panda habitat.

SHARE the Wonderful News… (Photo by Bernard De Wetter /WWF)

4 U.S. States Show Decline in Obesity For First Time in 10 Years

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Good News Network
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Obesity–CC TobyOtter

American adults are renowned for having high rates of obesity, but this most recent U.S. health study marks the first time in a decade that there have been declines in unhealthy weight gain.

Between 2014 and 2015, Montana, New York, Minnesota, and Ohio all experienced drops in adult obesity levels while all other states staid the same.

Louisiana reportedly has the highest adult obesity rate at 36.2 percent and Colorado has the lowest at 20.2.

MORE: US Obesity Rate for Young Children Plummets 43% in a Decade

There is some evidence that the rate of increase has been slowing over the past decade.  For instance, in 2005, 49 states experienced an increase; in 2008, 37 states did; in 2010, 28 states did; in 2011, 16 states did; in 2012, only one state did; and in 2014, only two states did.

In addition, recent national data shows that childhood obesity rates have stabilized at 17 percent over the past decade. Rates are declining among 2- to 5-year-olds, stable among 6- to 11-year-olds, and increasing among 12- to 19-year-olds.

WATCH: Meghan Trainor Fights Body Image With Song

The number of high school students who drink one or more soda a day has dropped by nearly 40 percent since 2007, to around one in five (20.4 percent) (note: does not include sport/energy drinks, diet sodas or water with added sugars).

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Study Says We May Already Have The Cure For Zika

By
Frank Phelps
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By Aedes Albopictus, public domain

mosquito-Aedes_Albopictus-publicdomain

The average time it takes to test and develop a new drug takes about 12 years – but when a virus without any known treatment starts to cause fetal development complications in pregnant mothers, that development process is 12 years and 9 months too late

The Zika virus has been “buzzing” around the public’s ear since early February when the World Health Organization declared the virus “a public health emergency of international concern”. This general state of alarm has only been compounded by the recent linkage between Zika and birth defects in children.

However, according to the work of a diverse research team at Florida State University, the components of our figurative bug swatter may already exist.

RELATED: Walgreens Now Provides Free Online Mental Illness Tests

Through a testing and selection process called “repurposing screening,” researchers sifted through over 6,000 compounds that were already FDA approved or in their clinical trial stages – this way, the drug can quickly start to be administered to those affected without having to go through testing trials.

“We teamed up to look for small molecule compounds that can inhibit Zika virus replication,” said Hengli Tang, Professor of Biological Science at FSU. “We [also] hope[d] of finding drugs to treat Zika virus infection.”

MORE: FDA Finally Bans Antibacterial Soaps Containing Triclosan and 18 Other Chemicals

After testing each compound on lab grown human cells, Tang and his team discovered two trait distinctive compound classes that could be used to treat the Zika virus: one class inhibited the virus from multiplying; and the other was neuroprotective against Zika induced cell-damage to the precursor brain cells of fetal development.

Because both compound classes were already FDA approved or in their clinical trial stages, different compounds from each class could be combined to create a new drugs that would already be close to the testing stage of development.

CHECK OUT: Scientists Just Deleted HIV in Mice Using Gene-Editing Technique

“We live in Florida, and we know there are cases in Florida,” said Tang. “So [Zika] is something that is very close to home. I think that [our research] counts for something: the ability to perhaps affect people’s lives in a positive way.”

(WATCH the video below)

 

This Story Is All Abuzz With Interest: Click To Share – Photo by Aedes Albopictus

Police Surprise Boy Who Bought Them Lunch With Mini Police Cruiser (WATCH)

By
Good News Network
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Boy Surprised by Winslow Twp Police Department -Released

New Jersey police officers were surprised by a little boy who wanted nothing more than to buy them lunch–and now the boys in blue have rewarded the kind gesture.

Five-year-old William Evertz Jr. wanted to do something special for his heroes at the Winslow Township Police Department near Philadelphia, so he saved up his allowance for seven months so he could bring Subway sandwiches to their doorstep.

WATCH: ‘Army of Stand-ins’ Escort Fallen Cop’s Son to First Day of School

The cops were so touched that they took up a collection to buy a mini cop car for the boy so he could patrol his neighborhood.

The police department, located in Hammonton, said on their Facebook page that they ordered personalized decals for the car from the folks at VCI in Berlin, who donated stickers that replicated the actual Winslow Twp Police car insignias.

LOOK: Police Officers Wash Blind Homeless Man’s Feet— And Do A Lot More

They even got license plates emblazoned with the tot’s nickname, “Bubba”.

(WATCH the surprise unveiling in the video below)

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