Passengers on a Southwest Airlines jet said goodbye to a dying flight attendant in the most beautiful way–even though she wasn’t on the plane with them.
LouAnn Alexander’s brother Rex orchestrated the farewell after learning how sad his sister was that she never got to say a proper goodbye or recognize the final flight that ended her 34-year career with the airline.
On board flight 4463, Rex asked if he could make an announcement.
“My sister, LouAnn, she was a flight attendant for Southwest,” he began–trying not to cry. “She’s very, very ill. She never got a chance to say goodbye to the flying she loved.”
He told the passengers he was sending his phone down the aisle to share pictures of how she looked when she smiled and was passing out napkins, in case they wanted to write a message for LouAnn, share a joke or even just a comment about the flight.
Campbell Soup Company announced last week a plan to phase out cans that are lined with BPA (Bisphenol A).
The company has already begun using cans with linings made from acrylic or polyester materials and will continue to introduce the new linings across the U.S. and Canadian until the transition is complete in mid-2017.
Campbell first announced its intention to move away from BPA linings in February 2012, in response to consumer feedback. Since then, Campbell has tested hundreds of alternatives. As the company has stated previously, the transition faced a number of technical challenges. This included identifying linings that would ensure the safety of more than 600 different recipes, such as its tomato-based products, which are naturally acidic and can react with some linings over time.
“Our priority throughout this transition has been, and will continue to be, food safety,” said Mike Mulshine, Senior Program Manager, Packaging. “We have tested and conducted trials with hundreds of alternatives to BPA lining and believe the acrylic and polyester options will ensure our food remains safe, affordable and tastes great.”
The products that will be packaged in non-BPA lined cans include all varieties of Campbell’s soups and gravies, Swanson broth and SpaghettiOs pasta. The company is on track to have 75 percent of its soup portfolio in non-BPA lined cans by December 2016. The company is also currently testing alternatives to BPA coatings used on other packaging, including aluminum cans used for V8 beverages and metal screw top lids on glass jars. The company is on track to transition these products to a non-BPA solution by the middle of 2017.
Campbell is convinced BPA is one of the safest packaging options in the world, citing extensive scientific studies and regulations by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and many international regulatory agencies.
The widely used synthetic compound has been in commercial use since 1957. BPA exhibits hormone-like properties that raise concern about its suitability in some consumer products and food containers. Since 2008, several governments have investigated its safety, which prompted some retailers to withdraw some products, but never found enough evidence to ban the substance. However, the FDA in the US, the European Union and Canada have all banned BPA use in baby bottles, based on uncertainties.
The Endocrine Society said in 2015 that the results of ongoing laboratory research gave grounds for concern about the potential hazards of endocrine-disrupting chemicals – including BPA – in the environment, and that on the basis of the precautionary principle these substances should continue to be assessed and tightly regulated.
At a ceremony Friday, the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation presented a special award to a young man who inspired a nation with a selfless gift to a soldier.
Every year, the brotherhood of past military Medal of Honor recipients convenes to a different kind of medal–to recognize civilians who have gone above and beyond the call of duty.
For the first time this year, one of those Citizen Honor awards went to a child, 10-year-old Myles Eckert.
The Toledo, Ohio boy is known for his random act of kindness two years ago, when he found a twenty dollar bill in a restaurant parking lot and was excitedly dreaming of a new video game. He changed his mind when he saw a man in uniform. He wrote a note wrapped with the $20 and handed it to the stranger.
The note read:
“Dear Soldier – My dad was a soldier. He’s in heaven now. I found this $20 in the parking lot when we got here. We like to pay it forward in my family. It’s your lucky day! Thank you for your service. Myles Eckert, a Gold Star kid.”
Beyond that admirable act, young Myles was selected to receive the Young Hero Award for his volunteer philanthropic work on behalf of Gold Star children, kids whose parents died in the line of duty serving in the military. To date, Eckert has raised more than $2 million.
A French baker is giving his boulangerie to a guy living on the street who saved his life after he was knocked out by carbon monoxide poisoning.
First he invited Jérome in for some training in order to give him job. After a few days, the baker could see he had a willing and able apprentice. Jérome worked hard and enjoyed the tasks.
William, second in line for the British throne, held Schembri’s head at the scene for 30 minutes and stayed with him even longer at the emergency room on March 22.
The Prince made history last year when he became the first member of the Royal Family in direct succession to the throne to take a civilian job—as an air ambulance pilot—working four days on, four days off, to balance work, family and royal obligations.
A key stumbling block in the effort to combat global warming has been the previously intimate link between greenhouse gas emissions and economic growth.
Now, for the first time in nearly half a century, that duet between a nation’s economic engine and the emissions emitted from power plants and factories seems to have ended, according to the Paris-based International Energy Agency.
If the numbers are correct, this would be proof the greenhouse gases that exacerbate climate change can be cut at the same time as an economy is growing.
This damsel in distress deer is lucky there was a skilled excavator operator nearby or he would’ve been sunk.
“Found a couple of yearling black tail deer stuck in some mud,” Bill Davis wrote on Facebook. “Couldn’t watch them struggle!”
The fawn was trapped in Washington on Tuesday until Davis, using some very heavy machinery, was able to scoop the deer out of the mud trap and give it a free ride to safety.
After checking out an alarm that sounded on a business property he managed, he was surprised to find animals rather than trespassers. He almost didn’t see the deer as they blended in so well with the landscape of mud.
“I wouldn’t have seen them if they hadn’t moved and caught my eye!”
Iran has joined a growing list of countries banning wild animal acts in circuses.
The country’s Department of the Environment has announced it will no longer issue permits allowing wildlife to perform in circuses, effectively ending the practice in all 31 Iranian states.
Iran joins Peru, Bolivia, Greece, Netherlands, Columbia, Slovenia, Paraguay, and Cyprus which have already banned circus animal acts.
Animal Rights Watch launched a “No to Circus!” campaign in 2014 that has been credited with national bans, along with at least 13 circuses around the world, ending the use of wild animal acts.
In the U.S., Ringling Brothers announced earlier this year an update to its announced ban last year, saying it would retire all its circus elephants starting next month. In a related move, in part to mounting public pressure, Sea World amusement parks announced last month it would phase out it’s Orca shows at all of its U.S. parks.
Ava’s parents were nervous about exposing the four-year-old girl to the germs floating around a crowded airport and packed jetliner.
The girl’s immune system had been compromised over a two year battle with stage four cancer –and exposure to something as simple as a cold could turn into pneumonia.
Yet, Ava had to travel hundreds of miles for treatment. That’s when “Corporate Angel Network” swooped in and flew the family, for free, in an executive jet.
Such quiet compassion, offered throughout the year by 500 CEOs around the U.S., is the result of dedicated people who had first-hand knowledge of what Ava’s family faced.
Corporate Angel Network (CAN) founders Priscilla H. Blum and Jay N. Weinberg were cancer survivors and co-founder Leonard Greene lost his wife to the disease.
And now the nonprofit is getting ready to hit an amazing milestone in the coming days—booking their 50,000th passenger on a Corporate Angel flight.
The three set out 35 years ago in White Plains, New York to make travel easier for families or individuals with cancer, by providing free seats on private jets to people traveling for medical treatment.
It is a simple idea, but “Angel flights” are a miracle of logistics and planning: “Finding flights that are already traveling the required route on the right day and with available seats, is complicated.”
CAN works with doctors and flight crews to arrange more than 2,500 flights every year. Adult patients are given a seat, along with one other adult companion and child patients fly with two extra seats for parents.
“We hope to bring new corporate partners into the fold to expand our reach and our ability to help more people,” Corporate Angel Network Executive Director Emeritus, Peter Fleiss said. “Our goal is to let cancer patients know that they have an option that will make their lives, and the lives of their families, considerably less stressful during a very difficult time.”
For Ava and her family, and thousands of others, CAN has reached that goal with flying colors.
Acts of kindness are contagious – that’s why this young Syrian refugee decided to pay it forward big time after someone picked up his tab in a Canadian vegan restaurant.
Brice Royer was having a nice sit-down meal in Vancouver, BC when he observed a man with an irresistibly sunny smile.
“I’m glad I didn’t meet you at a steak house or my bill would’ve been so expensive!” the man joked.
“He then asked me for more love receipts to give away,” Brice wrote. “It uplifted the entire restaurant and his gift inspired others to pay it forward too.”
“It’s incredible how a simple random act of kindness like smiling can create an instant positive ripple effect.”
You can print out your own unconditional love receipts for future good deeds HERE.
This high-end French restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio has a knack for serving up more than just a good meal – they serve up a sense of purpose for ex-offenders who need a second chance.
Having to check a box that marks you as a felon on your job application can seriously damage the chances of being hired; that’s why almost every employee at Edwins restaurant is so grateful for the work.
The owner of the restaurant, Brandon Chrostowski, is passionate about giving offenders the same second chance that he had when he was young.
“I was a reckless teenager, and one night, I was arrested and thrown in jail,” Brandon told CNN. “Fortunately, I had a judge who gave me a break instead of 10 years in prison. While I was on probation, I met a chef who mentored me –and once I was in that kitchen, I knew that’s where I belonged for the rest of my life.”
During the day, workers are given intensive culinary training and lectures involving wine education and food prep. When the night rolls around, the staff puts these lessons into action, cooking for actual customers.
His nonprofit program provides 40-50 hours of training each week for six months. Students get a weekly stipend, as well as a portion of the donations left by diners in lieu of tips. A full-time caseworker helps them with housing, counseling or getting a driver’s license.
It’s a recipe that seems to be working. Chrostowski says 114 students have graduated, more than 90% of them are employed, and none have returned to prison.
“Edwins is a family. There’s a spirit in here where we’re in this together. To have a second chance is to have a new life. And if you’re ready to work hard, you can change the stars.”
(WATCH the CNN Heroes video below)
INSPIRED? Your Friends Will be Too… Click To Share
When a teen died in a car crash on spring break, a town came together to rescue her dog, and a police officer drove 770 miles to reunite the dog with her family.
Sgt. Jonathon Whaley was the first on the scene of the crash that killed McKenzie Catron who’d been on a spring break trip to Florida from the University of Arkansas. Another teen in the car told the officer that McKenzie’s pit bull Kai had run away after the accident.
Police started combing the woods looking for the frightened dog, knowing Kai’s safe return might give the girl’s family some small comfort.
People in Dothan, Alabama who’d never met McKenzie joined the search, spreading the word through social media. A lawyer in town posted a $1,000 reward for Kai’s safe return.
“We felt we needed to find the dog,” Sgt. Whaley told WAGA News. “We were going to do whatever we needed to do to reunite this dog with this family.”
The lawyer who put up the reward money, Benjamin Irwin, ended up finding Kai after two days of searching. With no one to claim the reward, Irwin donated the money to the shelter from which McKenzie adopted Kai.
“We just really wanted this family to have this piece of their family back, something to help remember their daughter,” he told the Birmingham News.
Sgt. Whaley then volunteered to make the 12-hour drive to deliver Kai home to her family, saying he felt “God impressing on me” to make the 770-mile drive to Bentonville, Arkansas.
Kai was confused and frightened through much of the ordeal, even hesitant when she first got home to McKenzie’s family.
In the video below, as Kai first arrives back in Arkansas, she appears skittish until McKenzie’s boyfriend, Christian, shows up and Kai realizes she’s home.
(WATCH the video below and READ more at the Birmingham News) — Photo: We Found Kai, Facebook
Kai is home, Kenzie❤️Kai, I am gonna miss you sweet love, but I'm so happy to have helped bring you home!
Trumaine Daniels had been running away from police all his life, but running toward them for help has turned his whole life around.
Daniels has been in and out of jail since he was 12 years old. He grew up in a family that dealt drugs and was taught police officers are the enemy – but now he calls them “angels.”
Trying to turn his life around, but homeless and desperate to feed his own kids, Daniels found himself at a crossroads. As he sat in his car, thinking about stealing food from a store, he decided to turn to the police instead.
Flagging down police officer Brian Lande outside the Richmond, California Police Department, Daniels broke down in tears explaining his situation.
Lande rallied other officers who dug into their own pockets to pay for groceries and a motel room–and even treated the family to a meal at a restaurant.
The trained construction worker says the help has made him more hopeful of landing a new job.
It’s been three months since David Bowie the British rock visionary left this world of mortals to venture on among the stars – but he has still not been forgotten.
Tomorrow on March 31st, renowned artists the Pixies, Blondie, Michael Stipe, Patti Smith, J Mascis, The Flaming Lips, and Mumford & Sons will be honoring Mr. Stardust at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
The show will be followed by another concert at the Radio City Music Hall on April 1st.
The two performances will be live streamed through Skype for any fans willing to donate a suggested contribution of $20 (or £15). All proceeds will be going to a selection of arts-based charities in memory of the late musician.
Thomas Stolee wasn’t wearing a suit of shining armor while out for his regular jog on Easter morning, but he certainly performed a gallant rescue of a lady in distress.
The University Of Minnesota freshman initially noticed a 24-year-old woman standing at the rail of a bridge looking upset.
“I stopped and tried to talk to her. I said, ‘Can I help you?’ And she said, ‘Get away from me,’ ” Stolee told Twin Cities.
After heeding her warning and maintaining a respectable distance, Stolee struck up a conversation and engaged her for the next 20-30 minutes. While other pedestrians walked past the duo, none of them stopped to take notice of the situation even though the woman was now straddling the bridge rail.
Finally, 19-year-old Stolee caught the eyes of a passing couple in time to mouth ‘help’ so they could call the campus police.
Still standing about four feet away, the woman started to swing her second leg over the rail, and Thomas saw his chance. He grabbed her in a bear hug and pulled her to safety.
The kind-hearted student reportedly had a difficult time processing what had happened, but his family and peers said that the ordeal was nothing but a perfect example of the youth’s compassionate nature. SHARE the Great Example…
This 11-year-old girl has turned her grandmother’s flaxseed lemonade recipe into a national business—and she is donating ten percent of the proceeds to saving honey bees.
Mikaila Ulmer became an expert on bees after getting stung twice in a week. Her mother suggested that researching the insects might help conquer her overly-developed fear of them.
When she learned about the plight of bee populations that were dying from colony collapse disorder, and the danger it posed to our food chain, Mikaila had to do something to help them.
She decided she could add local honey to her grandmother’s lemonade and sell it–with a portion of her profit going to international groups working to protect the pollinators.
Mikaila’s plans for a lemonade business called, “Me & The Bees” won her $60,000 in start-up money on the TV show “Shark Tank” and caught the attention of Whole Foods, which put her products on the shelves of 55 stores in the southern U.S.
The Austin, Texas sixth grader has been honored as one of the Top 10 Innovators of the Year by the music and technology festival South by Southwest and President Obama invited her to last year’s White House Kids’ State Dinner. She also leads workshops on how to save honey bees.
The pre-teen entrepreneur is busy working on new flavors — and new business ideas for her once-skeptical friends who now are eager to start their own businesses.
“At first, they didn’t believe me,” she told NBC News. “Now I am helping my friends start their own businesses.”
(WATCH the 2015 video below from CBS or READ more from NBC) — Photo: Whole Foods
Share The Inspiration With All the Kids in Your Life…
Do you want to unleash someone’s inner joy? Puppies can make almost anyone’s day better– and these pups are making the day better for shelter dogs, too.
To coincide with the release of its new dog food made without artificial flavors, colors or preservatives, Purina is donating a pound of its Puppy Chow Natural dog food to animal shelters every time someone views their adorable new video.
They teamed up with video producers at SoulPancake to show how surprise visits from packs of puppies will immediately transform people’s mundane days with smiles and wagging tails.
These Labradors were the center of attention at a preschool…
Corgis made people at a retirement home feel years younger…
And, these little guys showed up to melt the hearts of tough guys at a gym.
The cuddles required lots of reps.
Purina is donating up to 500,000 pounds of Puppy Chow Natural to Rescue Bank, a charity that distributes pet food to animal shelters. The video has already delivered 60 tons of dog food donations by this morning. SoulPancake has launched a social media campaign with the hashtag #PowerofPuppies for people to share the video below.
Give it a watch, and do some good for shelter dogs by sharing the video.
(WATCH the video below from SoulPancake
Help Feed Some Hungry Dogs, Share This Story With Your Friends…
Made with millets, rice, and and wheat, the spoons come in dozens of different flavors such as garlic, ginger, mint, and lemon. Instead of contributing to landfills by using chemically made flatware, some eco-conscious diners are using this nutritious alternative.
The trailblazer behind the idea, Narayana Peesapaty, believes environmental protection has been–and always will be–our responsibility.
“Change is inevitable,” Narayana says on his website. ”Before this change can overtake and overwhelm us, we should be the instruments of positive change”.
If you think Hollywood actors cannot be counted on to care about anyone who walks outside the red carpet, take a look at these three actors taking a stand for rainforest conservation.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Adrian Brody, and Fisher Stevens made a trek to the lowland rainforests of Indonesia’s Leuser Ecosystem in Sumatra this week to protest the construction of palm oil factories.
These are some of the last intact jungle ecosystems in Asia that are capable of supporting Sumatran elephants and their herds.
The three Hollywood heroes visited the Gunung Leuser National Park in support of the campaign by Forest Nature and Environment Aceh to eliminate the expansion of palm oil plantations.
Adrian Brody extolled the importance of this eco-system by taking a video with local children.
“Yayyy!!! Let’s not forget the sweet kids in Sumatra who deserve clean air instead of their lowland rainforests being slashed and burned to make more palm oil,” said Brody in the Facebook post.
hear hear!#Repost @adrienbrody with @repostapp.・・・???????????????????????????????? Yayyy!!! Let's not forget the sweet kids in Sumatra who deserve clean air instead of their lowland rainforests being slashed and burned to make more palm oil. #CutConflictPalmOil #SaveLeuserEcosystem
If you’d like to sign the petition to protect the Leuser Ecosystem, click here. Male Sure Your Friends Get A Glimpse Of These Dreamy Actors In Action… Click To Share
