Sometimes it is easy to fall behind on our work duties when we’re overwhelmed with too much work. In the case of U.S. Postal Service workers, when their jobs get to be too much, the stuff that’s piling up on their proverbial desk may actually be our undelivered mail!
Unscrupulous mail carriers may even go so far as to hide the evidence somewhere nearby. When cinematographer Douglas Thron saw a mailman hanging around an area of town that he had no business being in, he was confused by the mailman’s behavior.
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So he pulled out his camera and pressed record. It didn’t take long for him to figure out the truth about the postman.
Mail carriers spend long hours on their feet every day, and they’re supposed to deliver our mail six days a week, rain or shine, through sleet and snow. Oh, and apparently they make sure you get your important Amazon packages in post-apocalyptic conditions, too!
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When Douglas flew his drone above the wildfire-ravaged city of Santa Rosa, California, the only thing he expected to film was a scene of utter devastation. Instead, the drone captured a lone mailman in the act of bringing the neighborhood back to life, in his own special way.
In the video, a postal service worker can be seen driving his truck through a burned-out suburb, making regular stops to deliver the mail. Although many of the homes had been leveled by the flames, somehow the mailboxes were still standing.
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The mail carrier’s name is Trevor Smith, and people are calling him the most dedicated mailman on the planet! Trevor was honoring the request of the homeowners in the area, who were being let back into the fire zone to retrieve personal items.
Trevor’s efforts were captured by the drone along Piner Street, which is where a senior mobile home park is located. Some of the seniors Trevor personally knew from his route had asked him to continue to deliver their mail while they were evacuated.
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Watch the video below to find out more about this heartwarming story.
A Nova Scotia man out for a walk caught a strange phenomena in the forest near the ocean’s edge. Thankfully, he pulled out his camera to record it. In the video, Brian Nuttall captures the forest floor, rising and falling as if “breathing”. “As I entered a patch of trees spared from clear cutting, I noticed the ground moving,” he says of the incident, which has since gone viral.
After posting the video, many commented that what appears as “breathing” is actually the root systems under the trees is loose and shifting. The natural phenomenon is called soil liquefaction. The solidness of the soil is reduced because of water saturation (and possibly air), which causes the visual effect where it appears that the soil is moving.
The scientific explanation doesn’t make it any less dramatic to watch, as you’ll see for yourself in the video below!
Leland Michael, a public school teacher from Iowa, was in the Walmart school section when two sets of parents stopped him to complain about the number of supplies they had to purchase for their kids. After completing his shopping, he walked to the register where another man also had something to say to the teacher.
But this time things ‘took a very different turn’ – and what Leland observed has since gone viral for all of the right reasons…
Flickr/Random Retail
As soon as Leland got home that day, he took to Facebook to share what happened inside that Walmart and how he was inspired by one person in particular.
He wrote:
“I was feeling pretty jaded this morning as two different sets of parents at Walmart stopped me in the school supplies aisle to complain about how much they had to get their kids this year. ‘This is just ridiculous. I don’t know how these teachers think we are supposed to get all this stuff.’ As they complained, they seemed to be oblivious to the fact that my cart was filled with a class set of all the supplies they were buying–which should have been a pretty clear indication that I was one of those greedy teachers they were complaining about.”Facebook/Leland Michaels“While I was checking out, though, things took a very different turn. I noticed the man in front of me in the checkout lane was buying school supplies for his daughter. As he went to leave, he said to me, ‘You are a teacher, right? I just want to thank you for everything you do. I see your cart is full with supplies, and I just wanted to help out as much as I can.’ Then he handed me a $25 Wal-Mart gift card, shook my hand, and walked away with his daughter smiling big at me. While I was extremely moved by the man’s generosity, the part that stuck with me the most was the difference in his message to his daughter compared with the parents who had been complaining earlier. The kids who heard their parents complaining heard this message: ‘School is not important enough to spend money on it, teachers are not to be trusted and have bad judgement, and learning does not require investment.’ The kid whose dad handed me the gift card heard: ‘School is important enough that we should give more than required to make sure it is successful, teachers should be respected and valued, and learning requires us giving it everything we have.’
If money is tight, and you struggle to buy your child school supplies, I understand. Don’t worry: more than likely your child will have a teacher and a school that makes sure they have the supplies they need to be successful this year. However, as a parent, do your best to send the right message to your child.
The man who gave me the gift card not only made my day, but I also know that his daughter will enter the classroom this year with a very different perspective about her teacher and her education, and that is extremely powerful!”Facebook/Leland Michael
Since Leland posted his story on Facebook it’s gone viral, being shared more than 400,000 times. In addition, he’s received many heartfelt comments that agree with his powerful message.
People all over the country certainly have strong opinions when it comes to the topic of school supplies. But no matter how much you can afford to provide, we can all agree that education is of paramount importance, which is why we need to be good examples when it comes to it.
Milam Kiser, 3, from Shelbiana, Kentucky, has the soul of a star.“The child is a diva,” her mother Amanda told Caters News.
“She loves to dance and absolutely adores music.”Source: Mercury Press/CatersBut Milam isn’t your typical 3-year-old. She and her brother Noah were both born with a rare, genetic condition called osteogenesis imperfecta type III.
When a person has this condition, their bones are very fragile and vulnerable to breaks. It can often be diagnosed in the newborn period when a baby gets fractures just from being held and handled. Although this vulnerability to fractures is one of the main symptoms, according to Rare Diseases, other signs of the disorder include short stature, dental problems, macrocephaly (unusually large head), and hearing loss. Many of those afflicted are not able to walk without assistance.
Source: Mercury Press/Caters“The change is caused by a gene mutation which affects bone formation and structure and can cause dwarfism,” Amanda explained.
“Both Noah and Milam are affected; they are tiny.”“People always ask me if they’re twins even though there are three years between them.”Source: Mercury Press/Caters“She will get fractures very often. Since she was born, she’s had around 60, which have either required casting or splints.”Source: Mercury Press/Caters
Despite Milam’s tiny stature, the little girl has big dreams: she is going to be a ballerina.
As a music lover, the toddler spends lots of time on YouTube. “Milam asked me to go to ballet classes because she watches the other girls on YouTube doing it and wants to be like them,” Amanda said.
As can be imagined, her mother was a bit apprehensive about the suggestion. The little girl was confined to a wheelchair and her condition made physical activity risky. Despite her worries, however, she couldn’t say no to her daughter’s dream.
“She said she wanted to be a ballerina, so I called the instructors, explained about her being in a wheelchair and they were all on board.”In a video recorded by Amanda, you see Milam on the first day of ballet class.
In the opening scene, the little girl shows off her tutu for the camera, bouncing ecstatically on her bed. After about 10 seconds, the scene changes, and then you see Milam in the swing of her class.
Source: Video ScreenshotThe tiny ballerina doesn’t let her wheelchair hold her back, as she points her toes and pirouettes in line with the other girls.
She watches the other students carefully, synchronizing her moves with theirs. “Some of the children were a bit older than her but she really enjoyed herself,” Amanda said. “Usually Milam gets really nervous around the other kids at first, and there may be a few tears, but she really got stuck in.”“She absolutely loved it.”Source: Video Screenshot
Since her first ballet class, Milam has suffered a few falls which have lowered her confidence a bit. “She was so happy when she’d finished the class but she’s really nervous to go back now,” Amanda revealed. Still, this video shows the pure beauty and joy of a little girl finally getting her dream.
P.S. Milam, if you see this, sweetheart— don’t let a few falls keep you down.
Watch her adorable performance below!
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America’s No. 1 inspirational fiction writer Karen Kingsbury can conjure up all sorts of stories about miracles and angels watching over us for her amazing novels. But it wasn’t until she personally experienced a breathtaking moment herself that she realized the full impact divine intervention can have on a person. Karen had trekked to New York City to meet with her publisher. Her daughter Kelsey and her hubby Kyle tagged along so they could soak up the sights of the Big Apple.
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It was beautiful autumn afternoon and Karen was thrilled that Simon & Schuster would be publishing her latest book and signed on for more. The first thought she had was to call her dad. But her dad had been gone for a while now, having succumbed to a heart attack. Karen fondly remembered the moment when her dad shared how he always thought of his grown kids, his wife and other loved ones whenever he heard the legendary Rod Stewart’s song “Have I Told You Lately.”
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Feeling a bit blue despite receiving awesome news about her book, the trio headed to the gorgeous High Line Park. The words to Rod’s song floated through her mind while they walked. This song had played at the strangest times in Karen’s life after her father passed away – that was no coincidence. They attempted to take a selfie when a stranger walking by offered to snap the photo for them. He looked at the picture and said, “That’s lovely.” He handed Karen her camera and said, “God bless you” before walking away. Mere moments later, it dawned on Karen and her daughter who the kind stranger was.
It’s sad that in this day and age woman have to worry constantly about being “roofied”. Whether they are on a date or at a party men have taken to slipping “roofies” in females drinks to incapacitate them and then take advantage of them.
Finally enough is enough and women may have a way to protect themselves against the predators they may encounter. This invention is a huge step when it comes to women’s safety.
A brand new form of nail polish for women has been developed. Woman will wear like any other nail polish but it will assist them when it comes to remaining safe in public places. All women need to do is simply dip their fingertip into the drink and wait to see if the nail polish changes color.
While this polish has yet to be released for mass distribution, the men are keeping interested observers completely up to date by providing progress reports on their personal website, as well as their Facebook and Instagram. These efforts will also include a transparent form of the nail polish that can also be used by men.
This nail polish is long overdue! Please be sure to share this with all the amazing woman in your life to keep them safe.
Spear fisherman Danny Henricks is fortunate enough to have survived the type of underwater experience that proves just how dangerous sea creatures can be – and he even caught it all on video.
Henricks, 35, was fishing off the coast of Australia when a bull shark charged at him at full speed, only to impale himself on Danny’s spear gun.
The hair-raising clip has been video more than three million times (and counting) since Henricks uploaded it last month.
The diver was spending his holiday diving off the coast of north Queensland when he suddenly saw the fierce beast emerge from the depths.
“I was going to go for a deep dive, got halfway down… I seen him [the shark] on edge of the channel deep down,” Henricks told a news outlet.
“He didn’t worry me at all, he didn’t care about me, then he saw me, turned and came towards me half-pace… I sort of stopped in the middle of the water,” he said.
“I thought he was going to come towards me half-pace … I thought he was going to suss me out so I was just going to poke him away to show I wasn’t food. I just wanted him to keep me at a distance.”
Henricks says the underwater animal went full charge within the last five to six meters.
“I lunged forward with the gun a little bit just before he got there but most of it was his force,” he said.
Henricks, an experienced diver and fisherman, said he was shocked by the incident.
“I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet because I don’t really understand what’s happened,” he said in an interview last month. “Some people would say not being there in the first place, which I think I have a right to be there.”
Though the incident knocked his confidence slightly, Henricks says that he will continue to spearfish.
He plans to take a dive buddy from now on.
Take a look at the video below and SHARE it with your friends.
If society waits around for governments to solve the most important problems in the world, we’d probably be waiting forever in vain.
That’s why innovators are stepping up to find their own creative solutions.
One of those organizations is a San Francisco based non-profit called New Story. Their goal: “to create a world where no human being lives in survival mode.” They’re going to do that by ending homelessness.
Source: New Story
So far, their organization has built 534 homes in Haiti in eight communities for 1,848 people; 190 homes in El Salvador in five of their communities for 790 people; and 59 homes in one Bolivian community for 177 people.
They are currently building in Mexico. But they are still a long ways away from manifesting their vision.“There are over 100 million people living in slum conditions in what we call survival mode,” Alexandria Lafci, New Story’s cofounder and COO, told Wired. “How can we make a big dent in this instead of just solving incrementally?”Source: New Story
They figured that out while constantly coming up with ways to be more effective efficient. Their answer lied in 3-D printing.
They joined forces with construction technology company ICON print inexpensive 3-D homes.“We feel it’s our responsibility to challenge traditional methods and work toward ending homelessness. Linear methods will never reach the billion+ people who need safe homes,” Brett Hagler, CEO of New Story, told Business Wire. “By working with ICON and leveraging their 3D printing innovations, we’re able to reach more families with the best possible shelter solutions, exponentially faster.”Source: University of Eindhoven
Their collaboration produced a 650-square-foot house built in Austin, Texas that cost only $4,000 to make.
The house, which is a prototype, complies with the local housing code and can be built in one day.
It currently takes them eight months to build 100 homes at $6,000 a pop. If all goes right and New Story has its way, residents in the poorest communities of El Salvador, Bolivia, Haiti, and Mexico will have a safe place to call home.
Source: New Story
They can very well change the entire world. And the promise of 3-D printing technology to construct homes and buildings is, simply put, incredible.
It will create major advancements in affordability, building performance, sustainability, and customization.“You could print a house in the shape of a Fibonacci spiral if you wanted to,” Jason Ballard, cofounder of ICON, explains. “It’s just as simple as printing a square.”Source: YouTube ScreenshotThe printing machine is called the Vulcan. It’s designed to work in places where electricity and potable water might not be available.“Conventional construction methods have many baked-in drawbacks and problems that we’ve taken for granted for so long that we forgot how to imagine any alternative,” Ballard explains. “With 3D printing, you not only have a continuous thermal envelope, high thermal mass, and near zero-waste, but you also have speed, a much broader design palette, next-level resiliency, and the possibility of a quantum leap in affordability. This isn’t 10% better, it’s 10 times better.”Source: YouTube Screenshot
New Story hopes to print up a community of homes in El Salvador within 18 months through partnerships with cutting-edge materials and the highest standards for safety, comfort, and resiliency.
The original model of the home was completely printed on a 3-D printer, except for its roof.
The home includes a living room, small office space, bedroom, porch, bathroom and is absolutely adorable. Human workers installed windows, doors, plumbing and electrical systems. It will be used as office space for ICON until the design is perfected, according to Business Insider.
You can take a tour of the home and see it being built in the video below.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
While this polish has yet to be released for mass distribution, the men are keeping interested observers completely up to date by providing progress reports on their personal website, as well as their Facebook and Instagram. These efforts will also include a transparent form of the nail polish that can also be used by men.
If society waits around for governments to solve the most important problems in the world, we’d probably be waiting forever in vain.
That’s why innovators are stepping up to find their own creative solutions.
One of those organizations is a San Francisco based non-profit called New Story. Their goal: “to create a world where no human being lives in survival mode.” They’re going to do that by ending homelessness.
