The vet who treats homeless people's pets for free.
https://www.facebook.com/bbcthree/videos/10154672015835787/


I was thinking that it may be good to have an ongoing post of stories like this on, perhaps even a pinned thread.

Yeah. I know I for one could really use it.

Good idea to "pin" this thread, John and greeny ~

Sooz

From one of my favorite sites that I don't visit often enough:

http://www.upworthy.com/lets-talk-about ... c=tpstream

Thanks for pinning this, Sooz.

Thanks for that posting that, Roseanne.

You're welcome John. Thanks to you and your example, I am trying my best to "look at the bright side" of our current reality and find the good. With all that is going on in my life now, I need it now more than ever. On that note:

Strangers leave waitress $400 tip, then an even bigger surprise

For months, Cayla Chandara has been a waitress at two different restaurants, pulling double shifts just to make ends meet.


The 21-year-old moved to Waikiki, Hawaii, from Santa Rosa, California, for school. But with student loans and the high cost of living, Chandara didn’t want to slip into debt.

Instead of continuing her education, Chandara decided to take a step back. She accepted a job at a nearby Cheesecake Factory and Noi Thai Cuisine, hoping to save up enough money so she could return to school one day.

Little did she know, a group of strangers would make that happen faster than she could have ever imagined.

Chandara was serving two “life-long friends” and a 10-year-old girl visiting from Australia at Noi Thai Cuisine last week. They struck up a conversation, asking Chandara why she moved to Hawaii. Chandara told them about school and her dreams for the future.

The waitress thought the customers were just being polite. But as she cleared their table and collected their $200 tab at the end of the night her jaw-dropped.

The tip was $400 -- double their bill.

“I was then at a loss for words and all I wanted to do was hug them,” Chandara told CBS News.

Chandara recalled where the couple said they were staying, and decided she would swing by after her shift to thank them properly.

“I genuinely wanted to say thank you,” Chandara said. “I sent a thank you letter saying how much it meant to me.”

She left it at the hotel’s front desk and slipped out -- never expecting to see the tourists ever again.

The next night, the woman and the little girl returned to the restaurant. They told Chandara they would like to give her $10,000 to pay off her student loans and to contribute to her continuing her college education.

Chandara was at a loss for words.

“I initially told them I couldn’t take that offer, but they insisted that it would be just as great for them to do it for me,” Chandara said.

With their help, Chandara told the generous tourists, who wish to remain anonymous, that she will go back to school in the fall to study business. She asked how she could ever repay them.

“They told me the best way to thank them is to be my best possible self, dream big and strive for my goals,” Chandara said.

The 21-year-old wants to thank the couple for not only helping her fulfill her dream of graduating college, but also for teaching her a valuable lesson.

“They have truly changed my life, not only financially but in the way I look at things. They are the most beautiful and kind-hearted people I’ve come across and I really look up to them and I can’t wait until they watch me graduate,” Chandara said.

She hopes the story of their generosity reminds others that there are still good people in the world.

“Always be genuine. You will get it right back. Good things happen,” Chandara said.

http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/str ... ailsignout

After losing his wife, man turns to baking to help those in need

Leo Kellner loves helping people in the sweetest way possible — by baking them cakes and pies.

The 98-year-old from Hastings, Nebraska, lost his wife in 2012 from complications related to dementia; they had been together for 72 years.

Since her passing, Kellner took up baking as a way to give back to the community and honor the legacy of both his mother, from whom he learned to cook, and his wife.

“I didn’t know what to do with myself,” Kellner told TODAY. “I was moaning and moping, and I said, 'I’ve got to have something to do,' and that’s how it started.”

That first year, Kellner made 144 pies for people in need.

He reached out to local funeral homes and community organizations to let them know he’d like to connect with families having a hard time. Kellner then started reaching out to those families, getting to know them, and baking up some love during their time of need.

Kellner also makes sure to tailor the pies around people’s allergies and preferences. On the day we spoke, he had just whipped up angel food, German chocolate and classic chocolate cakes.

“Everybody’s my favorite — I love everybody,” said Kellner. “People that gave me a rough time when things were going hard for me, and I still love them. I’ve since made them cakes and pies. I hold no grudge."

"It isn't because I have to do it, you know?" said Kellner. "I do it because I love people."

Kellner is no stranger to hardship. Born in 1918, he lived through the Great Depression, when his family lost their farm. Kellner had to move from state to state as an adolescent looking for viable crops, which meant possible work.

“I knew what it was to be poor, and a lot of times we just had eggs and flour mixed up together,” he said. “So as long as I can do it, I will. A lot of people donate stuff to help; I bake.”

And Kellner’s made quite the impact.

“I’ve got friends from all over,” he said. “I’ve gotten thank-you cards from Alaska, where they’ve attended a funeral for which I’ve furnished a cake.”

Through his baking Kellner has not only helped the community, he's fostered it.

He hosts parties at his home for which he bakes, and Kellner constantly attends gatherings — never empty-handed, of course. He's even helped some neighbors' children learn to cook so they can spread love just as he does.

"I do it for everybody," said Kellner. "That’s just the way I am."

Kellner believes that this inclination to give to everyone just might be the secret to a long, happy life.

"I try to be happy," said Kellner. "I place nobody above me, I place nobody below me. I like everybody and I've never held a grudge."

http://www.today.com/news/98-year-old-bakes-pies-cakes-donate-people-need-t110231

Here's something a bit different, but perhaps it still fits in this thread.

To sum it up, the article suggests that there has been much improvement over the past 200 years or so in the following areas: Poverty, Literacy, Health, Freedom, Population and Education. In no way does the article imply that things are perfect, that things need not be improved, or that we don't face challenges. But as it states;

For our history to be a source of encouragement we have to know our history. The story that we tell ourselves about our history and our time matters. Because our hopes and efforts for building a better future are inextricably linked to our perception of the past it is important to understand and communicate the global development up to now. A positive lookout on the efforts of ourselves and our fellow humans is a vital condition to the fruitfulness of our endeavors. Knowing that we have come a long way in improving living conditions and the notion that our work is worthwhile is to us all what self-respect is to individuals. It is a necessary condition for self-improvement.


A history of global living conditions in 5 charts

A recent survey asked “All things considered, do you think the world is getting better or worse, or neither getting better nor worse?”. In Sweden 10% thought things are getting better, in the US they were only 6%, and in Germany only 4%. Very few people think that the world is getting better.

What is the evidence that we need to consider when answering this question? The question is about how the world has changed and so we must take a historical perspective. And the question is about the world as a whole and the answer must therefore consider everybody. The answer must consider the history of global living conditions – a history of everyone.

more... https://ourworldindata.org/a-history-of-global-living-conditions-in-5-charts/

Cross-posted from General because I absolutely/positively LOVE this!!! ~ there are a few more photos of the bar's interior at the end of the article ~ Sooz

04/14/2017 04:48 pm ET
A Bar Named ‘Coup’ Is Helping Charities Fight Back In Trump’s America
Just one drink goes a long way.
By Carly Ledbetter

One bar is doing its best to reverse some of the damage that’s already been done by Trump’s administration.

Coup, short for “coup d’état,” opens today in Manhattan and plans to donate 100 percent of its profits to charity. It’s the brainchild of restauranteur Ravi DeRossi. He conceptualized the bar ― and its mission ― after President Trump was elected in November. DeRossi told The Huffington Post that at the time, he felt angry, hurt and betrayed.

“I didn’t go into work for a couple days,” DeRossi told HuffPost on Friday. When he finally did get out of his bed and into some of the restaurants he owns (like Death & Company, Mother of Pearl and Cienfuegos), DeRossi found that most of New York ― and his employees ― felt the same way he did. His bartenders and staff, some of whom are immigrants, were upset and worried. Some wondered if they were going to lose their health insurance.

One night in January, DeRossi finally figured out just how he was going to fight the current administration. Over drinks with his business partner, Sother Teague, Teague told him about a charity salon in Houston, Texas called Okra (Organized Kollaboration on Restaurant Affairs). According to Okra’s website, every time patrons buy a drink, they can cast a vote for one of four local charities. At the end of each month, the charity with the most votes get the next month of proceeds. Thus, the idea for Coup was born.



“We decided 100 percent of the profits were going to be donated to organizations that are either being defunded by the current administration or organizations that need money to fight the current administration,” DeRossi said.

When customers order a drink, they’ll get a token to place in one of six jars. The jars are labeled with causes (tonight you’ll find Planned Parenthood, the ACLU and Human Rights Watch) that will rotate between 30 to 40 different organizations. Gratuity is included with the purchase of a drink, but if you’d still like to tip, it will also go to charity. Special guest bartenders will man one bar and choose a charity (or charities) of their choice, while the other bar will be run by house bartenders.

The drink menu is unlike what you’d find at other bars DeRossi owns, featuring traditional cocktails, mocktails and beer, wine and champagne offerings. DeRossi said the menu was specifically designed to make anyone and everyone feel welcome (including those not in the craft cocktail space).

Coup is located near Astor Place, in the space formerly occupied by DeRossi’s now-closed restaurant, Bergen Hill. Though he and his partners are calling it a pop up, the restaurateur said Coup will be open “as long as the current administration is in power.”

“If and when that changes, we’ll decide at that point what we’ll do,” he said.

Coup opens Friday, April 14 and is located at 64 Cooper Square.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how ... mg00000009

A feel-good story from my Facebook feed that identifies another way to pay-it-forward, which I deeply believe in ~ ~ Sooz

How This Couple Responded to a Waiter’s Super Slow Service

Everyone knows that waiting tables can be a real grind, especially if a restaurant happens to be short-staffed. And though some patrons have the tendency to skimp on tips during times like this, former food service employees can almost always spot an overworked waiter from a mile away!

When Iowa couple Mackenzie and Steven Schultz decided to get away from their twin boys and indulge in a seldom-taken date night, the couple had high hopes for a relaxing, romantic meal. Unfortunately, they ended up at an establishment that was just barely keeping it together.

The restaurant in question, Kazoku Sushi in Cedar Rapids, has a seriously stellar reputation on multiple “foodie” sites, but the business was obviously experiencing a bit of a rough patch on the night that the Schultz family chose to dine.

In Mackenzie’s Facebook post, she’s quite blunt about their poor experience, writing that the service “sucked.” Ouch, right?

She goes on to justify her harsh words by saying that it “took 20 minutes to get water, 40 minutes for an appetizer and over an hour” for the entrée. That sure doesn’t sound like a prime dining experience to us either!

But it’s not until about a quarter of the way through the post that her kind character is revealed. Mackenzie explains that both she and her husband had paid their dues by waiting more than a few tables in their day, so they knew exactly what was happening—the restaurant simply didn’t have enough help that night.

Mackenzie writes:


Wow! That sounds like one stressful night.

Now, let’s pause for a moment to discuss just how unfortunate of a scenario this is for a server. He’s obviously working his butt off and doing everything he can to take care of his guests in a timely manner, but, as Mackenzie notes, many diners will end up blaming him, not the management or kitchen, for the delays.

Of course, this thinking can have an adverse effect on his income for the night.

So, instead of making a fuss about the slow service, MacKenzie and Steven did something a bit more unexpected—they rewarded the waiter with a seriously generous tip. The sweet couple even left him with an inspiring message. How cool are they?!


To read MacKenzie’s full Facebook post, be sure to click here. We just love that this couple decided to see the situation for what it was, and pay it forward. We hope that hard-working server enjoyed those extra hundred bucks!

What do you think of Mackenzie and Steven’s generous tip? Do you think that the waiter deserved that amount? Do you have any service industry horror stories that you would like to share? Tell us all about your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below!

http://tiphero.com/slow-service-tip/

Akron Children’s Hospital Doggie Brigade







https://www.buzzfeed.com/h2/fbax/akronchildrenshospital/pictures-that-prove-therapy-dogs-are-the-best-medicine?utm_term=.cl2LDQWK7#.pyx1RD9En

LOVE that, John! ~ my mom is living in an extended rehab/nursing home and they have scheduled "dog days" often where families are encouraged to bring their dogs to visit with the residents ~ even the residents living with varying degrees of dementia respond positively ~

Sooz

Rick Steves has secured a place on my personal "heroes list" ~ ~ Sooz

PBS travel guru and pot advocate Rick Steves sacrifices $4 million nest egg to house dozens of homeless women and kids
Good News Network / 19 Apr 2017 at 03:23 ET

Travel guide guru Rick Steves just gave a $4 million apartment complex to homeless women and kids who need housing.

Steves realized, early on, the importance of affordable housing, during his travel adventures (how else?) as a young man in Europe.

He described his personal backpacking trip as "Europe Through the Gutter," a wandering teen embarking on the daily challenge of finding an affordable (i.e., free) place to sleep.

With his rail pass, he'd sleep on trains, ferries, the pews of Greek churches, the concrete floors of Dutch construction projects, and in barns at the edge of unaffordable Swiss alpine resorts.

"How else would a white, middle-class American kid gain a firsthand appreciation for the value of a safe and comfortable place to sleep?"

Twenty years ago, he devised a scheme where he could put retirement savings not into a bank to get interest, but into cheap apartments that could house struggling neighbors.

"I would retain my capital, my equity would grow as the apartment complex appreciated," Steves explained on his travel blog. "Rather than collecting rent, my "income" would be the joy of housing otherwise desperate people. I found this a creative, compassionate and more enlightened way to "invest" while retaining my long-term security."

The 24-unit apartment complex became began housing single moms who were recovering from drug addiction and were now ready to get custody of their children back.

"Imagine the joy of knowing that I could provide a simple two-bedroom apartment for a mom and her kids as she fought to get her life back on track."

Recently, Steves took his personal affordable housing project one step further: he gave his 24-unit apartment complex to the YWCA. The group will now be able to plan into the future, knowing the facility is theirs.

WATCH the video below, from K5 News [video accessible via end link]

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/pbs-travel-guru-and-pot-advocate-rick-steves-sacrifices-4-million-nest-egg-to-house-dozens-of-homeless-women-and-kids/

This shows how anyone can make a difference. Mostly these are unsung heroes. An embarrassing confession... I'd likely see this young woman on the street and never imagine that she does such a generous thing. The purple hair and tats. Shame on me.

Woman fixes hundreds of bikes in her kitchen and gives them to Calgary kids

Stephanie Katelnikoff has fixed up more than 100 bikes recently — and she's giving them all away to kids.

"I kind of just wake up and start working on bikes and work on them until it's time to go to bed," the Calgary woman told The Homestretch.

Katelnikoff is using the kitchen in her southwest home as a makeshift repair shop, complete with a drop cloth on the floor.

After fixing the bikes and ensuring they look shiny and new, Katelnikoff donates them to Calgary kids.

"There's a lot of avenues for other ways that people can get help, whether it's for housing or food or clothes, but as far as I know there's not really much out there for bikes, so I just want to offer something to kids that they're not able to get otherwise," she said.

"If all your friends have a bike and you don't have one, that definitely sucks a whole bunch. It's exercise. It's entertainment. It's freedom and transportation. It's a whole bunch of different things."

Katelnikoff gave away brand new bikes to Calgary kids last year, after receiving unexpected money and wanting to do something nice with it.

This year, she's turned to buying used bikes and fixing them up herself. She's repaired 104 bikes in about three weeks, and plans to continue at that pace as long as she can.

Katelnikoff said repairing the bikes sometimes involves watching a lot of YouTube videos to learn what to do.

"I usually spend about an hour on every bike, sometimes a little bit longer. And some bikes don't really need much so it's a lot less, but about an hour per bike is kind of average," she said.

Katelnikoff's first job was as a bicycle courier, but she said she hasn't been on a bike in a few years. Her motivation for the giveaway is to help kids, because of her own experiences as a child.

"When I was younger I spent a lot of years in and out of the hospital. I was really sick growing up, so I mean I had a lot of doctors and nurses that were super, super nice to me and it just made everything so much better and easier," she said.

Katelnikoff connects with kids in need of new wheels through word of mouth, the free section on Kijiji and posts on Facebook buy and sell groups.

"Sometimes parents don't tell their kids that they're coming to pick up a new bike. It's a surprise, so they don't know until they walk through the gate that there's a new bike for them and they're super excited," she said.

"It's pretty rewarding to be able to give a kid something that for a lot of them is a really big thing."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/c ... -1.4086419

One Stephanie Katelnikoff is worth more than a billion Donald Trumps.

Thanks for posting, Roseanne.

Helping a dog born with a defect...

https://www.facebook.com/thedodosite/videos/1075030209298320/

Last night was supposed to be my date night with my boyfriend, but I've got a bad cold and bowed out. So he brought dinner to my house and bought me orange juice and ginger ale to help me recover.

It's a small thing, but the only time I hate living alone (or as the only adult in the house) is when I'm really sick. It's nice to know someone would notice, and cares.

Agreed, greeny ~ it's the "little things" that mean the most ~

Sooz

Cops have fun doing something nice for a man...

https://www.facebook.com/donutoperator/videos/437857146567661/

Indeed, it is the little things.

As the world burns, a little boy shares water

It's late afternoon. One of those days last week that was sticky like summer, and I'm walking dogs.

Sweating.

Tired from a long day of ... whatever this is. Shirt stuck to back, head spinning with news. If it is even news.

Seems more like arson, because the world is burning.

In Washington they're fighting over Russia, and in Montgomery they argue about monkeys, and bananas, and it's bananas. Nobody bends and nobody wins but bought-and-paid-for politicians who turn us one against the other to profit from the very fears they peddle.

Like old fish.

Up ahead of me there's a man, working in a neighbor's yard. He's a tall man, a white man, a man approaching middle age but not quite there. He's full of energy, whistling and edging the lawn of a neighbor with a loud and powerful machine. He has all the equipment of a pro, all the purpose of a man with a job to do and another one to get to when he's done here.

I cross the street with my dogs. All three of them. Because rocks will fly and dogs will bark and I don't want to deal.

Besides, I'm busy thinking the worst.

Of politics and of people. Of media that helped make this mess of America. Of myself and a world where kindness and generosity seem like quaint traditions. Where civility is a 20th century concept.

Politicians campaign on keeping people out, not bringing them together. Building a wall is the architecture of progress.

Then a door opens. Not at the house where the man is working, but next door. A little kid, Hispanic, steps out.

I've seen him before, playing with his dog, or his soccer ball. He is perhaps 10, I don't know. He has asked me about my dogs before, but I do not know his name. I just think of him as that kid up the street. The one who is always smiling.

This day -- this hot, miserable day -- I walk my dogs on the opposite side of the street. I'm not watching. Not on purpose. Just seeing.

The boy come off his porch and trots, bounces really, next door to the yard man. He just stands there, patiently, holding something behind his back until the roar of the edger dies and the man looks up. He is surprised to see a little boy in front of him.

"Well hello," the man says.

"Hi," says the boy, smiling.

From behind his back the boy pulls a big bottle of water. You can see the condensation on it from across the street, so you know it's cold. He holds it out for the man. Just like the kid from the Coca-Cola commercial with Mean Joe Greene.

The man is taken aback. For a moment.

It is such a moment. Rare and sort of beautiful.

I'm walking on, with my dogs. But I can't get it out of my head.

I wonder what it means. In a cosmic sense. In a geopolitical sense. What do I make of this Hispanic boy and this white yard man in a world in which politicians use our differences to divide us, in which stereotypes rule us, in which the internet tells us constantly of all the ways we are different?

I do not know the answer. I just know two people, on a hot day, shared a moment of kindness.

It doesn't mean anything.

It means everything.

http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/201 ... river_home

For Canadians.

Hey Del ... the clip is terrific ~ but even better, it's GOOD TO "SEE" YOU! ~ hope all is well w/you ~

Sooz

Thanks for posting that, Del. I needed that today.

An inspiring slide show of kindness. Some have been posted before, but I haven't seen many of them:

http://www.msn.com/en-ca/lifestyle/smar ... ailsignout