A Canadian organization that tends and trains horses posted a heartwarming sight on Facebook we bet you’ve never seen.
CHECK OUT: 9-Year-Old Boy Uses Birthday Money to Save Racehorse On Death Row
The baby is getting fussy in the carrier which is parked on the ground next to the mare’s stall. Every time it starts crying the horse peers over the gate with his head and gives the chair a rocking.
(WATCH the video below)
KEEP it Rocking–Share With Your Friends…
This couple from Virginia already had three children of their own, but as Stephanie Culley’s good friend lay dying, they agreed to take on six more.
“She was never worried about herself,” said Stephanie told CBS News through tears. “She was never worried about anything but them.”
MORE: Mom Adopts Hospice Babies No One Else Wants
A single mother to the six children, Beth Laitkep lost her battle with breast cancer last month, but before her death, she asked Culley for the ultimate favor.
“It feels like home,” the eldest daughter said during an interview about her new family.
(WATCH the video below)
SHARE the Love—and This Story…
Scientists at Temple University successfully removed HIV DNA from living animals, another step forward in their effort to develop a cure for the virus that causes AIDS.
The team from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine has, for the first time, successfully removed HIV-1 DNA from living animals, using the specialized gene editing technology the scientists designed to eradicate the virus in infected cells.
RELATED: Bold Trials to Kill Vicious Cancer Type is So Successful, FDA Will Fast Track to Patients
“It’s extremely promising,” said Dr. Khalili, who believes the most recent advancement paves the way for “the ultimate cure.”
Detailed in the journal Gene Therapy, the most recent breakthrough showed that the team—which included collaborators from the University of Milan, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and the University of South Carolina—was able to target and completely eliminate the virus in the organs of rats and mice, including the brain, heart, kidney, liver, lungs, spleen and blood cells.
ALSO: Breakthrough Treatment for Hepatitis C Shows 100% Success
“The findings are important on multiple levels,” added Khalili. “They show that the system can protect cells from reinfection and that the technology is safe for the cells, with no toxic effects.”
The researchers will next turn their attention to a follow-up study and Khalili said clinical trials could be on the horizon in the next several years.
CHECK OUT: Scientists Make Anti-Aging Breakthrough During Skin Cell Study
The research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health.
(Full report at Temple University News)
A “Do-It-Yourself” big-box store is letting someone with special needs do-for-himself. They hired a man with a brain injury and gave his service dog a job, too — bringing the man to tears.
Lima was having trouble finding a job because his condition requires that he have his service dog with him at all times. The store manager at the Lowe’s store in North Regina, Canada decided to dub his companion a “customer service” dog.
WATCH: Give a Prisoner an Abused Dog and See What Happens – Karmic ConnectionThe man cried in front of other store employees as he was told he’d landed a job and could keep his dog, named Blue, by his side while working. Lima has difficulty understanding people when they talk quickly and the dog eases his anxiety.
Blue now wears a custom-made “customer service” vest, just like the store’s human employees. A photo of the new hires was an instant hit on the Lowe’s Canada Facebook page.
“Good for you and congratulations to Owen and Blue on your new career,” Adrienne Krahenbil wrote.
LOOK: Guy Gives Shelter Dogs Free Haircuts to Help Them Get Adopted
“Thank you so much for having a heart,” Marie St-Clair posted in the comments. “The heart is what makes a company great, not the profit.”
(READ more at CBS News) — Photos: Lowe’s Canada, Facebook
Give Some Customer Service To Your Friends– Share This Good News…
The last surviving search-and-rescue dog from the 9/11 attacks took her last walk this week, past teary-eyed firefighters, police, and other first-responders who saluted her with a “Wall of Honor.”
Handler Denise Corliss led her longtime partner, named Bretagne, a Golden Retriever two months shy of her 17th birthday, into a veterinary office. Bretange’s old-age and failing kidneys had led Corliss to the painful decision of having her humanely euthanized.
WATCH: Dog Wearing Life Jacket is Found Adrift in Vast Gulf of Mexico
The 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center was Bretagne’s (pronounced “Brittany”) first deployment with Corliss. They would searched for survivors in dozens of other disasters over the years, including Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
After her retirement, she continued to serve as an ambassador for her community’s volunteer fire department and as a therapy dog of sorts, helping first graders get over the stress of learning to read.Last year, Bretagne was thrust back into the spotlight, when she and Corliss were flown to New York City for a night on the town, honoring her as the last of the 9/11 “hero dogs.”
WATCH: Give a Prisoner an Abused Dog and See What Happens – Karmic Connection
A half-hour after Bretagne walked into the vet’s office, the first-responders again snapped to attention and saluted as her body was carried past the wall of honor, draped in the Texas flag.
“To the over 400 members of the Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department, Bretagne was a civil servant, a hero and is family,” the Department said in a statement. “We will remember her fondly, and continue serving the community with her as inspiration.”
LOOK: Guy Gives Shelter Dogs Free Haircuts to Help Them Get Adopted
Even in death, Bretagne will continue to serve. After a lifetime of service, she still has one last mission to complete. Her autopsy will provide doctors with clues about her ability to remain resilient into old age against pollutants from the 9/11 attacks that have left hundreds of people with cancers and other health problems.
(WATCH the video below from Inside Edition) — Photo: Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department
Let Your Friends Give a Farewell Salute: Share It…
As the “Islamic State” known as ISIS retreats, there has been a steady advance of bright colors on the streets of Syrian cities and towns.
Women are celebrating liberation from the terrorists by donning brilliant hues, as a symbolic celebration of their freedom — and one woman even says she will “only wear red” for the rest of her life.
RELATED: Nigerian Army Rescues More Than 800 Boko Haram Hostages
“Oh God! Oh God! Freed! Freed!” Khadija Abdu Al-Muotee exclaims to a reporter for ANHA News. “Now I will only wear red!”
Smiling and excited in her interview, the Kurdish woman is decked out in a red leopard-print head scarf, with bright red cloth flowers attached at the shoulder—almost bold enough for ISIS fighters to see it miles away as they flee her village.
RELATED: Christians Protect Mosques on Fri., Muslims Guard Churches on Sunday
The video below is in Arabic, but Khadija’s excitement speaks volumes in any language.
(WATCH the video below or READ more at The Foreign Desk) — Photo: ANHA News
GOOD News From Syria? Share This…
Marina Abramović is perhaps the world’s best known performance artist, but she wasn’t always so famous—in the 70s and 80s she and her lover, fellow artist Ulay, pushed the boundaries of the fledgling field where they would both thrive for decades to come.
Although art may last an eternity, love may not, and in 1988, in their final project together, they each started from opposite sides of the Great Wall of China until they met in the middle, for one last embrace.
WATCH: Fate Reunites High School Sweethearts When They’re 95 Years Old
Then came Ulay’s turn. When she raised her head to gaze at the next stranger, the emotions and tears of that reunion were captured on film and became a powerful ode to lost love. It is hard to watch without crying.
Here’s the video, with music for the moment created by How I Became The Bomb… (Story continues below.)
28 million people have been captivated by the romantic music video on YouTube, but the succeeding years have been less romantic.
RELATED: 10 Easy Ways To Positively Improve Your Love Relationship Today
The two became adversaries in a legal battle over rights to their earlier work, but this moment in 2010, during her installment called, The Artist is Present, may be their most enduring and priceless performance.
Have Your Friends Seen This? Click to Share…. (Photo by MoMA)
A woman who lost all four limbs to flesh-eating bacteria, has shared her beach body with the world — proclaiming she’s finally become comfortable with who she is.
Aimee Copeland battled through the ordeal four years ago following a zip-lining accident. Doctors had to remove both her hands, her right foot and left leg to save her life.
RELATED: Student Born Without Hands Just Won Handwriting Competition
Her recovery and the way she has spoken out about it has inspired others who have great physical trauma. She even delivered the commencement speech at Georgia Gwinnett College last month.
WATCH: Disabled Veteran Converts Wheelchair into Snow Plow to Help Town
“It has taken me a long time to become comfortable with and accept my new body,” Copeland wrote on Facebook. “The scars and skin grafting build character! It’s not about what you have — what you do with what you have is what really counts.”
(WATCH the speech below from Georgia Gwinnett College or READ more at The Daily Mail)
Ride the Waves With This Story—and Share It…
The nine-year wait is over—Harry Potter is back and early reviews of the stage production in London’s West End suggest its story, characters, and special effects hold their own against the multi-million dollar blockbuster films.
“The Cursed Child” picks up with the same characters millions followed through childhood and adolescence, but now, nineteen years later, as adults with their own children facing new adventures and dangers at Hogwarts.
Early reviews say the nearly four-and-a-half hour play zips by, Designed to be seen in two parts–either in an afternoon and evening, or two consecutive nights–it possesses the same magic that made the books and films so popular. There are plenty of laughs and the emphasis remains on the children who are attending Hogwarts at the time.
Press reporters were not allowed into the fan-exclusive preview performance and J.K. Rowling asked theatergoers to keep silent about the plot. So far, there have been no leaks, which makes us wonder if some spell was cast over the audience.
“The child may be cursed but this show most definitely isn’t,” The Mirror wrote in its newspaper, in response to fans who reported almost unanimously with two thumbs up.
“It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.
While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.”
(Photos: The Cursed Child; and lizo mzimba, Twitter)
Summon This Story for Your Friends with an “Accio” –and Click!
An Australian frog was treated like a prince when he was injured in an accident with a lawn mower — even being airlifted to a hospital that specializes in treating frogs.
The outback green tree frog has a nasty cut to his back after a woman accidentally ran over him with her mower. With the help of the Cairns Frog Hospital, she was able to arrange to have him hop on a flight to go for treatment.
WATCH: Bear Literally Can’t Stop Jumping For Joy After Being Rescued
The hospital reports the frog has recovered quickly and is gaining weight.
CHECK OUT: Gorillas Spring into Action to Dismantle Poacher’s Traps
“Most of the public still doesn’t realize that frogs are not necessarily included in your typical wildlife rescue repertoire,” hospital president Deborah Pergolotti, told Australia’s ABC News. “It’s still one of the animals that have not really made it above that line — there’s almost a glass ceiling.”
Fortunately for this frog, there were a lot of people willing to help him leap through it.
(Photo: Cairns Frog Hosptial and Frog Safe, Inc.)
Help Your Friends Jump On This Story, Share It…
After watching her own mother care for people with dementia for over 15 years, a young woman from London was inspired to create a device that would keep people living with dementia safer.
Natalie Price calls her Proximity Button “the first of its kind in the dementia market,” and after two years of development has launched a crowdfunding campaign this week to raise enough money to manufacture the super-simple, yet effective, device.
RELATED: ‘Lost’ Memories in Alzheimer Sufferers May Be Recoverable, Says Study
An affordable solution to guard against wandering, the smart button’s sensor, worn by a person with dementia, connects to a caregiver’s iPhone or Android device and alerts them when the wearer wanders too far away. Because it is not a warning device, rather than a tracking device, it does not rely on expensive technology.
In the UK, dementia affects 850,000 people and more than 60% of these people often wander off and if they’re not found within 24 hours, up to half of individuals end up seriously injured.
“I want everyone to be able to protect the people they care about the most,” Price told Good News Network. “We approached the product and user experience of Proximity with the following principles in mind: simplicity, discretion and affordability.”
WATCH: 98-Year-old Grandma With Dementia is Still a Charmer with Her Lewd Joke Doll
Natalie, 25, has a working prototype that has been tested and proven successful using a small battery. Once the crowdfunding campaign is complete, Natalie estimates that the product launch will be as soon as September of this year.
As for the range that sets off the alarm, if you are outdoors in a big open space it will alert you at about 20 meters (65 feet). If you are inside, for example in a busy supermarket, the alarm will go off a lot quicker because walls and people will get in the way of the signal and block it far sooner – around 10 meters (32 feet).
RELATED: Middle-Agers Are Fending Off Dementia With Healthy Living: Study
The campaign, which has raised 40 percent of its goal already, gives each early adopter who contributes $65 to the fundraiser one Proximity Button to use with the free app. Two buttons will cost you $99 (£68).
(WATCH her video below, and learn more about the technology on Indiegogo)
SHARE the Link So Others May Not Wander…
While on location in the small town of Marfa, Texas, Kevin Bacon used his free time to drop by a school district end-of-year teacher recognition party.
RELATED: Which 58 Celebrities Gave $14 Million to Teachers in Their Hometowns? (LOOK)
He got some benefit too.
“The pizza party sure beats hanging out in the hotel room,” it says on his SixDegrees.org Facebook Page.
Show Some Love to Kevin—SHARE This
A new center for women, the first of its kind in British Columbia, opened its doors to provide legal help for free or a reduced-cost.
“We are incredibly proud to announce that, today, the doors open to an historic new service in B.C.,” said a spokesperson for the charity responsible for setting up the service. “We couldn’t be more thrilled that BC women will now have greater access to legal assistance.“
Rise Women’s Legal Centre, at 456 West Broadway, near Cambie Street, will provide a full range of legal services with a focus in family law. It will be staffed by upper-year law students who are closely supervised by onsite attorneys. Services will include filing documents in court and representing clients in their hearings.
CHECK OUT: Amazing: North Carolina Judge Sentences Veteran To A Night In Jail And Then Joins Him
“Legal aid for family law matters has been drastically cut back since 2002, so much so that only very low income people qualify, and even those who qualify only get services for high conflict cases,” according to West Coast LEAF, which is dedicated to promoting women’s equality through the law.
“A woman’s capacity to be independent often depends on her ability to resolve disputes over spousal support, child custody and property division – all issues that have a tremendous impact on women’s equality, and the safety of women and their families.”
RELATED: Former Gang Member Morphs Into Lawyer Who Helps Troubled Kids (Photo by MyTudut, CC)
This owl couldn’t stop hugging her favorite human when he finally returned after a trip.
Doug Pojeky nursed GiGi back to health after the bird suffered a head injury when it ran into a car. No one thought the bird could recover, but Pojeky, president of the Wild at Heart Rescue center in Mississippi, never gave up hope.
WATCH: Bear Literally Can’t Stop Jumping For Joy After Being Rescued
During GiGi’s extended recovery period, Doug had to leave for a few days. The depressed owl moped around the center until he returned — then gave him a big hug.
GiGi rested her head right on his shoulder—and wrapped her wings around him. It’s another example of why Doug is known as the “bird of prey whisperer” by rehabilitators in the area.
“It literally brings tears to my eyes to watch him interact with these birds,” center director and founder Missy Dubuisson told The Dodo. “They absolutely know him and trust him. It’s the trust that you see in her face.”
WATCH: Dog Wearing Life Jacket is Found Adrift in Vast Gulf of Mexico
Photos: Wild at Heart Rescue
Give Your Friends A Hug, Share This…
This cool invention designed for beating the heat is becoming a hot commodity.
By shedding bulk, weight, and the typical boxy, industrial look, the Noria promises to revolutionize the entire way people think about window-mounted air conditioners.
RELATED: Ex-NASA Engineer to Plant One Billion Trees a Year Using Drones
Only six inches tall and weighing 30 pounds, it’s a snap to install –and you can do it by yourself.
Smaller than a suitcase, it’s also easy to move from room to room, fits under the bed for storage in the winter, and leaves plenty of room to view out your windows.
CHECK OUT: Autism-Friendly Clothing Dumps Zips, Buttons and Tags, Offers GPS
The team behind it launched a crowdfunding campaign Saturday to raise $250,000 to bring their compact air conditioner to market — and collected more than $1.5 million in just the first three days.
Early supporters can buy the Noria for $295, and expect to start shipping in April, 2017 – just in time for next summer.
RELATED: Teen Invents Rain, Fire-proof Sleeping Bag for Homeless, and Offers Jobs
“Now that it’s warming up, people are still dealing with their big, boxy air conditioner,” Kurt Swanson, one of the company founders told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “We’re hoping that will be the impetus for people to say: ‘OK, this is the last year I use this stupid thing! I want to upgrade next year.’”
(WATCH the video below from Noria and READ more at the Philadelphia Inquirer) – Photos: Noria
Be Cool—Share This Great Idea With Your Friends…
These four tough guys looked intimidating when they took the stage, but it was all part of their act to soften up the talent show judges.
Linkin Bridge is made up of four burly singers who’ve been hanging around together since they were kids—and their harmonies show it.
The judges on “America’s Got Talent” appeared unimpressed by the members’ introduction, but their faces light up when they realized they misjudged the four friends, as Linkin Bridge launched into an a cappella version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
This isn’t the first time Linkin Bridge has blown up stereotypes — last Christmas, they surprised affluent suburban residents by showing up at their front door and singing carols.
(WATCH the video below from America’s Got Talent) — Photo: America’s Got Talent
Surprise Your Friends, Share This…
For these three triplets, the best part of the week is when their local sanitation workers drive by for trash collection.
Martha Sugalski from Florida has been posting online about her children’s unique relationship with these workers for years.
During pickup, the men stop what they’re doing to say hi, give a hug and to chat with these cuties. The kids even prepare snacks and cold Gatorade the garbage men.
WATCH: Four Sets Of Twins Stage Time Travel Prank on NYC Subway (WATCH)
For their mom, these videos are her way of sharing love and kindness with the world.
(WATCH the sweet family video below)
In what he called the biggest giveaway in television history, HBO’s John Oliver has paid off $15 million in overdue medical debt.
Oliver’s show, Last Week Tonight, set out to expose the shady practices of debt collectors, and in the end protected 9,000 people from annoying, harassing, and even illegal collection agency calls and letters.
Oliver and his team paid just $50 to register themselves as a debt collection company — Central Asset Recovery Professionals (CARP) — and then started buying debt for as little as four-tenths of a penny for every dollar.
RELATED: On 4th Anniversary of “Occupy Wall Street” a Stellar Outcome: $30Mil in Debt Canceled for Americans
Companies are willing to sell old, uncollected debts for next to nothing, but these prices are so low because the debt has actually expired, and the people who owed it are no longer required by law to pay it.
Oliver wanted to show how easy it is for unscrupulous debt collectors to abuse the system. They often buy expired debt because if they convince a debtor to make a payment, it can put all his debt back on the table.
CARP then transferred the debt it purchased to RIP Medical Debt — a group that specializes in retiring medical bills without tax issues for the debtors.
Oliver’s staff believes the biggest giveaway prior to the June 5 show was when Oprah Winfrey gave every person in her studio audience a new car.
CHECK OUT: Farmer Returns 700 Acres of California Coast to Native American Tribe
Hitting a giant red button, Oliver signaled the transfer of the debt to RIP at the end of his show and declared he had topped Oprah’s record giveaway.
“I am the new queen of daytime talk [shows],” Oliver declared as dollar bills rained down on the stage.
(WATCH the video below, or the full 20-min episode here) — Photo: HBO
Give Your Friends A Pay-Off, Share This Story With Them…
JPMorgan Chase unveiled a $4 million grant last week to expand young people’s access to economic opportunity in Detroit. Building on the firm’s $100 million commitment to Detroit’s economic recovery, this three-year grant is designed to increase dramatically the number of young people graduating from the city’s high schools with opportunities to secure well-paying, high-demand jobs. JPMorgan Chase joins the Skillman Foundation and the Ford Motor Company in this initiative to connect 10,000 Detroit high school students to career education and work experiences over the next three years.
WATCH: Lawyer Gives Full Backpacks To Every Elementary School Kid in Detroit
“Building off a model proven in other communities, the collaborative approach being taken by the city to solve tough issues is reflected in their commitment to better align education with the skills that growing business sectors need,” said Chauncy Lennon, Head of Workforce Initiatives, JPMorgan Chase.
RELATED: Students Build a Business, Transform Detroit Blight into Beauty
JPMorgan Chase’s grant will support work by United Way for Southeastern Michigan to strengthen college and career pathways for students at twenty Detroit high schools. Specifically, by expanding its Linked Learning initiative and growing its capacity to work closely with employers, United Way will work in coordination with more principals, teachers and business leaders to align career-oriented education programs – including curriculum and work-based learning – with high-demand sectors in Detroit.
CHECK OUT: Detroit High School Boy Invents Solution For Paraplegic Mom To Use Baby Stroller
Over the next three years, the grant will help 10,000 young people in Detroit earn credentials, qualifying them for career pathways and college, by focusing on several important and growing regional industries, including advanced manufacturing, health care, information technology, digital communications, engineering and public service.
Schools that are adopting a career-oriented approach using Linked Learning in Detroit include the Ben Carson High School of Science and Medicine, Westside Academy, Cody Academy of Medicine and Community Health, Cody Academy of Public Leadership, Cody Academy of Information Technology, Osborn Academy of Math, Science and Technology, Osborn Evergreen Academy of Design and Alternative, Detroit Edison Public School Academy, Mumford, Central High School and Henry Ford High School.
RELATED: 30,000 US Teens Converge on Detroit in Massive Christian Volunteer Clean-up
“When I was appointed earlier this year, I announced that one of my key areas of focus would be innovations in learning, or how we do school differently,” said Detroit Public School Interim Superintendent Alycia Meriweather. “The resources being provided to our students, thanks to this grant, will allow us to design non-traditional programs that have a strong real-life experience component.”
Detroit has the highest youth unemployment rate (30 percent) of the 25 largest U.S. metro areas, with Detroit’s lower-income African-American neighborhoods hit hardest.
MORE: How a 21-Year-Old Detroit Design Student’s Sleeping-Bag Coat Could Break The Cycle Of Homelessness
“We have a strong partnership with United Way helping prepare students in Detroit for trade apprenticeships to obtain meaningful skills and gainful employment,” says Rick Blocker, President, Metropolitan Detroit AFL-CIO. “United Way’s Linked Learning effort will allow us to expose a new generation to the construction trades and help develop a skilled workforce, which benefits the city as a whole.”
In 2016, the firm will be announcing additional grants for career and technical programs in U.S. cities with the goal of increasing the number of students, especially low-income young people, who earn meaningful postsecondary and workforce credentials that are aligned with the needs of emerging industries.
Visit their website for more information.
‘Voluntourism’ is a becoming a more common practice among college and high school students, as well as backpackers, looking for a more local travel experience. For many students, like those in their ‘gap year,’ it is their first attempt at a solo trip abroad, especially because volunteer travel is one of the most affordable and safest ways to see the world.
South Africa is a popular destinations for adventure traveling–and a number of volunteer organizations offer placements in cities and townships across the country.
RELATED: Your Opportunity to Live for $1.50 a Year on Picturesque Farm By the Sea
Volunteers can choose to work for the program that suits their skill and interest, and during a time period that fits their schedule. They often plan for stays of 6-8 weeks to make a bigger difference for their projects.
Volunteering in South Africa may not be the choice for every kind of traveler, but it certainly is one of the most experiential ways to explore local culture and make a difference while traveling abroad. Not only does it lets you experience the thrill South African adventures, but also lets you embrace the native lifestyle and make friends—on different soil—for lifetime.
CHECK OUT: How One Man Cooked Meals For 170,000 People During the Indian Floods
For more information on how to sign up, visit Volunteering Solutions. Click to SHARE the Opportunity…
