Showing posts with label good hearted. Show all posts
Showing posts with label good hearted. Show all posts

Tuesday

Australian woman leaves $4 million mansion to help homeless children

Good news in Australia
This lovely lady Lily Fardell of Newcastle, Australia, has left a personal legacy which will raise an estimated $4 million for homeless children.

"She couldn't have children of her own," her nephew, Michael Ellis said.
"But she loved children and left almost everything she had to a charity which supported them."
 



Thursday

12 creative little libraries from around the world.

little libraries from around the world.

Our cities are full of large libraries that are amazing and free, but here we have chosen to share the little tiny libraries that are springing up everywhere. These libraries can be created by anyone, anywhere and each one has a story to tell about the love of books, the love of sharing, and a sense of community.

Hundreds of little libraries have been created but not all of them have been photographed and shared. That’s why we set out to find as many little libraries as we could. We love how they add uniqueness to the areas of the cities and suburbs where they are found. We really enjoy the creativity that has gone into making these libraries and have included what we feel are the most creative from around the world.

We hope you enjoy this list of the most creative little libraries from around the world.

We would love to add more. Did we miss any from your neighborhood? Feel free to submit pictures at our Facebook or Twitter feeds to be added here or let us know in the comments below.


Tree stump library


Robot library Monica Thompson

Tardis in Kenmore Washington, USA. Jennifer Brozek

Wizard of Oz Tornado library Pomeroy Street MASSACHUSETTS, USA

Space age library
 
Winchester, Texas USA. 'We decided to build a library that reflected our small community.
A chicken coop theme fit us perfectly!' - Margaret Atkins.

Created by Stereotank, a public installation project providing New Yorkers
with a spontaneous opportunity to read a book.

Tree trunk library in Jackson Street Seattle, USA

Library in a phone booth

Public Bookshelf created in a bus stop in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil


Book house in Maleny, Queensland, Australia.
 
Houston, Texas USA. A boat-shaped Library at the church for Clear Lake Community.
Diane Jones.

 
If after seeing these cute and worthwhile structures you may feel inspired to build your own out of an old cupboard or some other creative design in your head. There are people who can help you with the considerations that you may yet have not thought apart like "how do I keep my little library protected from the rain? " or "how wide should the shelves be to house most books?"

Little Free Libraries & Tiny Sheds: 12 Miniature Structures You Can Build is highly recommended, as the book you need, by The Little Free Library organization. Yes, there is an organization! They are a nonprofit organization based in Hudson, Wisconsin, USA. Little Free Library (LFL) is an award-winning nonprofit organization at the center of a global literacy movement. Find out more about it here.

This book is produced in cooperation with Little Free Library, and is a builder's complete source of inspiration and how-to knowledge. Illustrated throughout with colorful step-by-step photography and a gallery of tiny structures for further inspiration, Little Free Libraries and Tiny Sheds covers every step: planning and designtools and building techniquesbest materials, and 12 complete plans for structures of varying size and aesthetics. In addition, author and professional carpenter Phil Schmidt includes information on proper installation of small structures and common repairs and maintenance for down the road. You can check it out or purchase it here



Little Free Libraries and Tiny Sheds book cover
Little Free Libraries and Tiny Sheds book cover

If you liked this article you may also like History of the Little Free Library which includes the benefits of running a little library.

Tuesday

Pay it forward


  • International Pay it Forward Day is 

    Thursday, April 28, 2016

  • Pay it Forward Day UK
  • Pay It Forward Foundation

  • International Pay It Forward Day

    Pay it forward is an expression used when someone who is done a good deed repays it to others not the original benefactor. The concept is old, but the term is quite recent:

    • First use of the term may have been by Lily Hardy Hammond in her 1916 book In the Garden of Delight: "You don't pay love back; you pay it forward."
    • The Pay it forward concept was the key plot element in an ancient Greek play from 317 BC called Dyskolos by Menander.
    • The concept was described by Benjamin Franklin, in a letter to Benjamin Webb dated April 25, 1784:
    I do not pretend to give such a deed; I only lend it to you. When you [...] meet with another honest Man in similar Distress, you must pay me by lending this Sum to him; enjoining him to discharge the Debt by a like operation, when he shall be able, and shall meet with another opportunity. I hope it may thus go thro' many hands, before it meets with a Knave that will stop its Progress. This is a trick of mine for doing a deal of good with a little money.
    • The term "pay it forward" was used by Robert A. Heinlein in his book Between Planets, published in 1951
    • In 2000, Catherine Ryan Hyde's novel Pay It Forward was adapted into a film of the same name, starring Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment. It describes creating a social movement of doing good deeds to make the world a better place.

    Letter to Dane and Andy for The Foundation Contest



    I used to feel so alone in the city. All those gazillions of people and then me, on the outside.  Because how do you meet a new person? I was very stunned by this for many years. And then I realized, you just say, "Hi." They may ignore you. Or you may marry them. And that possibility is worth that one word.  ~ A Burroughs.

    Hi, Dane and Andy.

    Thanks for this unprecedented opportunity to become Co-CEO Of Dane's Business for a year.

    Connecting to like-minded people is an essential part of a good life and that’s what you guys are for me - like minded people.

    Focus is so important - everywhere I look I see things that need to be done but now I am ready for me. Just need that focus to fly into the future.

    With my extraordinary good fortune of being involved with The Foundation I would gain the knowledge of running a successful software company. I would learn from the best.

    Education and learning and teaching are important to me – I would like to learn more about marketing, making webinars, videos and producing and selling quality software that people really want and value.

    Winning this contest would mean the world to me as an independent income would bring me freedom – freedom to travel to Bali and help the children in orphanages; freedom to donate money to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation in Australia that helps educate outback children and freedom to learn what I choose.

    Stella winner donates money to other writers


     
    The inaugural winner of the Stella Prize for Australian women's writing has donated part of her prize money to her fellow finalists.
    Melbourne author Carrie Tiffany won the prize for her second novel Mateship With Birdswhich follows the fortunes of a farmer and aged-care nurse in 1950s country Victoria.
    The award, named after author Stella Miles Franklin, has been established to promote female writers.

    Monday

    Why Good Things Happen to Good People


    Why Good Things Happen to Good People: How to Live a Longer, Healthier, Happier Life by the Simple Act of Givingwritten by Stephen Post and Jill Neimark.
    Dr. Stephen Post has been making headlines by funding studies at the nation’s top universities to prove once and for all the life-enhancing benefits of caring, kindness, and compassion. The exciting new research shows that when we give of ourselves, especially if we start young, everything from life-satisfaction to self-realization and physical health is significantly affected. Mortality is delayed. Depression is reduced. Well-being and good fortune are increased. In their life-changing new book, Why Good Things Happen to Good People, Dr. Post and journalist Jill Neimark weave the growing new science of love and giving with profoundly moving real-life stories to show exactly how giving unlocks the doors to health, happiness, and a longer life. 
    The authors outline ten ways of Giving: Celebration,  Compassion, Courage, Creativity, Generativity, Forgiveness, Humor, Respect, Loyalty and Listening. 

    Buy this book from Amazon: used $2.12 and new $6.89

    Thursday

    What are Fair Trade goods?

    Fairtrade means alot to farmers all over the world. What you choose to drink and eat can help make a real difference for the Fairtrade farmers and workers in developing countries. Fairtrade means a better future not only for the producers, but the workers, their families and communities in these countries.
    Fairtrade products, that have the Fairtrade logo, come from farmers and workers who are justly paid for their work. This means the money you spend on goods can improve an entire community’s day-to-day lives: helping farmers and their communities build better roads, get health care and send their kids to school. Meet the Fairtrade Farmers



    Find out more about Fairtrade in Australia.
    Find Fairtrade:Find Fairtrade products near you.


    Find out more about Fairtrade in the USA.

    30 Famous People Who’ve Helped Demystify Depression

    30 Famous People Who’ve Helped Demystify Depression
    Kurt Vonnegut Jr American author who wrote about his personal experiences with depression in 
    1991 in Fates Worse Than Death, a collection of essays. 

    The 30 celebrities on this list are only a handful of those who have battled depression while living in the public eye. But by speaking out about their illnesses without shame, these famous people have shown that not only have they survived, they're determined to make mental illness a normal topic of conversation for anyone suffering — famous or otherwise.
    Read the list of 30 famous people doing good for depression, by being honest, here.

    The list includes:
    •  Kristen Bell who explains her experience with anxiety and depression In an interview on YouTube's Off-Camera Show.
    • Jim Carrey who acknowledged he has spent much of his life dealing with depression in an interview with 60 Minutes.
    • Eminem goes into detail about his battle with depression in his memoir, The Way I Am.
    • Angelina Jolie, who has always been very open about her bouts with mental illness, has even revealed that her depression included cutting herself. 

    Monday

    Good words, Good actions

    However many holy words you read,
    However many you speak,
    What good will they do you
    If you do not act on upon them?

    Buddha

    What good will you do today?




    LINKING UP WITH NOBH

    Sunday

    Good Giving

    Are you interested in Breast Cancer & Women's Health , Caring for Animals, Child Health & Well-Being , Fighting Hunger & Poverty , Literacy & Education, Protecting Wildlife & Habitat?


    The Greater Good Network of websites offer a unique opportunity to support all of these causes.
    There is no charge to you.


    You can click once a day, every day of the year on each of the sites:
    Hunger - Breast Cancer - Animal Rescue - Veterans - Child Health - Literacy - Autism - Rainforest
    When you click 100% of sponsor advertising fees go to the charitable partners.

    Your click at the Hunger Site Fight Famine in the Horn of Africa & Combat Hunger in the U.S.
    Your Actions at the Breast Cancer Fund Mammograms For Women In Need.
    Your Actions at the animal site Fund Food And Care For Rescued Animals
    Your click at the Veterans site Fund Meals For Homeless And Hungry Veterans.
    Your Actions Here at the Child Health site Fund Healthcare For Children In Need.
    Your Actions at the Literacy site Fund Free Books For Children In Need.
    Your Actions Here Fund Therapy To Help Children With Autism.
    Your click at the Rainforest Site Fund The Protection of Vital Wildlife Habitat


    Mum's United online

    The Heart Foundation, through Mums United, have taken all of the confusion out of healthy eating, by offering great resources that can make a real difference to you and your family’s health.
    They have a free online recipe finder which includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and snack recipes including Banana Pikelets, Peach and Almond Tarts, Moroccan chicken and Mini Pizzas.





    These recipes are also listed by cooking style including:
    Japanese
    Kids
    Lebanese
    Mexican
    Moroccan
    Spanish
    Thai
    Vegetarian



    A quick and easy way to make meals healthier instantly is to arm yourself with Mum's secret weapon at the supermarket: The Heart Foundation Tick.
    To receive the Tick, products are independently tested to meet nutrition standards with less salt, more fibre and wholegrain, more calcium and less kilojoules.
    There is a shopping guide listing all the products which have the Tick, including all fruits and vegetables which is great for people with health problems who want more information.

    Thursday

    Celebrating Spring



    $7.000.00 raised this year on 27th and 28th August for rural fire fighters. The Wattle Day Association gave 3,100 Wattle Day badges to the Volunteer Brigades Association to help raise funds for rural fire-fighters.

    PHOTO BY Melburnian via Wikipedia Golden Wattle, Burnley Gardens, Victoria, Australia.

    Ancestors can return home


    Britain's Natural History Museum is to return the largest number of indigenous ancestral remains to date.
    Torres Strait Island leaders, with the aid of theAustralian Government, have been campaigning to bring home the remains of their ancestors, which are held in may different museums, so the spirits of their ancestors can rest.
    The remains of 138 Indigenous people will be returned and buried in many different ceremonies in the Islands which are situated between the northern coast of Australia and Papua New Guinea.
    "After Torres Strait Island elders asked for the remains museum scientists were able to identify the origins of 141 skeletal and soft tissue remains, ranging from a single tooth to a rare mummy. They linked 119 individuals to the Torres Strait islands, including 19 to specific islands." ScienceInsider
    Ned David, a community leader from the islands, said it was "a key step in the healing process for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from injustices committed against our people in the past..."

    The remains had been taken from the islands by early explorers, sailors and missionaries in the 19th century and many of them where sold to the National History Museum, by one dealer, in 1884.

    Ned David said he is "deeply touched" by the decision to return the remains, that it is a solemn occassion and that many islanders are very emotional about the return. He also said that no blame will be given and that he hopes for the continuation of a good relationship with the museum.

    PHOTOGRAPH OF THURSDAY ISLAND, ONE OF THE LARGER TORRES STRAIT ISLANDS.

    Saturday

    eco friendly gift ideas














    Frugal said... "Good News for the environment. Give gifts that use themselves up and don't clutter peoples lifes with stuff like :



    • memberships and courses,

    • lotions and soaps,

    • art materials,

    • stationary supplies

    • food, like jam or salad dressings " Frugal website.
    Other suggestions are:

    •support local food growers, local artists and crafts people
    •give vouchers for luxury items like beauty treatments e.g. manicures and facials, or a restaurant meal voucher
    •movie tickets, theatre tickets, rock concert tickets, fun park tickets
    •enviro friendly wrap - wrap gifts in material e.g. tea towels for food gifts, scarves for clothing or jewellery, re use paper,
    Earth Sky Sea eco friendly gift suggestions.
    •Things from nature - like potted plants, flowers from your garden, mini cactus, a herb garden; pine cones and other seed pods you have collected make wonderful decorations; learn how to create with from Garden Mama
    •Handmade - this idea is building momentum and has a really big following all over again. Why is handmade better for the environment? "Every item you make or purchase from a small-scale independent artist or crafter strikes a small blow to the forces of mass production." buy handmade.org Check out craft tutorials with Shannon at Rhythm and Rhyme; Handmade Items on Etsy or Made it
    •support others who need help at The Green Gift collection were your money helps protect the environment and your gift is tax deductible or The Oxfam Collection where you can browse for charitable gifts

    Most Helpful Person Award


    Dianne Carroll won a competition run by American Express with the support of Oprah, as part of Oprah's Australian tour.

    For her ongoing and amazing efforts, Dianne has been awarded a one hundred thousand dollar grant for her charity, Trans-Help, to help truck drivers and their families and given the title "Australia's Most Helpful Person."

    Dianne Carroll is the daughter of a truck driver and one of six children. She knows first hand what her mother and siblings lived through with one parent often not at home and on the road. Dianne could see a unique problem where drivers were working away from family and home for long stretches at a time. Families had to deal with many issues including loss, trauma, depression, injury and drivers health issues.
    She started the Trans-Help Foundation to help transport drivers and their families in times of need.

    Just one of Trans-Helps amazing initiatives is the travelling Health and Support Unit. The "Health and Support Unit has enabled drivers to be checked on the road for high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, obesity, depression, and also a variety of support brochures covering road trauma, cancer etc...
    Trans-Help believes this unique program is ensuring the industry a healthier one, whilst also reducing fatalities on our roads." TRUCKERS NEWS QUARTERLY You can check here regulary to find out where the Unit will be next.

    Sunday

    What is your good resolution?


    It is interesting to hear what others attempt for their new years resolution beyond the norm of stop smoking, lose weight, drink less - all less, less, what about more?
    We wish each other health, happiness and success but how do these wishes translate and manifest in our ordinary lives? Maybe you could eat more vegetables or take some vitamins for good health but this all sounds a bit mundane to me. Why not try doing some good for others and lift ourselves out of the everyday? There are many causes and many ways of giving, as you can see at right, but what good will you try?

    INSPIRATION:

    "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give." Winston Churchill
    "It is not length of life, but depth of life." Ralph Waldo Emerson
    More good quotes at right and scroll down.

    THANKYOU
    lizette_natalie
    for Bokeh photo

    Thursday

    Track santa on Google earth!


    Do you know about the Santa tracking service? It has been happening for over 50 years. It started because of one kind man and a mistake in a phone number.
    The tracking service began in 1955 after a Sears Roebuck & Co. ad. for children to call Santa misprinted the telephone number. "Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief’s operations "hotline." The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born."

    Happy Holidays to you and your family wishing you All Things Good - Health, happiness, safety, friends, family, laughter and the ability to be grateful for this life that we have...

    Welcome to NORAD Tracks Santa where you can track Santa on google earth

    Tuesday

    Helping Haiti

    "Haiti has less than 2 percent tree cover and imports roughly 70 percent of its food." These statistics were from before the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti. Yéle Haiti is a grassroots, non-political charitable organization providing aid and assistance to those in the greatest need since 2005.
    They are acheiving some great things for this poor nation:
    - working with farmers to plant trees and help acheive better yields
    - providing food for orphans
    - training 76 at risk youth in classical music
    - providing tents and water throughout Port-au-Prince
    To find out more about this organization, donate or volunteer please check out YÉLE HAITI

    Friday

    Good craft

    Interesting, earthy crafts and the really good thing is that these generous people post free tutorials on how to make all this good stuff:
    Felt owl ornament with cut out - thanks Jessica
    Sunny window star from Twig and Toadstool craft classes
    Magic wands - thanks Shannon from Rhythm and Rhyme

    Tuesday

    Good things come in small packages


    Making things with our hands is good for the soul
    These things are just so cute and just ooze goodness. Little felt gnomes and pixies in purses and handmade felt animals.
    Shannon also is generously good - showing us all how to create many of her good things: beautiful fleece birds
    peg doll flowers