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Home Depot Has Remodeled 22,000 Disabled Vets’ Homes, Selfies Needed

By
Terry Turner
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Team Depot Twitter

Since early September, an army of Home Depot workers have modified hundreds of homes for disabled veterans.

More than 4,800 “Team Depot” members have joined local veterans’ organizations in 140 American cities to build ramps, remodel kitchens, and make 303 homes more livable for veterans.

RELATED:  Tim McGraw Gives Mortgage-Free Homes to 36 More Veterans

It’s part of Team Depot’s fifth annual “Celebration of Service” campaign running through Veterans Day this week. Since 2011, the campaign has transformed 22,000 veterans’ lives and built housing for homeless veterans.

This year, your ‘selfie’ can make a difference

Every selfie posted in the next three days will help the hardware chain’s foundation raise a million dollars for upgrading homes of disabled veterans.

For every picture tagged with #ServiceSelfie, posted between now and Veteran’s Day on November 11, 2015 the Home Depot Foundation will donate one dollar to organizations that help senior veterans and veterans with service-connected disabilities.

(WATCH the Team Depot video below)

Meet Goliath, A Baby Cow Who Thinks He’s A Big Dog

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Good News Network
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great-dane-cow-Shaylee-youtube

A rescued baby cow is now convinced he’s a dog after living around three Great Danes for two months.

Shaylee and her family rescued the calf and nursed him back to health with bottle feedings on their California ranch.

The family’s Great Dane, Leonida, also took to mothering the cow.

Now Goliath believes he is a dog, He sleeps in the dog beds, eats the dog food, and flops on the sofa like the pups.

(WATCH the video below from Inside Edition)

‘Why Are My Eyes Watering?’ Watch The First Time A Child Cries for Joy

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Good News Network
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Intrepid good news reporter Steve Hartman brings us a very simple story this week, but its ending was so happy that it melted a three-year-old girl into a puddle of tears for joy.

Does any one of us remember doing that for the first time?

McKenzy thought she’d lost her beloved stuffed giraffe in the family move to Pennsylvania. And when the soft comfort toy was found 11 days later in the last box yet to be opened, her reaction surprised everyone.

(WATCH the video above – *NOTE: Viewers OUTSIDE America should use this CBS link, but adjust your speakers for the nasty auto-playing advertisement)

Police Deputy Leaps To The Rescue Of Homeless Mother and Children

By
McKinley Corbley
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police-deputy-Brian-Bussell-with-kids-Facebook

What would you have done if you had seen a mom and her two kids sitting in a police station without home or hope?

You could do what Deputy Brian Bussell did and pay for their hotel stay and clothes.

The family was dozing off in a row of police station chairs on a September morning when Brian, a 25-year-old veteran, walking into work at the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.

MORE: Dog Injured After Stopping A Home Intruder Saved By Quick Thinking Cops

“I know our visitation is at 9 AM, and I saw the lady and the two young children sitting in the chairs,” Deputy Bussell said. “I assumed they were here to visit someone in our jail. When I walked back out a while later, the children were asleep, and the lady was still sitting there, so I inquired if she needed assistance.”

The mother explained that they had been evicted from their home and were waiting on housing assistance.

After calling several shelters that were already filled to capacity, Brian jumped into action, booking a ten-day hotel stay in the Oxford, Ohio area using his own money. He also brought the family to pick out clothes at a local Walmart. When the little boys asked if they could get shoes, Brian told them they “absolutely could.”

MORE: 8 Stories Of Cops Being Absolutely Awesome in 2015

“He went to the Walmart when they were done and paid for everything.” Sheriff Richard K. Jones said in a Facebook post. “This is a true act of kindness. He did not tell anyone at work what he had done but the lady took a picture with him and posted it on Facebook. That’s actually how we found out. It was shared so many times that I got a phone call asking if I knew what a generous gesture my deputy did.”

Show This To Your Friends… Click To Share

Red Poppies Remind Us That 400K Muslims Fought For British in WWI

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Good News Network
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poppy-appeal-Muslim-with-soldiers-Twitter-AhmadiyyaMuslimYouthAssociation

Christians and Jews are making it easier for Britons to be more comfortable with Muslims as part of their national culture by joining members from local Mosques in the UK tradition of selling red poppies to benefit veterans–and by reminding everyone that nearly 400,000 Muslims fought as British soldiers in World War I.

Since 1921, British civilians have purchased the artificial red poppies and proudly pinned them to their lapels as a symbol of remembrance for veterans of war. The annual Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal has, for over 90 years, raised millions annually to support UK veterans and their families.

CHECK Out: Veteran “Walk off the War” With Hikes on Appalachian Trail

In the weeks leading up to today’s Remembrance Sunday ceremonies, Christians, Jews, and Muslims have joined together on sidewalks raising money and fostering unity in the community through the £1 poppy sales.

“Remembering how Muslims, Jews and Christians stood side-by-side to defend Britain in both World Wars reminds us of the shared history and British identity that is common to us all,” Imam Qari Asim told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

One young charity, The Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association, Tahir Region, has tweeted photographs of some of their members posing with UK troops while out selling poppies.

 

The Independent reported last year that one million Muslims in the UK, to show solidarity with fellow Britons, wore the poppies on Remembrance Day (the second Sunday of the month, nearest to November 11, Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of hostilities in the First World War).

Although more than 400,000 Muslims served in the British Army during that war, very few people in the U.K. know it. A survey by British Futures found that only about one in five Britons were aware that Muslims fought for the UK and only 2% knew the scale.

RELATED: Muslim Mom Wins Prestigious UK Bake-off, Recipe for Race Relations

British Futures has launched a campaign with New Horizons in British Islam, to make Britons aware of the sacrifice made by the Islamic faithful for the UK.

“The story of Muslim contribution to the British Army of the First World War is little-known among the public,” Dilwar Hussain, Chair of New Horizons in British Islam said. “Many British Muslims themselves don’t realise the relevance of the WW1 centenary to their own history.”

Photo by Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association

Breakthrough in Arid Egypt For Making Salty Sea Water Drinkable

By
Terry Turner
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water glass cc Kurt S

In a country suffering from a severe water shortage, a new innovation could turn salty seawater into a ready supply for drinking and irrigation.

The new filter invented by Egyptian scientists promises to make saltwater drinkable using just half the energy relied upon by current methods.

It was created using a sheet-like membrane, made from five simple ingredients available throughout North Africa, which allows a process called “pervaporation,” letting water vapor pass through the membrane while trapping the impurities.

The salt in the water bonds with the membrane, allowing the vapor to be harvested as fresh water for drinking or irrigation.

WATCH:  Man Harvests Water for 10K People in Driest Part of India

The process eliminates the need for electricity, which is used by massive desalination plants currently costing millions to operate. If mass produced, this innovation would allow people to effectively make their own drinking water from saltwater using just the membrane and a heat source such as a fire or stove burner.

CHECK OUT: This Lamp Light Burns All Night Powered Only by a Glass of Saltwater

The ability to cheaply and easily produce freshwater supplies from the Mediterranean and from the Red Sea which forms most of the country’s eastern border, is an important milestone for Egypt, a country that has been almost totally dependent on the Nile River for its supply of drinking and irrigation water.

Bound by international agreements that limit Egypt’s use of water from the Nile to 1.3 billion gallons annually, the country needs to find another 800 million somewhere to sustain its population. Looking to the salty northern and eastern seashores with a new sustainable model could be the answer they have been seeking.

The scientists at Alexandria University published their research leading to the membrane in the journal Water Science and Technology.

Photo by Kurt S, CC

Filmmakers Find Amazing Optimism in Syrians Who’ve Lost It All -WATCH

By
McKinley Corbley
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Poets, illustrators, math teachers, students, writers, designers – these are the real faces of refugees leaving Syria for safety in Europe. Two filmmakers cycling through Turkey have given us an inspiring look at some of the individuals from the mass of pilgrims departing boats there.

Their video reveals the hidden side of the Syrian refugee crisis and offers a much-needed glimpse into the often optimistic attitudes of the people fleeing despair.

“I am hoping for a better future. As long as there is hope and young people,” says a man in the documentary. “There are people giving their lives… through humanitarian help, through moral support, through solidarity. When I witness these things I have faith in the future. They will leave a great mark.”

“Because we only see refugees as numbers in the news and only see the horror, it was our intention to show the personal side of these people,” said Tomas Kamphuis, co-creator of the film. “We wanted to show the positive side of the Syrian people since the news didn’t cover that part well enough. I guess we wanted to take on a similar objective as Good News Network.”

syrian girl-Freewheeling Stories-video-permission

WATCH: 3 Heartwarming Scenes Of Europe Cheering For Refugees Arriving By Bus

A young woman shared her determination to go back to Syria and help rebuild her country after the war is over: “We didn’t move here because we wanted to, it’s not our choice. But we will do something. We’re not just going to step out and leave our country like that. Every war [must] have an ending.”

After the creators of the film, production manager Max Jansen and editor-in-chief Kamphuis, left their Amsterdam home in July and pedaled over 2,000 miles, they noticed a serendipitous coincidence.

“We started cycling with the goal of finding interesting stories,” Tomas said. “However, along the way we found out that we were pretty much cycling the route that refugees take in the opposite direction to get into Europe–and we realized we needed to tell their stories.”

MORE: Sikhs Set Up Free Bakery Near War Zone to Feed Fleeing Syrians

syrian refugees-Freewheeling Stories-video-permission

After a young Syrian translator known as Fadil volunteered to help with the interviews, they hit the streets conducting over 30 interviews in 5 days.

The results are breathtaking.

“Asking the Syrians themselves how they look at the situation, or how they think about the future, is a great way to get to know the heart of the Syrians,” Tomas told the Good News Network. “It’s amazing how helpful they can still be, even when they lost about everything. This made us look up to them. It’s inspiring.”

 

Since Max and Tom released the five-minute documentary on their website, Freewheeling Stories, the positive reviews expressing compassion and admiration for the brave asylum-seeking subjects have poured in.

WATCH: Boy Fleeing Syria Makes His Puppy A Passport So They Can Stick Together

The Dutch pair hope their intimate view continues bringing perspective and enlightenment to onlookers around the world. Click To Share With Your Friends...

Guard Dog Shows Soft Side, Brings Home Newborn Orphan Kitten

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Good News Network
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guard dog with kitten-Tiffany Hull

You wouldn’t expect guard dogs named Chaos and Atilla to be called softies.

Normally they chase away smaller animals. But when Chaos came across a newborn kitten behind the fence that she “protects” around their Oregon home, the dog let down her guard and picked up the orphan, which had not yet opened its eyes.

The 8-year-old Kelpie mix “adopted” the kitten, and, along with Atilla, began to raise her as their own, cleaning her and snuggling with her endlessly.

RELATED: Dog Stands Guard By Trapped Best Friend for a Week Until Rescued

Tiffany Hull, the human mother of all three pets, who lives in Mt. Vernon, submitted this photo to the Blue Mountain Eagle newspaper.

(READ more from AP via The Oregonian)

Better Eating Habits and Food Have Saved a Million Lives (Study)

By
Terry Turner
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Farmers Market CC Montgomery County Planning Commission

Here’s some food for thought: scientists have discovered that better eating habits and better foods have saved more than a million American lives.

The researchers looked at people shifting to healthier diets over the past decade-and-a-half, and calculated that it had prevented 1.1 million premature deaths.

The healthier diets had also reduced the number of people getting life threatening diseases as well. Researchers saw the number of type 2 diabetes drop more than 12%, cardiovascular disease fell by more than 8%, and cancer cases dropped by 1.3%.

But the single biggest change to diets over the 14 years was the result of new federal and local rules on trans fats.

RELATED: Mediterranean Diet and Extra Olive Oil Can Lower Risk of Breast Cancer

In 1999, the FDA made it clear they planned to post tighter rules on the artery-clogging fats, and soon, individual U.S. states followed the lead: New York City banned them in 2006, and California outlawed them in restaurant food in 2008.

Since then, restaurants and food companies in other states started removing trans fats from their menus and ingredients even before the FDA banned them nationwide earlier this year.

RELATED: Diet May Cut Risk of Alzheimer’s by 50% (Long-term Study of 900 Seniors)

Researchers at Harvard’s T. H. Chan School of Public Health said the government regulations alone accounted for half the improvement in dietary quality over the course of their study.

They also noted that people drank 36% fewer sugary drinks over the course of the study.

The researchers used a measure called the Alternate Healthy Eating Index 2010 to gauge what people ate. The scale ranged from zero (the poorest diet) to 110 (the healthiest diet possible). They used the scale to measure changes in 34,000 people’s diets from 1999 to 2014. Then, they added in information about the eating habits of 173,000 other people in two other nutrition studies.

ALSO: Perk Up, Coffee Lovers: Protect Your Liver With Every Cup

The lead author, Dong Wang, a doctoral candidate at the Chan School, said the study shows that healthy diets should be a public policy priority. He argues that changes to public food support programs, like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), could significantly improve health and life expectancy in America.

Even though the average diet score during the study never topped 50 on the scale — less than halfway to the perfect diet — researchers noticed improvements in health and life expectancy.

“The most important takeaway is that even small improvement in dietary quality can lead to substantial reduction in disease risk and disease burden,” Wang told CBS News.

Their findings were published in the journal Health Affairs.

Photo by Montgomery County Planning Commission, CC

Lady is Thrilled by Starbucks Ability to Take Order in Sign Language

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Good News Network
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On Monday, a woman pulled up to the Starbucks drive-thru lane and was thrilled when a barista opened a video screen to begin talking to her in sign language.

When Rebecca King was asked for her order a few times but didn’t give a verbal response, an interactive screen was activated at the drive-thru window. The technology was a big deal to the woman because she had no other language with which to communicate at a distance.

The next day, when she pulled up to the same St. Augustine, Florida window and got the same barista screen, she recorded her exchange and posted the video to Facebook.

WATCH: Watch What Runners Do When Man’s Wheelchair Breaks Mid-Marathon in NY

“It is a big deal to (the) deaf community that Starbucks has one now. We all want to have that at every drive thru in the world,” King told First Coast News.

Starbucks is not the first to implement this kind of system: in 2010, Mid-western fast food chain Culver’s installed similar technology called OrderAssist at 50 of its drive-thrus, and Subway restaurants have also piloted touch-screens at a number of their U.S. drive-thrus.

As for this specific St. Augustine location, it’s not unusual that an employee might happen to know sign language: it’s located near the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind.

(WATCH the video below from Rebecca King’s Facebook Page)

Starbucks! This is what I'm talking about! ❤️Share it away! We can change the world! :)For Licensing/Usage Please contact licensing@viralhog.com

Posted by Rebecca King on Tuesday, November 3, 2015

“Are you Serious?” Teens Buy 150 Burgers to Hand Out To Homeless

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Good News Network
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Lance Stewart hands out burger to yamaca guy youtube video screenshot

When two Los Angeles teens ordered $151 worth of burgers at a local McDonald’s last week, the cashier thought he heard wrong.

“One hundred?” the cashier asked in the video, smiling in disbelief.

“I’m being dead serious,” was Lance Stewart’s reply.

RELATED:  Every Week Boy Packs 100 Bags w/ Food and Hope for the Homeless

And so, after dividing up the huge cardboard box of double-cheeseburgers, Stewart, 19, and his buddy Adin Kolansky began seeking out the homeless and giving away their loot. When they ran out of McDoubles, they ducked into a Rite Aid to buy lunchables to give out instead, and headed back to the streets.

Stewart posted the video to Facebook and YouTube—where it is racking up millions of views and inspiring others to do the same.

(WATCH the video below)

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Ex-McDonald’s CEO Moves from All-Beef Patties to Veggie Burgers

By
Terry Turner
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Veggie_burger_cc divinemisscopa

A former McDonald’s CEO is flipping vegan burgers these days.

Don Thompson is bringing his 25 years of experience from the fast food chain to the six-year-old vegan food company, Beyond Meat.

Thompson left McDonald’s after months of faltering sales. In a November 5 statement announcing his new job, he said customers today want more variety in their food choices and are adding more plant proteins, like his new company’s non-GMO, protein patties made out of peas.

RELATED:  New Organic Drive-Thru Offers Vegan Fries With Your Non-GMO Burger

“The team at Beyond Meat have proved that you can actually have great taste and high quality with plant-based proteins, even in a burger,” he added.

Beyond Meat’s vegan and vegetarian products are available in 7,500 stores across the U.S.

(Photo by divinemisscopa, CC)

Science Just Saved A Baby, Beating Cancer With Untested, Last Try

By
Terry Turner
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A one-year-old girl is completely cancer free, after doctors used “designer immune cells” for the first time in history in a desperate attempt to save her life.

Layla Richards was diagnosed with lymphoblastic leukemia when she was just 14 weeks old. After chemotherapy, bone marrow transplants, and various experimental treatments failed, doctors told the parents Layla would die.

That was five months ago, and it’s when researchers at University College in London stepped in. The family having refused to give up, agreed to a treatment never before tried on humans.

RELATED: Blood Cells “Retrained” to Destroy Cancer, Lead Again to Full Remission

They received special permission from the British government and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) for Children to try a genetic treatment that had only been tested in a lab.

It’s called “genome editing” — creating and transplanting special cells into the body to fight cancer.

The body normally relies on T-cells to fight infection, but those don’t always recognize leukemia cells. So doctors took T-cells from a donor, altered them with splices of other genes so they would only see leukemia cells — and so that Layla’s body wouldn’t reject the transplanted cells.

Then they turned loose the edited cells in Layla’s body.

Within months, the little girl’s leukemia was completely gone.

RELATED:  Scientists Find Way to Turn Cancer Back Into Healthy Tissue in Lab

“If replicated, it could represent a huge step forward in treating leukemia and other cancers,” Professor Waseem Qasim, Professor of Cell and Gene Therapy at University College London, and an immunologist at GOSH said.

Doctors point out that Layla was a “very strong” little girl, and it’s unknown if they can repeat her success with other patients.

The genome editing researchers published the results of Layla’s case in the journal Nature.

(WATCH the video above from NBC News)

She Used Only Her Eyes to Write Book About ALS, Giving Profits to Others

By
Terry Turner
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Gong Xunhui screenshot CCTV

A Chinese woman’s autobiography certainly wasn’t written in the blink of an eye — but by millions of blinks at a computer screen. The book, “Beautiful Frozen” is a 150,000-word story of her life and her struggle with a paralyzing disease.

Gong Xunhui is practically frozen, unable to move anything but her eyes, 12 years after being diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), also called “Lou Gehrig’s Disease”. She communicates by blinking her eyes at a computer screen, which slowly spells out her messages.

She “types” only about six characters per minute.

WATCH:  Ice Bucket Challenge Leads to ALS Breakthrough, Researchers Announce

Gong worked on her autobiography every day for ten months, from eight in the morning until ten or eleven at night — averaging just 3,000 characters a day.

Completing a 150,000 word book is quite the accomplishment for any writer. Online bookseller Amazon reported the median length of all the books they sell is just 64,000 words.

It recounts the 62-year-old’s childhood memories, her youth, and finally her struggles with ALS since being diagnosed with it in 2002. She has lived far longer than most people who are given such a sentence.

RELATED:  With Teacher Who Believed in Him, Quadriplegic Teen Publishes Book

Her story is even more inspiring because Gong plans to use the proceeds to buy $3,000 respirators for other ALS patients who can’t afford the life saving devices.

(WATCH the video below from CCTV or READ more at the Daily Mail) — Photo: CCTV video

Star Wars Director Grants Dying Man’s Wish, Just In Time (WATCH)

By
Terry Turner
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dan and ashley fleetwood with dog Facebook Ashley Fleetwood

The Force was strong for Daniel Fleetwood. The Star Wars fan with terminal cancer wanted to see the latest sequel in the movie series before it went public in December–and his wish was granted last night. He and his wife were treated to a private screening of the unfinished movie.

“Daniel just finished watching an unfinished version of Star Wars: The Force Awakens!!!” his wife, Ashley, wrote on her Facebook page late Thursday. “We would like to thank the awesomely talented JJ Abrams for calling us yesterday to tell us Daniel was getting his wish granted!”

The 32-year-old Texas man whose house is packed with Star Wars memorabilia isn’t expected to survive until the film’s opening date of December 18.

Ashley started a social media campaign, #ForceForDavid, asking studio heads to let him see the movie early. It drew national attention — members of the cast even joined the calls for an early showing.

RELATED:  The Force is Strong in This Village: Star Wars Images Grown in Rice Paddy

Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker in the movies, tweeted his approval.

“I just read this and am elated for Daniel & his family!”

Photo by Ashley Fleetwood, Facebook

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Foo Fighters Play Show for Italians Whose Video Brought Grohl to Tears

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Good News Network
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Foo Fighters David Grohl cc Edvill

The rock band Foo Fighters never considered fighting off the persuasion of 1,000 passionate Italians.

Back in July, hundreds of guitarists, drummers, and singers assembled in a field in the tiny town of Cesena, Italy to play the 1999 hit, “Learn to Fly.” The giant jam session was a love song sent to lure the Foos to their city.

The video of their massive performance  had been viewed 26 million times — and one of those was the band’s founder, David Grohl, who said in a video message it was so beautiful, it made him cry.

It also made him want to show up—so the band added one final stop to their 2015 tour, finishing it off in the small city in Emilia-Romagna on Tuesday.

RELATED: Dave Grohl’s Surgeon Invited to Sing With Foo Fighters And Rocked the Stadium!

Grohl took a break in the concert to personally thank all the local musicians, but especially Fabio Zaffagnini, the fan who organized the summer spectacle. He was invited onstage to sit in Dave’s throne and perform with the band.

CHECK OUT: 30 Years of Farm Aid: Thousands Rally for Family Farms at Chicago Concert

About 3000 people attended the concert, according to Zaffagnini who spoke to the New York Times. Most of them were musicians or the donors who gave $50,000 to fund the elaborate production.

(WATCH the Inside Edition video below) — Photo by Edvill, CC

Town Makes Christmas Come Early For 7-Year-old Boy With Cancer (WATCH)

By
Good News Network
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For one sick boy who might not make it to Christmas, a Canadian community has delivered the holiday early.

Evan Leversage has been fighting brain cancer for the past five years. When his doctors suggested that the family celebrate Christmas sooner than later, an outpouring of support from the seven-year-old’s community of St. George, Ontario made it happen in October.

Neighbors and friends started decorating their houses, going as far as importing fake snow to scatter around. Carolers have also been gathering early to sing songs on peoples’ doorsteps.

CHECK OUT: 9-Year-old Boy Skips Birthday Gifts to Help Protect Police Dogs

The community even arranged an early Santa Claus parade with 7,000 people in attendance, including Santa himself, who promised to bring Evan “Spongebob Squarepants” for Christmas.

Sure enough, later that night, Spongebob showed up at Evan’s door for a visit.

The GoFoundMe page set up to help the Leversage family with medical expenses had an initial goal of raising $1,500. Today, the fund has collected $45,854.

(WATCH the video above or READ more from CBC News) Photos: CBC News

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Dying Man’s Wish for Sneak Peek at New Star Wars Film Gains New Hope

By
McKinley Corbley
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Thousands of supporters – including Luke Skywalker – are retweeting the Star Wars hashtag #ForceForDaniel to help one special fan gain a sneak peek before the official December 18 premier date of the 7th installment of the legendary film series.

Daniel Fleetwood has been a Star Wars fan since he was eight years old, but he may not get to see the new film because of a rare form of cancer that doctors said in July would leave him with just months to live.

WATCH: Wolverine Star Surprises 9-yo Boy Suffering From Incurable Illness

The campaign to allow the 32-year-old fan with spindle cell sarcoma to view a private screening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens is aimed at Walt Disney Studios – and it’s gaining traction.

Mark Hamill, the actor who plays Skywalker; John Boyega, who stars as Finn the ex-storm trooper; and Peter Mayhew, the one and only Chewbacca, have each announced their respective support for the campaign.

Daniel’s wife Ashley has been keeping Twitter updated with news and photos of her husband to encourage support from the internet community. Their GoFundMe page for Daniel’s medical bills is a quarter of the way to it’s $100,000 goal.

 

Even Yoda is wise enough to know that a special screening of a galaxy far away is Daniel’s destiny.

J.J. Abrams, the film’s director, allowed another fan with terminal cancer to see his earlier blockbuster, Star Trek Into Darkness, before it was released in 2013. The trekkie passed away only days after seeing the film, and Twitter fans hope he will help grant the same privilege to Daniel.

Use The Force… Click To Share With Fellow Jedis

This CEO Urges His Workers to Take 6 Weeks Paid Vacation

By
Terry Turner
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Reed Hastings CEO Netflix cc cellanr

The boss at this Los Gatos, California-based company is telling his 2,200 employees to take six weeks of vacation every year, just like he does — and he’ll pay them to do it.

“I take a lot of vacation and I’m hoping that certainly sets an example,” Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said Tuesday. “It is helpful. You often do your best thinking when you’re off hiking in some mountain or something. You get a different perspective on things.”

RELATED: Chick-fil-A Owner Stuns Employees, Pays Them During 5 Month Shutdown

Netflix actually offers unlimited vacation time, but opponents to the idea say it makes people less likely to use it, for fear of losing their jobs because they don’t look like hard workers.

Hastings hopes his example of taking lots of time off sends a different message — easing workers’ fears, and letting them relax on more vacations.

As of November 5, there are dozens of Netflix job openings listed for their 2 California locations in need of IT staff, and various other positions, and one opening in Utah for their call center.

(READ more at Fortune) Photo by cellanr, CC

Ex-NBA Star Yao Ming Saves Millions of Sharks From Slaughter

By
Terry Turner
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Yao Ming and Shark cc voyagedeslivres and cc World Economic Forum

Basketball star Yao Ming led his Houston team to four championship tournaments in America, but his greatest victory may be his work in China to save millions of sharks.

Yao joined a campaign in 2006 to ban shark fin soup, which is a delicacy in his native China, and nine years later his involvement has been hailed as crucial in transforming Chinese attitudes about the tradition.

U.S. based conservation group WildAid recruited Yao as the face of its media blitz designed to make people aware of how their food habits were destroying shark populations around Asia.

CHECK OUT: How A Shark Bite Ended Up Saving This Man’s Life

In a television ad, the star athlete is about to dine on soup. He hears that 70 million sharks are killed each year just for their fins, and looks up from his soup to see a wounded shark in an aquarium tank. He pushes his soup away in disgust and other people in the restaurant, watching him, follow his lead and do the same.

That’s pretty much what happened in real life.

The campaign first gained traction during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where Yao was a huge draw playing for the Chinese National Team in basketball.

WATCH: 100 People Work Together to Rescue a Great White Shark

Yao’s TV ad so moved Chinese businessman Jim Zhang, he turned into a full time environmentalist who successfully lobbied the National People’s Congress (China’s parliament) to ban ‘shark wing’ soup, as it’s called, from state banquets. Hong Kong, Malaysia and India did the same.

The cause became a centerpiece of Chinese social media, which led to five hotel groups, three shipping companies, and 24 airlines banning the transport or serving of the dish. Chinese television stations gave the WildAid’s PSAs $11.6 million in free airtime.

By 2014, WildAid reported sales of shark fin soup had declined 82%, and nearly two-thirds of Chinese people credited awareness campaigns with their decision to quit eating the soup.

Maybe Yao’s advocacy on behalf of the fierce fish came from his early days as a member of the pro basketball team in China — the Shanghai Sharks.

(WATCH the pivotal ad below – *Warning: contains image of wounded shark) – Photos by voyagedeslivres; World Economic Forum, CC

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