Epileptic boy’s book helps raise money for seizure dog
Evan Moss, 7, wrote ‘My Seizure Dog,’ which has earned enough in donations to help buy a service dog for himself — and four more kids(click-through for full story)
The cockles of my heart have been warmed.
Louisville Veteran walks over 7,000 miles, raises $500,000 for military families
Hike for our Heroes(click-through for full story)
Deformed puppy, rescued from trash, learns to walk
She decided to take the puppy home for one full and final day of unabashed affection. “I had to show her what it was like to be loved,” Daniel said. “I’d planned on taking her home that night, letting her sleep in bed with us, and having her humanely euthanized in the morning.”
What a difference a day can make. Today, Harper is not only alive — she’s thriving.(click-through for full story)
Photographer Theresa Berg has started to work on changing the grim images of animal adoption photos into something that a possible pet owner can’t refuse.
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In the midst of the endless tweets and posts about the untimely passing of Steve Jobs, it’s easy to overlook the fact that another pioneer died yesterday. And while he had no impact on how you communicate, if you live in the United States, he had a profound impact on your society. Which makes it that much more depressing that few Americans outside of Alabama know his name.
Fred Shuttlesworth was one of the fiercest voices in the Civil Rights Movement. A minister from Birmingham, he routinely went toe-to-toe with the racist public safety commissioner Bull Connor, a man determined to keep segregation alive even after the tide of public sentiment had turned against it and willing to employ violent thugs from the Ku Klux Klan to achieve those ends. It was Shuttlesworth who demanded Martin Luther King bring his publicity machine to Birmingham, and together they were co-founders of Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In 1963, he organized a peaceful march through downtown Birmingham and was arrested for failing to first secure a parade permit. He fought his conviction all the way to the Supreme Court. And won.
Shuttlesworth is widely regarded as the most fearless soldier in the fight against segregation, and no matter how many attempts were made on his life, he never faltered. In 1956, sixteen sticks of dynamite were detonated beneath his bedroom window. He survived. In 1957, he was attacked by a group of Klansmen, who beat him with brass knuckles and chains, and stabbed him. He survived. In 1958, someone planted a bomb in his church, but it was noticed by a church member and moved to the street before it went off. At no point did Shuttlesworth back down, nor did he waver from his commitment to nonviolence.
He once said he would “kill segregation or be killed by it.” All Americans should consider themselves fortunate that it was Shuttlesworth who emerged victorious in that battle. And none of us should forget him.
Three women’s activists from Liberia, Yemen win Nobel Peace Prize
Africa’s first democratically elected female president, a Liberian campaigner against rape and a woman who stood up to Yemen’s autocratic regime won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in recognition of the importance of women’s rights in the spread of global peace.
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“When I found out that Jamey Rodemeyer killed himself - I felt deeply troubled. But when I found out that Jamey Rodemeyer had made an it gets better video only months before taking his own life - I felt indescribable despair. I also made an it gets better video last year - in the wake of the senseless and tragic gay teen suicides that were sweeping the nation at the time. But in light of Jamey’s death - it became clear to me in an instant that living a gay life without publicly acknowledging it - is simply not enough to make any significant contribution to the immense work that lies ahead on the road to complete equality. Our society needs to recognize the unstoppable momentum toward unequivocal civil equality for every gay lesbian bisexual and transgendered citizen of this country. Gay kids need to stop killing themselves because they are made to feel worthless by cruel and relentless bullying. Parents need to teach their children principles of respect and acceptance. We are witnessing an enormous shift of collective consciousness throughout the world. We are at the precipice of great transformation within our culture and government. I believe in the power of intention to change the landscape of our society - and it is my intention to live an authentic life of compassion and integrity and action. Jamey Rodemeyer’s life changed mine. And while his death only makes me wish that i had done this sooner - I am eternally grateful to him for being the catalyst for change within me. Now I can only hope to serve as the same catalyst for even one other person in this world. that - I believe - is all that we can ask of ourselves and of each other.”
- Zachary Quinto.
Zachary Quinto identifies himself ‘as a gay man’
I wish it didn’t matter, I wish all sexuality was considered normal and accepted, BUT since that’s not the world we live in I’d like to say I’m so very proud of ZQ for taking the chance to be a role model; not all celebs do, they aren’t required or anything, but that’s what makes me respect his choice to come out so much. He didn’t have to speak his truth, he chose to take on the burden of being someone other looks up to, and that deserves a celebration.
A Canadian man who had just helped a motorist change a tire in western Wisconsin had his good deed quickly repaid when, just minutes later, that same motorist helped to save his life.
According to the Wisconsin State Patrol, Victor Giesbrecht, of Winnipeg, was driving Saturday evening on Interstate 94 about 9 miles east of Menomonie when he stopped to help a motorist change a tire.
Patrol Sgt. Michael Newton said that after driving off, Giesbrecht was stricken by a heart attack within a mile or two. His wife, Ann, helped bring their pickup truck to a stop, called 911 and waved her arms for help.
At about the same time, the motorists they had just helped pulled up.
The Star Tribune reported Monday that one of them, Lisa Meier, of Eau Claire, performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him until emergency personnel arrived.
Son runs from Canada to Mexico to honor mom
Sam Fox, 23, has run roughly 100 marathons and 41 miles per day for 2 months to raise a quarter of a million dollars in honor of his mother Lucy, who has Parkinson’s disease.
Cape Town’s Michaela Mycroft named winner of International Children’s Peace Prize 2011
Michaela lives to help disabled youngsters across South Africa.
For that, this young woman, herself confined to a wheelchair due to Cerebral Palsy, received the 2011 International Children’s Peace Prize.
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Family raises $55,000 for son’s bone marrow transplant, thanks to Reddit
The online community rallied together to help 3-year-old Lucas Gonzalez, who has a rare immune deficiency.
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Jordan asked me once why on earth I spend so much time hunting down good news for PPD.
Stories like this are why. I mean, just look at his little face in the second photo! That makes all the sifting through the bad news worth it.
Last Monday, a woman in her 30s walked into a Kmart in Michigan and asked to pay off someone’s layaway balance. Although the clerk wasn’t sure what was going on, he let her look at the store’s layaway list. The woman scanned the accounts, looking for ones in which toys had been purchased. She chose three accounts and paid $500 toward them, leaving a balance of $10 on each. The woman asked to remain anonymous, but she did leave a note. It read, “Happy Holidays from a friend.”
One of the people helped out by the secret Santa, a mom who had put $200 worth of toys on layaway for her son, said that the anonymous woman had “restored her faith in people.”The Christmas spirit is catching on. Since the story of the secret Santa first aired on WOOD TV in Michigan, other anonymous helpers have been paying off the layaway accounts of strangers at other stores in Michigan and California.
The Michigan store where the first good Samaritan offered her help has received similar donations of $150 to $300 every day since then, according to The Detroit News.
One man came in and gave $2,000 to help pay off 13 layaway bills. Another paid off $1,000. In every case, those who are doing the giving are opting to remain anonymous.
No, we’re not crying at all, whatever do you mean?
That’s a whopper of a lie, I’m bawling like a hungry infant.
