Blind swimmer wins gold at the Paralympics

Blind swimmer Brad Snyder wins gold at the Paralympics | Yardbarker.com



Brad Snyder lost his eyesight while serving in Afghanistan, when he stepped on a bomb. However, he didn't let that stop him from being amazing, and has gone on to win a gold medal for swimming in the 2012 London Paralympics.

What an amazing guy. Be sure to click the link to the Paralympics ad campaign, too, but be sure to have some tissues ready.

Man Causes Car Crash That Saves Four Children

It seems like a complete contridiction, causing a car accident to save lives, but that's exactly what Darrell Krushelnicki did on Aug 31st. He was exiting the Bonnie Doon parking garage in Canada when he noticed a speeding Pontiac heading straight for a crosswalk. Other motorists had stopped to allow four children to cross the street but the owner of the Pontiac was distracted on his cell phone and wasn't paying attention. When Darrell realized the car simply wasn't going to stop in time, he risked his own saftey by pulling his Hummer into the path of the speeding car. The impact did not result in fatalities and more importantly, Darrell's fast thinking actions saved all four children. Police state that the Pontiac would have killed all of them had he not been stopped.

Darrell is being hailed as a hero and a facebook page has even been erected to commend him for his bravery. His insurance company, Intact Insurance, has stated that they will not raise his rates despite the accident being his fault. "We believe that insurance is about people, not things," said Rosa Nelson, an Intact Insurance spokesperson, "We appreciate that thanks to Darrell's quick response, four children were un-harmed last week while crossing a pedestrian crosswalk."

A Muslim Mayor In Texas Proves Unity Is Possible

Texan. Muslim. Doctor. Mayor. These are words most people don't put together unless it's part of a joke but all four of them describe one man: Pakistani born Mayor Arjumand Hashmi. Hashmi isn't just a mayor, he's also a cardiologist, and a very beloved figure in the town of Paris, Texas. Paris is a small town, boasting only about 25,000 inhabitants and when Hashmi first ran for office all the usual prejudices were there to meet him. Was he a terrorist? Was he there to drive away the mostly white Christian community? Would he immediately build a mosque? Despite these bigoted concerns, he was voted into office a little over a year ago. The act was a huge blow for unity.

As soon as Hashmi was in office, he began proving his dedication and allaying people's fears. He planted rows of crepe myrtle trees around the city, visiting local businesses when he had the time to do so, and breaking up a lot of the old system of favoritism and "brother-in-law deals" that had led to corruption. The town's old regime had often seen money going to businesses simply because the owner knew someone in office and Hashmi was determined to put a stop to it. Coming from Pakistan, he had seen his homeleand also suffer from such dealings and he knew how much it could destroy a governance.

“In most of third world countries, yes, there are rules and laws and regulations. But it ends up that related people get things done,” Hashmi said. “I have lived it personally and seen why it doesn’t work."

Hashmi isn't just working as the mayor of Paris. He still works full time as a cardiologist too, rushing between surgeries and business meetings. He is also the leader of a local hospital catheterization laboratory. His days normally start at 3:30am with a prayer though he admits he doesn't always manage the five a day that he would like. He feels God will forgive him however since he is saving lives and making his city a better place to live. During his last election to office, he won by a landslide vote.

In today's atmosphere of fear and mistrust, the hurrying figure of Hashim as he heads from the city's waterplant to it's hospital for another surgery is a good sign of change.

First Solar Kiosk Opens In Ethiopia

Readily available electricity is a luxury many take for granted but for many in underdeveloped parts of the world, it's a dream they couldn't have imagined. Now a German company is trying to change that. They have opened the first ever solar kiosk near Lake Langano, Ethiopia. The kiosk has solar panels along the roof that take advantage of the arid countryside and a day of charging is enough to run a refrigerator, provide lighting, run cellphones, charge car batteries, and even run a computer. Most importantly, the kiosk sells power to the local community for whom kerosene has been the only option. Kerosene is expensive and often dangerous, giving off fumes and risking injury. The hope is that the kiosks will eventually serve as a community center where locals can come watch television, movies, or buy products that they normally wouldn't have access to.

For a lot of communities it would also be their only refrigerator and could hold perishable medical supplies.The kiosk is also a provider of employment and training to locals and employees would receive training in how to maintain and operate solar products as well as training on creating a sustainable business. With the first functional SolarKiosk operating in Ethiopia, the creators are now looking for business partners and NGO's who can help bring the kiosks to other parts of the world where they are most needed.

DC Drivers Get A Boost On Monday Mornings

For most people, Mondays are that dreaded day when the rest of the weekend has come to an abrupt end and it's back to another long day fighting traffic and sitting in front of a computer screen. Residents of Washington, DC are getting a surprising morale boost however. Four volunteers, led by 29 year old Massoud Adibpour, have taken to standing on the corner of 14th street on the Mall holding aloft signs of good will for passing motorists. The signs include "Smile", "Be Happy", "Don't be so hard on yourself", and "Honk if you love someone!"

The act has been met with a lot of enthusiasm as cars honk, bicycles ring their bells, and pedestrians give thumbs up to the display. So far, Massoud and his friends have been able to get 307 honks as their personal record. They're aiming for 350 in the future. The efforts of these cheerful volunteers isn't to be taken too lightly either. Science has suggested that for every negative experience someone has, they need approximately five good ones to make up for it, however, seeing the signs might jog feelings of good will and gratitude that will assist in setting the tone for an entire day. In other words, the people who Massoud cheers are more likely to have a better day because they're already in a positive mood.

“No one wants to go to work on Monday, so we wanted to brighten people’s day,” he said. “D.C.’s really stressed out, so I wanted to spread a little bit of happiness in the city. I think it can go pretty far.”
Want to read more about the other efforts and amazing kindness Massoud and his friends are doing? Click here.

Prisoners Work To Save Endangered Butterfly

Most people hear the word prisoner and assume the worst, after all, that person is in jail because they did something wrong for which society has said they should be punished. One prison is proving, however, that there may be hope yet for those who have found themselves behind bars. The inmates at Mission Creek Corrections Center for Women in Belfair, Washington, have embraced a movement to save the endangered Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas editha taylori). Working with guards and graduate students, a select group of prisoners are actively breeding the beautiful insects for release back into the wild. In a greenhouse just outside of the prison, the team works to not only continue raising the butterflies' numbers through breeding but have also conducted studies to determine which flowers it prefers to lay eggs on in the hopes that planting more such flowers will help the species bounce back from the brink.

This is all part of an initiative by the Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP), a group that is working to utilize an untapped resource in the form of prisoners who want to help make amends and make the world a better place. The SPP treats the inmates as collaborators instead of manual labor. The inmates apply for  positions on the teams and receive training, education and a small wage. Together with the SPP, they have helped to conserve endangered butterflies, frogs, flowering plants and moss. So far 800 butterflies have been reintroduced to the wild with 3,600 more being prepped for next year.

Efforts to determine which plant the butterflies prefer show that they tend toward the golden paintbrush, a native plant of Washington, but with that plant also being threatened, the butterflies had been laying their eggs on plantain plants which are an introduced species. With this knowledge, the SPP hopes to increase efforts to save both the butterflies and the golden paintbrush.

The SPP projects also extend to other prisons where inmates are working to save prairie plants and spotted frogs.

Man Creates Bicycle Library To Offer Books To The Homeless

Robson Mendonça spent a decade on the streets of San Paulo before a single book changed his life. After reason Orson Wells 'Animal Farm', Robson decided to stop drinking, study more, and finally got his life back on track. Now, the 61 year old former construction worker is working to bring that same hope to others who society may have written off. The homeless face many problems the average person doesn't think about, including not being able to check books out of a library. With no permanent address, they cannot borrow books by normal means. That's where Robson comes in. He began his initiative by walking around the busiest parts of the city and hand carrying books which the homeless could borrow from him.

When the non-profit Green Mobility heard about Robson's efforts, they donated a bicycle to him to assist. More donations began to roll in as well, these in the form of more books and now Robson's library boasts a hefty 30,000 volumes. He cycles around the city carrying as many as 300 books at a time and has so far had over 107,000 loans. The checkout process is one based on trust as there is no requirement for the borrower to be the one that brings the book back and often books are passed among a few people before being returned. The bicycle library also contains a solar powered laptop which three additional volunteers use to run literacy classes and help people find local shelters. Green Mobility is so excited about the success of Robson's library that they have decided to start more mobile libraries in as many as 12 other Brazilian cities. 

To read more, click here.

Auto Shop Stands Up For Bullied Teen

Hate is no stranger to Jordan Addison. As an openly gay teen attending Radford University in Roanoke, VA, he has been the target of a great deal of closed minded aggression. Within the span of three months, Jordan's car had been vandalized four times. Hate words, anti-homosexual slurs, and even threats have been carved and painted onto his vehicle. The word "DIE" had been keyed into one of the doors. When Jordan took his car into a local repair shop, the totals came out to a whopping $2500, an amount that he simply couldn't afford as a college student.

That's when Richard Henegar, Jr., the manager at Quality Auto Paint and Body, stepped in to help. He worked with some other local businesses to include Parts Unlimited in Vinton, Advance Auto Parts, Moon's Auto Body, Rice Toyota, Val's Automotive, The Rod Shop, B&C Exterminating, Twists & Turns, AJ's Landscaping and Sunnybrook Auto Spa. Together, they not only repaired the damage to Jordan's car, they also added an additional $10,000 in upgrades for him.

"Once I saw the vandalism that was done to it, I said 'that’s uncalled for. We’re gonna fix your car.'" Henegar told news station WTVR, "That’s the least we can do."

Addison was left speechless in the face of this act of kindness.

1.7 Million Raised For Nikola Tesla Museum

Most people have never heard of Wardenclyffe or Shoreham, New York, but mention the name Nikola Tesla and intellectuals everywhere will chatter excitedly about this unsung hero of modern science. When the world was still living in a time of candlelight, Tesla was inventing the concept of alternating current, the very system we use today to power our homes. Want to know more about Tesla? Read here.

Wardenclyffe was the final laboratory that Tesla used before his passing and he had intended to build a tower there that would have provided free energy to the entire world. When the project lost funding in 1917, however, the land was sold off to film and paper manufacturers. The laboratory and tower foundation still remain to this day and the land recently went up for sale again. Two bidders were eyeing the property, one a non-profit intent on building a Nikola Tesla museum and the other a developer who intended to build a retail center. Faced with the prospect of losing this part of history to a new Walmart, popular comedy site The Oatmeal put out a plea to all of geekdom to ask for help in outbidding the retailer.

The goal had been set at $850,000 but within days that number had been smashed through by generous donations. The fundraising efforts are now at over $900k and growing with a full 39 days of fundraising left. The money already raised, when combined with a matching contribution from NY, will be more than enough to purchase the property and any additional funding will go toward the building of the museum.

Since the campaign started last week, it has raised an average of $145,000 per day, $6,000 per hour and $100 per minute, with contributions coming from 102 countries, according to an infographic by Indiegogo. So far, 20,000 people have donated.

Aurora Man Pays For Movies For Strangers

For the people of Aurora, CO, and many around the country as well, the theatre has become a place of fear or, at the very least, some measure of concern after the brutal killing spree that left 12 dead and many more wounded. One Aurora man is doing something about that however. Jason Cole, a teacher and father, decided that the actions of one madman should not keep people living in fear. He worked with friends and family to raise money, enough for 1300 movie tickets, and then gave them all away to the people of Aurora.

On August 11th, Jason and his friends stood outside of a few theatres in Aurora and passed out the free tickets to those standing in line. The reactions ranged from cynasism to intense gratitude but Jason knows they made a difference that day. One woman who had been scared to go to the movies after the shootings, this act of kindness gave her the bravery to try again while being bolstered by the kindness of those around her. A mother brought her teenage son and and his friends to the Arapahoe Crossing theater in Aurora to hand out tickets in memory of their friends who were killed in the shootings on July 20. For them, it was a chance to heal and they told their story to those who recieved tickets. Tears were shed and hearts healed for the loss.

One family responded with cynisism at first, a discomfort at the idea of some company trying to do a promotion at the theatre but once Jason and his friend explained that the tickets were just for the sake of kindness, frowns turned to genuine smiles. Thanks to the bravery, kindness, and thoughtfulness of Jason and his friends, the people of Aurora were able to share joy and love in the face of tragedy.

"You can choose the light or the dark, and you change the world with each choice you make. I said that, in a world where one person can traumatize an entire region with his actions, it's up to the rest of us to choose the light." - Jason Cole

Man Uses Unlimited Air Miles To Help Strangers

Most kids straight out of high school have dreams of traveling the world before heading off to college and eventually their chosen careers. Some manage it and come back with photos and a few fun stories of their travels but for one young man, the stories are a bit different. Daniel, a reddit user going by the name Generique, decided that he didn't just want to travel: he wanted to use his trips to help people instead. He has a family member who works for an unnamed airline and he's allowed to travel anywhere in the world, paying only departure taxes along the way. With this in mind, he posted made a post on reddit that quickly got attention.

"I want to have a Reddit-powered epic summer adventure. As a result of having a family member employed by a large airline, I have the ability to travel non-rev status (if there’s empty seats and no one ahead of me in line), paying only departure taxes. I’d rather not disclose the specific airline, in case I get into shenanigans that might reflect on them.

"Want me to hand deliver a letter to someone across the country or overseas? Attempt to help you with homework? Volunteer at your organization for a day? Need an extra pair of hands to do that landscaping project you’ve been putting off for months? Know a sweet hiking spot but have no one to go with?"

Within 24 hours, thousands of comments had come in with 300 of them being requests. Some were heartwarming, some down right bizzare, but Daniel picked among the plethora of responses and chose his favorites. He made a list and began checking them off one by one. Some of the tasks included were helping someone move a couch in Denver, teaching English at a school in Thailand, sitting for a self portrait in San Francisco, and washing a family car. The car is Daniel's favorite so far as the family has a son with Down's Syndrome and Leukemia and they were immensely grateful for the kind act Daniel performed.

With his list of 30-40 items finally checked off, Daniel has returned home and is preparing for college. He says he plans to do this adventure again next summer in the hopes of cheering up more people and doing more kind deeds. 

Churchs Hold Dinner For Islamic Families

When a suspicious fire burned down a local mosque in Joplin, MO, most of the Islamic families in the town were left with no place to hold the celebratory dinner known as Iftar, a breaking of the fast which marks the month of Ramadan.Their worries were allieviated in the most unexpected of ways, however, when local Christian churches extended their hands and opened their doors to their fellow townspeople.

The churches of St. Philip's Episcopal Church, South Joplin Christian Church, United Hebrew Congregation, First Community Church, and Peace Lutheran Church have all invited local members of the Islamic Society of Joplin to celebrate their holiday within the normally Christian halls. In a time when being a Muslim often casts suspicion upon worshippers, it is heartwarming to see men and women putting aside their religious differences and offering support in the name of human kindness.

Mystery Man Gives Strangers Wads of Cash

People Are Awesome: Mystery Man Gives Strangers Wads of Cash - Lifestyle - GOOD

This is a little bit of a trick post, because it's a double-plus good thing: a mysterious man with a camera gives out money to random people. A lot of money. But in order to receive the money, they have to agree to have their photo taken, and "pay it forward," by doing something good with the money. He asks that they document their good deed and share stories.

Here's a link to the Wearelucky website. You can read the stories and see photos of the people who've participated so far. So cool!