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."

Man Wins Over 250,000 Canival Toys And Gives Them Away

                      

Peter Drakos has an unusual talent. He is amazingly good at carnival games. So good in fact, that since 1972 he's won over 250,000 of them. What does he do with all of these toys? He gives them to charity. Over 50 charities have benefitted from his kindness and he revels in the smiles he brings to the faces of less fortunate children.

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.

Blind Orangutan Mother Sees Babies For The First Time

In 2008, Gober, a Sumatran orangutan, was caught in the North Sumatra province after conservationists realized she had gone blind. She had taken to raiding crops for food and was under threat from local farmers so she was taken to a care facility and entered into a breeding program. In 2011, Gober gave birth to twins but she was unable to see them. Finally on Monday, doctors were able to perform catatract surgery on Gober and declared the operation a success. It was the first such eye surgery done on an orangutan in Indonesia.Doctors were forced to wait until Gober's twins were old enough to be separated from their mother for the duration of the surgery.

The proud mother was reunited with her children and was finally able to see them for the first time. She was also able to see their father, Leuser, who is tragically blind as well after farmers attacked him.

Sumatran Orangutans are critically endangered and only 6,600 still exist in the wild. Gober is a vital part of the breeding program that may bolster their numbers and once grown, her children will be released to the wild.

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.