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Florida Couple Finds Homes for 7,000 Greyhounds Retired From Racing

greyhound rescuer with adopted dog - CNN video clilp

greyhound rescuer with adopted dog - CNN video clilpA retired Florida couple has helped thousands of greyhounds find new homes after the dogs’ racing careers have ended.

In the past 15 years, Dennis and Claire Tyler have driven more than seven thousand dogs across the country bringing them to new homes as adopted pets.

Their Greyhound Pets of America Central Florida goes the extra mile for the breed because there are so many greyhounds retiring in Florida each year.

Amputee Homeless No More Thanks to Town Dog and Kind Owner

Homeless no more, Fred in wheelchair- by Chuck Beck

Homeless no more, Fred in wheelchair- by Chuck BeckFred Stamm is a formerly homeless amputee whose life was turned around thanks to a chance meeting with a dog and its owner in Severna Park.

Chuck Beck was impressed with the man who gently pet and talked to the golden retriever. Afterward, Beck ended up changing the course of Stamm’s life as the two became friends.

By acting as his advocate, Beck navigated through Medicaid and Social Security programs to acquire Stamm’s benefits. He also introduced him to a loving community at his church, and helped him to find a part-time job and a new place to live.

 

(READ the story at Patch.com)

Mama Lion Saves Cub After Fall From Cliff

LION CUB RESCUE via Sax Rohmer Ltd

LION CUB RESCUE via Sax Rohmer LtdA photographer snapped some incredible photos of a lioness rescuing her struggling cub, after its fall down a steep cliff.

The dangling young lion is beyond the reach of the pride but its mother doesn’t give up.

Photographer Jean-Francois Lagrot witnessed the scene in Kenya and shot this series of pictures.

The Day Steve Jobs Saved Apple… By Embracing His Arch-Rival

Steve Jobs at iphone premiere

Steve Jobs wit iphone at the premiereSometimes it’s hard to fathom just what Steve Jobs has done at Apple Inc. during the 14 years since he rejoined the company as CEO. It was world-changing.

But it was also a testament to what a passionate person can achieve when they know how to compromise on even core principles, when the time for compromise is right.

Abandoned Building Turned into Giant Chalkboard to Collect Hopes

Before-I-Die chalkboard house Civic Center

Before-I-Die chalkboard house Civic CenterCandy Chang turned the side of an abandoned house in her neighborhood into a giant chalkboard that invited people to write down what they aspired to do before they died.

Reactions to the giant board entitled, “Before I Die” were scratched in chalk across the surface many times — and later erased — in a touching tribute to honesty.

“From the funny and creative to the thoughtful and heartbreaking, the responses have made me laugh out loud and also tear up,” writes Chang on her blog. “Stories from passersby hit me hard in the heart, and the worldwide response to this project has been incredible.”

Due to the enthusiastic response, we’ve created a Before I Die Toolkit with a stencil and guide to help you create a wall with your community.

The building, in New Orleans, was purchased in April, so the project came to an end last week. However, Chang recently helped install a wall in Portsmouth, NH, and will soon be installing a wall in Mexicots. The legacy of the original wall is documented in photos at CandyChang.com.

Thanks to Tony Milch for the story suggestion!

Abandoned Building Turned into Giant Chalkboard to Collect Hopes

Before-I-Die chalkboard house Civic Center

Before-I-Die chalkboard house Civic CenterCandy Chang turned the side of an abandoned house in her neighborhood into a giant chalkboard that invited people to write down what they aspired to do before they died.

Reactions to the giant board entitled, “Before I Die” were scratched in chalk across the surface many times — and later erased — in a touching tribute to honesty.

“From the funny and creative to the thoughtful and heartbreaking, the responses have made me laugh out loud and also tear up,” writes Chang on her blog. “Stories from passersby hit me hard in the heart, and the worldwide response to this project has been incredible.”

Xbox Announces “Gaming and Giving for Good” Charity Event

Gaming and Giving for Good (logo mashup)

Gaming and Giving for Good (logo mashup)Race for the Cure, watch out! Xbox is teaming up with GameStop, Hulu, and other companies to rally the gaming community for a good cause.

The Gaming and Giving for Good (G3) Xbox LIVE charity event is taking place Saturday, Oct. 1 to benefit Children’s Miracle Network, an organization that supports 170 children’s hospitals across North America.

The Purrfect House for Cats by Japanese Design Firm

cat house by Fauna Plus DeSIGN

cat house by Fauna Plus DeSIGNDoes it make sense to design homes to cater to the enjoyment of cat and dog pet owners?

The demand is there, at least in Japan, where Fauna Plus DeSIGN created a custom home for 16 cats. The heart of the home features a cat-climbing tree that serves as a spiral staircase leading up to a catwalk on the second floor of the unit.

More Hospitals Eliminate Free Infant Formula Samples

Photo of mom and infant by Virginiamol, via Morguefile.com

Photo of mom and infant by Virginiamol, via Morguefile.comHospitals that discontinued distributing industry-sponsored infant formula sample packs to new mothers doubled from 2007 to 2010, but many continue the practice despite criticism that it discourages breastfeeding.

A follow-up study to determine how the practice of handing out free formula sample packs had changed among 1,200 U.S. maternity hospitals showed the number of facilities curtailing the practice increased from 14% in 2007 to 28% in 2010.

Rapper 50 Cent Feeds 2 Million Kids in Africa With Sales of New Energy Drink

50 cent Street King drink promo

50 cent Street King drink promoHis life was changed forever on a trip to Africa during the World Cup where he learned about the heartbreaking famine and widespread deaths from hunger there. Now 50 Cent has partnered to launch an energy drink whose proceeds will feed one child with every bottle sold.

Since its debut earlier this month, the product has already provided 2.5 million meals toward his goal of feeding a billion children through the UN’s World Food Program.

This energy drink, called Street King, comes with its own good news right on the label:

Rapper 50 Cent Feeds 2 Million Kids in Africa With Sales of New Energy Drink

50 cent Street King drink promo

50 cent Street King drink promoHis life was changed forever on a trip to Africa during the World Cup where he learned about the heartbreaking famine and widespread deaths from hunger there. Now 50 Cent has partnered to launch an energy drink whose proceeds will feed one child with every bottle sold.

Since its debut earlier this month, the product has already provided 2.5 million meals toward his goal of feeding a billion children through the UN’s World Food Program.

This energy drink, called Street King, comes with its own good news right on the label:

Dead Sea Scrolls Come to Life on the Web (Video)

dead sea scrolls

dead sea scrollsDiscovered in 1947, the Dead Sea Scrolls have been available for viewing only in a museum in Israel…until now.

Thanks to some expert digital photography and a project set up by Google, high-resolution photos of five of the seven original Dead Sea Scrolls can now be seen online.

The Digital Dead Sea Scrolls Web site offers a peek into the distant past, allowing people to view and examine the scrolls in fine detail, with accompanying text describing the scroll, its history, and its meaning.

Coffee May Prevent Depression, Scientists Say

Photo by Seemann via Morguefile.com

Photo by Seemann via Morguefile.comA study of 50,000 American women showed that those who drank two or more cups of coffee a day were less likely to get depressed.

It is not clear why it might have this effect, but the authors believe caffeine in coffee may alter the brain’s chemistry — it is known to enhance feelings of wellbeing and energy.

Toys ‘R’ Us, Macy’s Will Add 118,000 Holiday Jobs

gift-grn-red-whitebg-cohdra-morguefile

Gift Photo by Cohdra via morguefile.comThe retailer Macy’s announced Monday that it plans to hire 78,000 temporary workers for the holiday season — an increase of 4% over last year.

Although these seasonal workers would be temporary, Macy’s said that in “some cases” they could lead to year-round jobs.

Tribute: Wangari Maathai, First African Woman to Win Nobel Peace Prize (1940-2011)

Wangari Maathai portrait by Martin Rowe

Wangari Maathai, the Kenyan environmentalist who went on to become the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize, died of cancer at the age of 71. Tributes from leaders around the world in the press praise her as one of the most widely respected women on the continent.

Wangari Maathai portrait by Martin Rowe

She founded a movement in 1977 to plant trees across Kenya that would fight erosion while creating firewood for fuel and jobs for women. Her Green Belt Movement spead across the continent planting more than 30 million trees and helping nearly 900,000 women.

She won the Peace Prize in 2004 for what the Nobel committee called “her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.” It was a moment of immense pride in Kenya and across Africa.

Her ideas for promoting sustainability and community-building inspired similar environmental efforts in other countries.

READ the full story in the New York Times and WATCH this 2 minute video to get a sense of the woman in her own words…

CNN Names Top 10 ‘CNN Heroes’ for 2011

black-boy-jumping

Photo by Sun Star - Jumping for JoyCNN announced its Top 10 CNN Heroes for 2011, while opening online voting that will determine the winner of the $250,000 grand prize. All ten heroes will be featured on the 5th annual celebrity-filled award gala airing in December.

Culled from hundreds of submitted names, these ten heroes will each receive $50,0000 to continue their world-changing work. Their stories have been featured by the news network in videos throughout the year. Now the public is set to determine the top prize winner by voting online.

CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute hosted by Anderson Cooper will air on Sunday evening, December 11, 2011. The ten finalists, listed below, will each have their story told by a celebrity.

Votes accumulated in online voting through December 7 will determine who will be named on the show as top “CNN Hero of the Year”. Voting continues through December 7 at at www.cnnheroes.com.

Here are the finalists, some of which have been featured on the Good News Network:

* Amy Stokes from Yonkers, NY founded Infinite Family to help kids in sub-Saharan Africa, orphaned by HIV/AIDS. She uses the internet to connect hundreds of teen ‘Net Buddies’ with adult mentor volunteers from around the world.

*Restaurant owner, Bruno - CBS video Chef and restaurant owner Bruno Serato realized that many of the kids at his local Boys and Girls Club often go to bed hungry. They are “motel kids” – children whose families stay one step ahead of homelessness by living week-to-week in cheap motels. Serato’s “Caterina’s Club” started serving them pasta dinners, and now he feeds nearly 200 children seven nights a week. (GNN Story – subscription only)

* Derreck Kayongo of Atlanta couldn’t get over the fact that so much soap was being wasted every day in hotels across America. In 2009, the Ugandan war refugee created the Global Soap Project which has collected 100 tons of partially used hotel soap and reprocessed it into more than 100,000 bars to help fight the spread of child diseases in Africa and Haiti. (GNN Story – subscription only)

* In one of Chicago’s most dangerous neighborhoods, Diane Latiker, a grandmother has opened her door and invited gang members to come inside. She hoped that by providing them with support and a place to go, she would ensure that her own daughter and other kids would be safe and able to focus on their future instead of gangs. (See the GNN story)

* Eddie Canales watched in Texas as his son Chris, a high school senior, made a tackle during a football game that left him paralyzed, leading him to start “Gridiron Heroes”, which provides emotional and financial support to high school football athletes who’ve sustained spinal cord injuries. It’s a fraternity that includes 19 injured players in the state of Texas.

* Elena Durón Miranda is the founder of “P.E.T.I.S.O.S.” (Prevention and Eradication of Child Labor) to get Argentinian children out of the garbage dump and into school. Today P.E.T.I.S.O.S. provides free after school programs and access to education, counseling and medical care to about 200 children.

* After Patrice Millet was diagnosed with cancer, he dedicated his life to helping needy kids in his native Haiti. In 2007, he sold his business and started the “FONDAPS” youth soccer program, which has provided free equipment, coaching and food to hundreds of children from the slums of Port-au-Prince and aims to help teach participants to become responsible citizens. (GNN story – subscription only)

* Arizona-born Robin Lim is helping Indonesian women who are 300 times more likely to die in childbirth after her youngest sister died from pregnancy complications there. Lim became a professional midwife and dedicated her life to offering free prenatal and birthing services to thousands of low-income women in Bali and Aceh.

Sal Dimiceli a CNN hero for Wisconsin residents* Raised in poverty, Sal Dimiceli vowed when he was 12 years old that he’d always help people in need, and he’s spent nearly all of his adult life making good on that promise in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Through a local newspaper column, Sal invites people who’ve fallen on hard times to write him letters, describing their situation. His nonprofit assists about 500 people a year with food, rent, utilities and other necessities. (See the GNN story)

* Taryn Davis’ husband died in Iraq when she was 21. Unable to find a community that could honor her husband’s memory in a spirit she could relate to, she created one. Since 2007, her American Widow Project has connected 900 young military widows in a sisterhood that helps them honor their husbands while celebrating life.

Last year’s “Hero of the Year”, Anuradha Koirala, was honored for her efforts to end human trafficking. CNN’s 2009 “Hero of the Year”, Efren Peñaflorida, saw his pushcart classroom model replicated more than 50 times by different organizations and institutions across the Philippines. He can also be seen hosting his own search for heroes on a Philippine television show, which features people working in the Philippines to better the lives of others.

“Over the past five years, the CNN Heroes Initiative has profiled more than 150 heroes and honored 50 everyday men and women from around the world for their tireless efforts to improve the lives of others,” said Jim Walton, President of CNN Worldwide. “We hope to empower these selfless individuals to persevere in their humanitarian efforts.”

Submit your own suggested hero at their website.

Photo (top) by Sun Star – Jumping for Joy

CNN Names Top 10 ‘CNN Heroes’ for 2011

black-boy-jumping

Photo by Sun Star - Jumping for JoyCNN announced its Top 10 CNN Heroes for 2011, while opening online voting that will determine the winner of the $250,000 grand prize. All ten heroes will be featured on the 5th annual celebrity-filled award gala airing in December.

Culled from hundreds of submitted names, these ten heroes will each receive $50,0000 to continue their world-changing work. Their stories have been featured by the news network in videos throughout the year. Now the public is set to determine the top prize winner by voting online.

CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute hosted by Anderson Cooper will air on Sunday evening, December 11, 2011. The ten finalists, listed below, will each have their story told by a celebrity.

‘Greatest’ American Hockey Player Calls it a Career

Mike Modano courtesy of MM Foundation

Mike Modano courtesy of MM FoundationThe highest-scoring American-born player in National Hockey League history officially bid adieu to the game on Friday.

In a tearful speech, Mike Modano announced his retirement having scored 1,374 points, as  the all-time goal-scoring and points leader of all American-born players.

In addition to his skill with a stick, Modano is the founder of the Mike Modano Foundation, which raises money for education and assistance to children and families affected by child abuse.

Saudi King Gives Women Right to Vote and Run as Candidates

Photo of Saudi women by Jake Brewer on Flickr

Photo of Saudi women by Jake Brewer on FlickrWomen in Saudi Arabia will be given the right to vote and run in future municipal elections, King Abdullah announced yesterday. He also intends to appoint women to the all-male national advisory council.

Prominent Saudi women have been lobbying for political empowerment since 2007.

Women in Kuwait gained the right to vote and run for local office in 2005. The first woman to run for a seat on that country’s national assembly was finally elected four years later in 2009.

Saudi women still are not allowed to congregate in public with men or drive a car. Earlier this year some defied the ban by getting behind the wheel, having learned to drive while in foreign countries.

(READ more in the Vancouver Sun)

Photo of Saudi women by Jake Brewer on Flickr – Thanks to Andrew N. and Barry Stevens for sending the link!

Saudi King Gives Women Right to Vote and Run as Candidates

Photo of Saudi women by Jake Brewer on Flickr

Photo of Saudi women by Jake Brewer on FlickrWomen in Saudi Arabia will be given the right to vote and run in future municipal elections, King Abdullah announced yesterday. He also intends to appoint women to the all-male national advisory council.

Prominent Saudi women have been lobbying for political empowerment since 2007.

Women in Kuwait gained the right to vote and run for local office in 2005. The first woman to win a seat on that country’s national assembly was finally elected four years later in 2009.