Creativity and Innovation Help Those in Need During the Season of GivingThis is the time of the year when most people reach out to help those in need. For some, it means donating to a local food bank. For others in involves participating in clothing and toy drives. This year, two remarkable people have taken the season of giving to a new level with their simple but ingenious ideas....
Read news articleCanberra's David Richards Snags Fourth Guinness World Record In Five YearsTo say that David Richards loves to create Christmas light displays is an understatement. In the past four years, the Canberra resident has picked up three Guinness World Records - Two for 'most Christmas lights on a residential property' and one for 'largest image made of LED lights.' On November 27th, the Canberra resident broke yet another record - This time for 'most lights on an artificial Christmas tree.'...
Read news articleHanukkah - The Eight-Day Jewish Festival Of Lights Has BegunAt sundown on Sunday, December 6th, millions of Jews around the world celebrated the first day of Hanukkah by lighting a candle and singing traditional songs. The eight day festival that is observed annually, starts on the 25th day of Kislev, the ninth month of the Hebrew calendar, which follows the lunar cycle. Hence, its exact date varies anywhere from late November to the end of December....
Read news articleCan Lab Grown 'Super' Coral Rescue Our Rapidly Dwindling Reefs?Rising water temperatures and the increasing levels of carbon dioxide in our oceans are killing our beautiful coral reefs at an unprecedented rate. Add the current El Nino weather pattern that is expected to prevail through winter and spring 2016 to the mix, and things look even worse. Scientists estimate that the 1988 El Nino destroyed almost 16% of the world's coral reefs and believe things could get even worse this time around....
Read news articleAmazon's New Delivery Drone Is Sleeker, Smarter, And Still Illegal!Two years ago, Jeff Bezos, the founder, and CEO of retail giant Amazon Inc. announced that the company would soon be introducing Amazon Prime Air - A new 30-minute delivery service using unmanned drones. Timed to coincide with the country's biggest online shopping day - 'Cyber Monday,' the news generated a lot of excitement among consumers. Unfortunately, thanks to the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), the service has yet to 'take off!' But Amazon has not given up....
Read news articlePlayful Gumdrop Bins Help Reduce Sticky Gum Litter And Give It A Second LifeMost people have a love-hate relationship with gum. For delicious as it is, the sticky, tasteless waste that remains is not just annoying, especially when inadvertently stepped upon, but also, harmful to the environment. That's because the primary ingredient in most modern chewing gums is synthetic rubber which is not biodegradable. With an estimated 560,000 tons of gum being chewed each year, this adds a lot of unwanted polymer to our already overwhelmed landfills. Now thanks to Gumdrop Ltd., there may be a solution to this sticky problem....
Read news articleStunning Street Art Brightens Seoul's Dreary Monsoon SeasonLike most cities, the streets of Seoul in South Korea are usually bustling with activity. However, that changes in July when a short but intense monsoon season turns the vibrant city into a ghost town. This year, a team of artists tried to change that by transforming the typically gloomy and quiet streets into a beautiful explosion of color and life....
Read news articleThe History Behind Some Of Our Favorite Thanksgiving TraditionsTomorrow, November 26th is Thanksgiving, one of the most popular holidays on the American calendar. Celebrated on the last Thursday of every November, the day commemorates the 1621 harvest reaped by the Plymouth Colony after a harsh winter. While food and family remain at the forefront of the celebrations, several new traditions have been introduced over the years. How did all these fun rituals begin? Read on . . ....
Read news articleVideo Of The Week - Vending Machine Dispenses Cars!Vending machines have come a long way since British inventor Percival Everitt built the first coin-operated contraption in 1883 to dispense postcards. Today they can dish out a variety of goodies ranging from cold sodas to electronics, clothing, and even steaming hot pizza. Now Phoenix-based Carvana has taken vending machines to a whole new level with one that dispenses cars!...
Read news articleTired of Running? You May Want To Give 'Crunning' A Try!Every few years comes a fitness trend that has people scratching their heads in amazement. 'Crunning' will probably be one of them. In case you are wondering, the 'c' stands for 'crawling'. Yes, that's right, the new sport entails two-legged humans running on all fours!...
Read news articleLoyal Giant Pyrenees Stands Guard Over Canine Buddy Hit By A CarOn Sunday, November 8th, Dallas resident Samuel Flores was on his way to breakfast when he noticed a Giant Pyrenees standing on the grassy pavement vigilantly watching over the lifeless body of another dog....
Read news articleSolar Powered Cars Race Across the Australian OutbackDespite technological advances in fuel and engine efficiencies, vehicles remain high on the list of polluters. In the U.S alone, carbon emissions from gas-powered cars and other vehicles account for about 27% of our total greenhouse-gas output annually. The 'World Solar Challenge' hopes to change that some day with cars fueled by the biggest, cleanest, and cheapest, source of energy - The sun!...
Read news articleOxford Dictionaries 'Word Of The Year' Is . . . An Emoji?We all know that life without emojis, (the small digital icons that we use ad nauseam) would be extremely boring. Hence, it is only fitting that the editors of the prestigious Oxford English Dictionary chose - The emoji with the tears of joy as its 'Word of the Year' for 2015....
Read news articleVideo Of The Week - Jetman Yves Rossy Flies Alongside World's Largest Passenger PlaneA few months ago Yves Rossy and his protege Vince Reffet became the first humans to fly in a formation using Rossy's world-famous jet-propelled wings. Now the two adventures have upped the ante with a heart-stopping flight alongside the world's largest commercial airplane - The Airbus A380!...
Read news articleEl NiƱo Transforms World's Driest Non-Polar Desert Into A Lush Wildflower WonderlandDeserts are by definition barren areas of land with little precipitation. But few compare to Atacama Desert. Often called the world's driest non-polar desert, the 600-mile stretch of land gets an average of just 0.13 inches of rain annually, despite its location next to our planet's largest body of water, the Pacific Ocean....
Read news articleIndia's 'Birdman' Feeds Thousands Of Parakeets DailyThough the moniker 'birdman' may not conjure up images of a superhero, that is what India's Joseph Sekar is to the thousands of parakeets that he feeds daily. The 62-year-old Chennai resident says that he had always left small amounts of rice and grain out for the neighborhood sparrows and squirrels. However, things took a dramatic turn in 2004 after a 9.1 magnitude earthquake in the Indian Ocean triggered a massive tsunami that impacted many Indian cities, including Chennai....
Read news articleVideo Of The Week - Italian Sailors Rescue Adorable Puppy Lost At SeaOn October 24th, a group of sailors from the RYCC Savoia yacht club in Naples, Italy were enjoying a beautiful day on the water when they noticed an animal swimming toward them. Upon getting closer, they realized it was a tiny puppy that was holding on for dear life in the freezing waters of the Gulf of Naples....
Read news articleCelebrating Veterans DayOn Wednesday, November 11th, Americans will celebrate Veterans Day. The special holiday is dedicated to the brave men and women of the armed forces who risk their lives on a daily basis to keep the rest of us safe and free. They include members of the US Army, Navy, Marine Corps, National Guard, Air Force, and the Coast Guard....
Read news articleDiwali, The Hindu Festival Of Lights Is Almost Here!India is known for a myriad of colorful festivals. However, very few are as joyous as Diwali or Deepavali (row of lighted lamps). Also called the Festival of Lights, the ancient holiday that extends across many cultures and beliefs is celebrated for five days and is one of the most anticipated and eagerly awaited of all Indian celebrations....
Read news articleSevere Pollution Causes India's Bellandur Lake To Spew Toxic White FoamThough we always hear about how polluted our oceans, lakes and seas are, it is rare to witness the contamination without at least wading into the waters. However, such is not the case for the residents that live in the vicinity of Bangalore's largest body of water - Lake Bellandur. They get to both witness and experience the toxic effects of the pollution that spews out in the form of fluffy white foam, every single day of the year!...
Read news articleVideo Of The Week - Aladdin And His "Magic Carpet" Take New York City By StormOn Friday, October 30th, New York City residents received an early Halloween surprise when Disney's street urchin Aladdin and his "magic carpet" came zooming down the streets. The clever stunt that appeared to be straight out of the popular movie was the brainchild of vlogger Jesse Wellens, and reality television star Casey Neistat....
Read news articleBirthday Party Project Brings Kids Joy One Party At A TimeFor most kids, the best thing about having a birthday is the party. Unfortunately, thousands of children both in the U.S.A and worldwide who live in homeless shelters or transitional facilities never get to experience the joy of celebrating the day they were born. But that is changing gradually at least in the U.S.A, thanks to Paige Chenault and her Birthday Party Project (BPP)....
Read news articleNeed An Extra Hour To Recover From Halloween Festivities? You Got It!What could be better than Halloween falling on a Saturday? How about an "extra" hour on Sunday? That will be the case for most North American residents because this weekend also marks the end of Daylight Saving Time (DST). This means that on Sunday, November 1st, residents will add an extra 60 minutes to their day by simply moving back the clocks....
Read news articleTompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade Celebrates 25th AnniversaryMany U.S. cities host Halloween dog parades. However, few compare to the one held at New York City's Tompkins Square Park. The tremendously competitive event attracts over 300 pooches and their proud owners who fly in from all over the country and spend an inordinate amount of time and money crafting the perfect costumes. This year's event which took place on October 24th was even more special given it was the popular contest's 25th anniversary!...
Read news article