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Pearl Jam Sends $367K in Aid to Contaminated Flint, Michigan

By
Terry Turner
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PearlJam-2013 CC Lugnuts

When it comes to helping the people of Flint, Michigan during the city’s water crisis, you “can’t find a better man” than any of the members of Pearl Jam.

The Seattle rock band has pumped aid to the tune of $367,000 into the town where high levels of lead have leeched into the water supply from old pipes.

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The band pledged $125,000 to the local United Way and talked their friends and business partners into pledging another $175,000.

The band also created a CrowdRise page to let fans donate to the cause. All money will go to the Flint Water Fund set up by the United Way of Genesee County.

The page has doubled the amount raised by the band with $390,000 pledged by fans.

RELATED:  Cher and Muslim Groups Deliver Water to Flint City in Crisis

Not a Pearl Jam fan? Rapper Big Sean also has his own CrowdRise page that’s raised $70,000 so far for the Community Foundation of Greater Flint Michigan.

Aretha Franklin is also stepping up, offering to pay for 50 hotel rooms with meals for families to be pre-screened by her father’s Baptist church in Detroit.

Photo: Lugnuts, CC 

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Mom Adopts Hospice Babies No One Else Wants

By
Terry Turner
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Baby Hospice 3 submitted Cori Salchert

A former nurse has found a new calling — caring for the terminally ill children that no one wants.

Often, the parents are too overwhelmed with serious medical conditions and give up the children at birth. Foster parents aren’t equipped either.

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Cori Slachert has created her own “baby hospice” for these infants, inside the home she shares with her husband and where she’s raised their eight biological children.

Baby Hospice 2 submitted Cori Salchert

Emmalynn was the first Cori took in. Born without the right hemisphere of her brain and living only in a vegetative state, the little girl passed away quietly in Cori’s arms, “listening to my heartbeat,” she says, after just 50 days.

The experience, providing love to a baby whose life is so short, inspired her to continue serving.

RELATED:  Woman Repurposes Wedding Dress Into Gowns For Stillborn Babies

She took in Charlie next, when he was four-months-old. He was born with a life limiting condition that requires him to breathe through a tiny straw. He has been with her about a year, and is not expected to live through another one.

Baby Hospice 1 submitted Cori Salchert

Cori admits much of her “baby hospice” care is sad, but giving them love while they live is worth it to her.

CHECK OUT: Hospice Workers Get Forest Ranger Into the Woods One Last Time

“What a gift it is to be a part of these babies’ lives,” Cori wrote in an online article for TODAY. “To have the ability to ease their suffering, to cherish and love them even though they aren’t able to give anything tangible back or even smile in return for our efforts.”

(READ more at TODAY) — Photos: Cori Slachert

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College Kids Surprise Cafeteria Worker with Trip to See Northern Lights-Watch

By
Terry Turner
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Cafeteria Worker Surprised with Trip screenshot Hannah Houts

A cafeteria worker is going on her dream vacation thanks to the generosity of the university students she serves every day.

Vicke Davis has always made an effort to connect with the students at Arizona State University’s Barrett College. She asks them every day about their classes and keeps track throughout their school careers.

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“Oh, what the Sam Hill is this,” she asks in the video below as about 100 students showed up Thursday to surprise her with the trip.

$2,500 for the trip — $2,000 in just one day — was collected in a crowdfunding campaign for the bubbly employee.

They handed her a symbolic check and told her they were sending her to Canada over spring break so she could finally get to see the Aurora borealis — the spectacular, natural show of colorful lights dancing high in the atmosphere.

The students also gave her a camera — and told her to bring back lots of pictures.

WATCH:  Housekeeper Receives Life Changing Surprise, a New House

“See, that’s why I love my babies,” Davis said, before wading into the crowd to hug as many students as she could.

Be sure to watch the hugging part of the video, and have tissues waiting nearby…

(WATCH the video below) — Photo: Hanna Houts video

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Apple Store Employee Comforts Boy With Autism Right On the Floor

By
Terry Turner
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Apple Employee FB LynnMarie

When an excited little boy hit his head and hurt himself in a Apple Store, an employee sat on the ground alongside him and decided to show him everything about his new iPad.

Nine-year-old James Rink, was born with Down syndrome and diagnosed with autism when he was six. His iPad has become an important tool to let him communicate, but it finally wore out.

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He was in an Apple Store in Nashville, Tennessee to pick up a new one when he spotted something outside, in the mall, and bolted towards it. James thought he was running for an open hallway, but ran into a glass wall instead.

Stunned, James was sitting on the floor recovering with his mother when a store employee rushed over to ask if he was alright.

The worker, Andrew Wall, sat down on the floor next to James. He stayed right there, too, and began setting up the boy’s new iPad.

CHECK OUT:  Boss Suggests His Employee Take a Sick-Day–and It Saved His Life

The boy’s mom, LynnMarie, was so impressed with Andrew’s concern for her son she wanted the world to know.

“Do you know any big-wigs at Apple who I can send this too?” She posted along with the story on her Facebook page. “They need to know how awesome this employee is!!!!”

In the confusion and embarrassment of the moment, she’d forgotten Andrew’s name and asked if anyone knew him.

RELATED:  Big Hearts in Aisle Five: Grocery Store Buys Special Cart for Special Toddler

“I work with him and his name is Andrew,” Jordan Rockhold wrote back, filling in the missing field. “He has such a kind heart and loves working with people. You are the reason we love to work at Apple because of stories like this.”

(WATCH the video below from WKRN News) — Photo: LynnMarie Rink, Facebook

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Doing Laundry for Homeless Earns Them Young Australians of the Year Award

By
Terry Turner
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Orange Sky Laundry screenshot Orange Sky Laundry

A pair of best friends have been named Young Australians of the Year for doing laundry for the homeless.

Nic Marchesi and Lucas Patchett have washed, at no charge, more than 75 tons of clothes belonging to homeless people in Australian cities with their fleet of vans equipped with industrial washing machines and dryers.

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The buddies from Brisbane started Orange Sky Laundry in 2014 with a single truck they converted into a mobile laundry that contained two washers and two dryers. Less than two years later, they oversee trucks in five cities and have 270 volunteers to help.

Calling clean clothes “a basic human right,” the two 21-year-olds and their volunteers take the mobile laundries, which run on generators, right into parks and homeless centers—wherever people need them.

They’ve also deployed their vans during disasters to help people forced out of their homes by wildfires and cyclones.

RELATED:  Nonprofit Retrofits Buses as Mobile Showers for the Homeless

It’s the first time two people have shared the honor of Young Australian of the Year, one of four categories of people honored each year on Australia Day, celebrated on January 26, and marking the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British ships in the country.

Marchesi and Patchett say their Orange Sky Laundry service helps homeless citizens connect with the community. It also raises health standards, while simply letting the homeless gain respect with a clean suit of clothes.

(WATCH the video from Orange Sky Laundry and READ more at the Sydney Morning Herald) — Photo: Orange Sky Laundry

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Adorable Sloth Clinging to a Guardrail Before Highway Rescue (LOOK)

By
McKinley Corbley
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cop-rescues-sloth-Facebook

Ecuadorian police on Friday stumbled upon a frightened sloth clinging to a highway rail in Quevedo–and showing off the most adorable face in the rainforest.

The mammal’s happy-go-lucky expression has elicited tens of thousands of social media shares and raised the question as to what the animal was doing there.

Considering the sloth only moves when necessary–and very slowly at that–we can only assume it was trying to hitchhike to greener pastures.

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All kidding aside, the Transport Commission confirmed the animal was in an excellent condition after being examined by wildlife specialists and has now been returned to its natural habitat.

Posted by Comisión de Tránsito del Ecuador on Friday, January 22, 2016

RELATED: “Sloth Lady” Has Saved Hundreds of Rainforest Animals and Has Cute Videos to Prove it

Girls Hang Sweaters Around Florida Lamp Posts For Homeless to Find

By
McKinley Corbley
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girl-tying-sweater-Facebook-cropped

Some of Florida’s homeless are going to be toasty this week following a cold spell in the state, thanks to a group of young girls who tied warm clothing around lamp posts for the less fortunate to find.

Inspired by a story posted to Good News Network back in November that featured Canadian children leaving jackets around Halifax, kids from the Annunciation Catholic Church collected 100 donated sweaters and coats and left them on lamp posts in downtown Apopka, Florida.

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The young volunteers noticed more than one homeless person gratefully claiming the clothing, which had tags attached that said: “I am not lost. If you are stuck out in the cold, please take me to stay warm.”

sweater-with-tag-on-lamp-post-Facebook-cropped

“The timing was beautiful,” the organizer, Jenny Tarr LeMieux, told Good News Network. “The girls got to watch from a short distance as strangers found the coats, read the note and then tried on the jackets to see which one fit them best. It made us all smile from ear to ear. We knew immediately that we had made someone warmer that day.”

MORE: Kids Wrap Lamp Poles With Free Coats to Keep Homeless People Warm

The event kicked off with Jenny asking the mothers of her daughter’s friends if they wanted to reach out to the community and collect donations for the project.

girls-with-sweaters-Facebook-cropped

“One of my favorite parts of the whole event was actually collecting the coats from friends and family and then getting the girls involved in writing the tags,” says Jenny. “It was a great way to get the kids actively participating in a service project while also teaching about ‘random acts of kindness’ at the same time.”

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Beautiful Snow Sculptures of Birds Appear in Virginia Town After Blizzard (LOOK)

By
Terry Turner
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5 Bird FB Bartertown Bobby Fuller

Giant birds began appearing out of the blue on the day after a winter storm dumped more than two feet of snow in Bedford, Virginia.

Now, people are flocking to see the colorful snow sculptures.

Kathy Hatcher posted pictures of the icy ornithological statues to her Facebook page looking for the artist behind the whole gaggle of birds including…

A Cardinal…

2 Bird FB Kathy Hatcher

 

…this Yellow Finch…

3 Bird FB Kathy Hatcher

 

…two Blue Jays…

4 Bird FB Kathy Hatcher

 

…and, appropriately, a Snow Dove.

1 Bird FB Kathy Hatcher

It didn’t take long for other people in town to figure out the sculptor is “Bartertown” Bobby Fuller, a local artist who usually works in other media, but took advantage of the snow to create some fleeting, feathered public art for his neighbors.

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Photos: Kathy Hatcher, Facebook, Bartertown Bobby Fuller, Facebook

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Family Saves Lost Piglet from Freezing in Blizzard (Photos)

By
Terry Turner
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Wee Wee the Pig FB Perry Smith

This little piggy was saved from almost certain death when a family noticed him on the side of a road during a blizzard and rescued him just before a snow plow came through.

The Smith family was returning to their hotel during a ski trip in Pennsylvania during this weekend’s winter storm that dumped more than two feet of snow on the Eastern U.S.

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They noticed a piglet struggling in a snowbank — covered in ice — and they stopped to help. When none of the neighbors nearby knew where the piglet came from, the Smiths were forced to “bring home the bacon.”

The family named him “Wee Wee” and spent the evening nursing him back to health — wrapping him in blankets and feeding him a meal of smashed bananas.

“I told the kids, ‘Listen, we don’t have any choice but to take this pig in. We’re gonna see if we can’t warm him up…when we get to the hotel,'” Perry Smith told ABC News.

WATCH:  Family Finds Frozen Kitten Under the Snow and Brings Back to Life with CPR

They took Wee Wee “all the way home” with them to Chevy Chase, Maryland following their ski holiday, but they won’t be able to keep the cute piglet, which will weigh 300 pounds or more when fully grown.

The family’s found him a permanent home at Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary, but in the meantime he’s making himself at home with the Smiths.

Photos: Perry Smith, Facebook

Kindhearted Repairman Fixes Military Wife’s Furnace Then Gives Amazing Bill

By
Terry Turner
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A woman with two small kids was shocked when the repairman handed her his bill for fixing her furnace — he charged her only a dollar.

Bridget Stevens came home with her two sons to a very cold house in Pennsylvania.

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Fidgeting with the furnace controls got no response and, after messaging her husband deployed with the military, realized she’d have to call a repairman.

It was late at night, but Paul Betlyn, the owner of Betlyn Heating and Cooling, not only took her call, but came out right away.

While working on the furnace, Betlyn found out Stevens’ husband was serving overseas, so when he handed her bill it was marked with a “deployment discount” — just one dollar for all his work.

CHECK OUT:  Struggling With Grief, Waitress Gets Great Tip and An Even Better Note

“When I tried to give him any money at all, he said that the one dollar was a joke, and to thank my husband for his service,” Stevens wrote on her Facebook page.

(READ more at the San Francisco Globe) — Photos: Bridget Stevens, Facebook

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Shaq Joins Kind Cop After Viral Basketball Video, to Surprise Kids in Rematch (WATCH)

By
Terry Turner
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After a noise complaint was filed against some youths playing a rousing game of basketball in the street last week, a cop became an overnight celebrity when his patrol car’s dashcam revealed that he joined the kids in their game instead of breaking it up. He had promised to return for a rematch Saturday, but this time he brought some amazing back-up — basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal.

Gainesville, Florida officer Bobby White was the one who responded Thursday to the complaint of a “loud” bunch of kids playing basketball. His department applauded the officer’s decision saying, “Let kids be kids.”

His generous treatment of the youth won him a lot of fans — including “Shaq”, the four-time National Basketball Association champ who showed up at the police station Saturday to surprise the officer.

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Together they drove over to the same neighborhood for a stellar rematch.

WATCH:  Cop, Skip, and Jump–You Have to See This Officer’s Amazing Double Dutch Skills

“These kids will never forget the day Shaq rolled up to their house to play ball,” the Gainesville Police Department wrote on its Facebook page along with a video of the game.

(WATCH the video of the rematch from the Gainesville Police above, and WATCH the original video from the GPD below) — Photo: Gainesville PD, Facebook

 

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Greek Islanders to Get Nobel Peace Prize Nomination for Saving Refugees

By
Terry Turner
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Greek Fishing Village cc Rennett Stowe

Greek Islanders who have sacrificed their livelihoods and risked their lives to rescue refugees on the Aegean Sea have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Even though they live a world away, the people on the peaceful islands of Lesbos, Kos, Chíos, Samos, Rhodes and Leros have been on the front lines of the Syrian crisis–because most of the 900,000 refugees fleeing to Europe have landed first on one of those six islands.

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Greek fishermen frequently set aside their work to rush to the rescue of distressed refugees whose rickety boats take on water or sink outright. Other civilians who simply happen to be nearby, often join Greek Coast Guardsmen to get refugees safely to shore.

Beyond the rescues, islanders have taken in thousands of refugees, some opening their own homes to shelter them.

In a nomination letter to the Nobel committee, a group of academics from the US, UK, and Denmark praised the islanders for the “empathy and self-sacrifice” that has saved thousands of lives.

CHECK OUT:  Wealthy Couple Buys Search-and-Rescue Ship to Save Migrants at Sea

The Greek foreign minister has thrown his support behind the idea and an online petition has gathered more than 300,000 signatures backing the nomination.

“On remote Greek islands, grandmothers have sung terrified little babies to sleep, while teachers, pensioners and students have spent months offering food, shelter, clothing and comfort to refugees who have risked their lives to flee war and terror,” the petition reads.

(READ more at The Guardian) – Photo: Rennett Stowe, CC

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Heroic Diver Spends Hour Cutting Whale Loose From Fishing Line (WATCH)

By
McKinley Corbley
-

 

It’s not hard to sea why Cesar Espino is a hero after viewing a video of him diving into the ocean’s depths to cut fishing line free from a Byrde whale.

Filmed off the coast of the Canary Islands in Spain, Cesar only took breaks from the hour-long rescue in order to breath.

Once the 45-foot-long mammal’s fins and mouth were freed, Mr. Espino trailed after the creature, making sure it would be safe.

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WATCH the gorgeous video above – and SHARE the news...

Tiny House Built by Homeless Offered as Model for Ending Homelessness

By
Terry Turner
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Charleston Tiny House Construction screenshot WCBD

A tiny house, built from scrap and donated lumber by volunteers and homeless people, could be a model for ending homelessness in South Carolina.

A group called “Tiny House Fit For a King” wants Charleston’s blue ribbon panel on the homeless to consider tiny houses as a way of helping people now living in tent cities under highway overpasses in the city.

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“It was time to pick up a hammer and hit some nails and see what happened,” project organizer William Hamilton told WCBD News.

They hope to show that the homeless, using essentially free building materials, can assemble their own temporary housing — safer and better insulated than tents.

WATCH:  Man Builds Tiny House for Homeless Woman Sleeping in the Dirt

Churches have sponsored tiny house villages for the homeless in Nashville, Tennessee and Seattle, Washington and Austin, Texas, but Charleston is one of the first city governments considering tiny houses as viable temporary shelter for the homeless.

(WATCH the video below from WCBD News) — Photo: WCBD News

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Solar-Powered Retreat in New Zealand Built For Only $75,000

By
Good News Network
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skysphere-new-zealand-released

There is a gleaming white artificial tree house floating over Linton, New Zealand. It’s called the SkySphere, and its designer, Jono Williams, put it together over the course of three years for only $75000.

The club house is perched securely atop a 10 meter high steel tower, providing a wide view of the New Zealand countryside. Williams initially planned to build the structure in the trees, but a steel “tree” support makes it much more versatile–it can be placed almost anywhere..

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The walls are completely transparent: the living space is surrounded by 360 degrees of two-meter high polycarbonate windows, custom built for the SkySphere. The electronics and color-changing LED lighting are completely powered by the custom-built solar panels installed on the thin arches of the roof.

There’s only one room inside, but it’s spacious enough for a queen-sized bed, custom couch, and entertainment system. Everything inside the SkySphere, including lights, movie projector, and beer refrigerator, can be controlled by a smartphone application. The home’s entrance is also app-controlled, and the motorized front door opens with a fingerprint security system.

skysphere-jono-williams-released

There are some improvements that Williams is considering as he designs the next version of the SkySphere. For one thing, there’s currently no bathroom on board. He built a small bathroom on the ground outside, but a toilet and shower weren’t feasible inside the SkySphere itself due to a lack of plumbing. Another drawback of the current design is the narrow entryway.

MORE: Solar-Powered Pod Allows You to Live Anywhere Off the Grid, Now For Sale

The steel column supporting the home is also its front door, and visitors must climb the ladder inside to access the living space. Because of the restricted size, Williams had to furnish the SkySphere from outside, lifting furniture in through the open windows before the polycarbonate was installed. There’s a pulley system in the column for lifting heavier supplies, but future SkySpheres may come with an elevator.

Focus on Energy Independence

Jono Williams is no stranger to minimalist green design. His previous project, the TreeBach, began as a simple bachelor’s tree house in the forest, built out of leftover materials from construction sites. By the end, it evolved into a small and comfortable getaway home running off of solar power, completely isolated from the world. There’s no plumbing in the house, because that would have made the home “permanent” and therefore illegal where it was built, but the outdoor propane-heated bathtub is easy to fill with collected rain water and has a lovely view.

MORE: When a Solar Plant Becomes a Sculpture Garden, Tulip Power Blooms

Williams’ designs take energy independence and our environmental footprint very seriously. With the SkySphere, he’s built a beautiful modern living space with high-tech amenities that can exist in complete isolation from the rest of the world. Living “off-grid” doesn’t have to mean a tiny hut in the woods (although Williams’ TreeBach demonstrates that’s not necessarily as bad as it sounds) when the green technology exists to power all the necessities of modern life without needing to plug into a municipal power grid.

Jen MacCormack is a medical laboratory scientist and freelance writer with an interest in science communication and renewable, sustainable technologies. (Photos used with permission)

This article was brought to you by UnderstandSolar.com.

Besties Furever: Collie Answers ‘Who’s Your Best Friend’ (WATCH)

By
Terry Turner
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Best Friend Dogs Vine Lottie the Collie

You don’t have to ask Lottie the Collie twice.

When she hears the question, “Who’s your best friend?” Lottie gives a big bear hug to Grizzly the German shepherd.

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The video below is worth watching over and over.

Her Vine page is also loaded with more hugs and adventures from the two.

(WATCH the video from Vine below, but Unmute the audio in bottom right corner)

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Preparations Underway For Afghanistan’s First Women’s University

By
McKinley Corbley
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Young Muslim Women

Plans for Afghanistan’s first all-women’s university have been unveiled by the country’s first lady, Rula Ghani.

“Building a university for girls is one of the promises of Mr Ghani that he vowed during presidential campaigns and now we are on the eve of its implementation,” Rula announced on January 20th.”Those girls that are not allowed to study at other universities can continue their higher education in this university.”

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Currently dubbed the Mawlana Afghan-Turk University, its inauguration date has not been released, but the school in Kabul will be built in a joint effort with Turkey, according to officials.

ALSO: Afghan Girls, Not Allowed On Bikes, Shred On Skateboards Instead

They intend the 47-acre site to be a safe haven for women seeking education in the conservative nation.

No more information is available. –Photo by Garryknight, CC

Tian Tian The Panda Frolicks In Piles of New Snow (WATCH)

By
McKinley Corbley
-

 

There’s snow better time to be outside than now – take it from Tian Tian the panda in Washington D.C..

The Smithsonian National Zoo released video of their resident panda frolicking in the newly fallen snow that has blitzed the East Coast.

The thirty second clip of a 264-pound animal rolling around in the white powder has scored over 16 million views since it’s publication this morning on Facebook.

(WATCH the video above and SHARE with your Animal-loving friends…)

Virginia Jeep Club Shuttles 150 Nurses to Hospital During Blizzard (Video)

By
McKinley Corbley
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video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

 

Even Snowmageddon has it’s heroes.

The Seven Hills Jeep Club has volunteered its wheels to shuttle back and forth from work the nurses, who are always needed in the Lynchburg, Virginia hospitals, even in the midst of an East Coast blizzard.

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The jeeps will be available with driving services until the snowfall subsides this weekend.

(WATCH the video above from WDBJ)

Principal Surprises Student With Star Wars Squad and New 3D Arm (WATCH)

By
Good News Network
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Even the dark side can conjure good deeds.

Unlike Anakin Skywalker who lost his limb in a lightsaber battle, Alvin Garcia Flores has lived his whole life since birth without having the lower half of his right arm.

Recently, thanks to Alvin’s school principal, the Dark Lord showed up to surprise the young Star Wars fan in front of his entire school, to give him a new arm — and a “New Hope.”

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Gateway Elementary principal Terry Burton reached out to the Florida nonprofit Limbitless Solutions, which specializes in 3D-printed prosthetics, asking them to fashion one especially for the second grader.

WATCH: Boy Gets New Bionic Arm From ‘Tony Stark’ Himself (Robert Downey Jr.)

darth-vader-with-prosthetic-screenshot

He could have stopped there, but Burton went the extra parsec and asked the Star Wars fan group 501st Legion, known for doing charitable work dressed as Sith lords and storm troopers, to present the surprise in front of all of Alvin’s classmates–and his mother.

(WATCH the galactic surprise in the video above from WOWT-6 News)

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