Hurricane Irma: Lowe’s customer gives last generator to fellow shopper

http://www.wftv.com/weather/eye-on-the-tropics/hurricane-irma-lowes-customer-gives-last-generator-to-fellow-shopper/604716502

by: Jason Kelly, WFTV ABC Channel 9 Orlando

>>>ORLANDO, Fla. – Natural disasters often cause death and destruction, but the looming threat of Hurricane Irma has brought out the best in some Central Florida residents.

Customers have gone store-to-store searching for plywood, drinking water, gas cans and generators, many leaving empty-handed.

Managers at the Lowe’s store at South Semoran Boulevard and Lake Margaret Drive near Orlando’s Conway neighborhood said they received a surprise shipment of 216 generators at about 7 a.m. Thursday. All were sold within two hours.

© 2017 Cox Media Group.

© 2017 Cox Media Group.

Pam Brekke, who traveled almost 30 miles from her Sanford home to the Orlando store, was next in line to purchase a generator when she watched workers load the final unit onto a cart for the customer who was standing before her in line.

Brekke said she spent days staring at empty store shelves.

“My father’s on oxygen, and I’m worried about this storm,” she said while wiping tears from her eyes.

Customer Ramon Santiago randomly approached Brekke and gave her the generator he was going to buy without knowing why she was in tears.

“She need the generator,” said Santiago, whose first language isn’t English. “It’s OK. No worry for them.”

The two embraced and Santiago continued his shopping.

© 2017 Cox Media Group.

© 2017 Cox Media Group.

“I’m very overwhelmed by that man,” a tearful Brekke said. “That gentleman was a great gentleman right there. God will bless that man.”

Brekke said it’s encouraging to see people help one another during such a stressful time.

Store managers said they’re unsure if they’ll receive another shipment of generators since each store in the state needs more.

Link to original Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/NancyAlvarezWFTV/posts/1806036039425717

 

 

Calls To Suicide Prevention Hotlines Increased By 50 Percent After Logic’s VMA Performance Of “1-800-273-8255”

By BEN DANDRIDGE-LEMCO, thefader.com

Towards the end of the 2017 MTV VMAs last Sunday, Logic took the stage with Khalid and Alessia Cara to perform “1-800-273-8255,” his track about his own struggles with severe depression and suicide prevention.

The rapper was also joined by suicide attempt survivors, who wore t-shirts with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s phone number. As CNN reports, calls to the lifeline increased by 50 percent following the performance.

“It’s not just about the calls; it’s about increasing awareness about suicide, and suicide prevention in particular,” John Draper, director of the lifeline, told CNN. “The calls don’t even begin to count the number of people who, just by listening to the song and hearing the lyrics, feel more hopeful and less alone.”

Watch Logic’s performance with Khalid and Alessia Cara below.

10-year-old boy delivers his baby brother and saves his life

Jayden rushed to grab a nasal aspirator that was normally used by his 11-month-old sister, Remi (above), to help save Daxx’s life. (Credit: Ashly Moreau)

by Scott Stump, TODAY

https://www.today.com/parents/10-year-old-boy-delivers-his-baby-brother-saves-his-t115283

Once his little brother, Daxx, is old enough to understand, Jayden Fontenot, 10, will have an amazing story to tell him about saving his life on the day he was born.

Fontenot not only helped his mother, Ashly Moreau, deliver his baby brother on the bathroom floor of the family’s home in Sulphur, Louisiana, his swift actions to grab a nasal aspirator saved the boy’s life when the infant initially wasn’t breathing.

Jayden Fontenot, 10, helped save the life of his baby brother, Daxx, and his mother, Ashly Moreau, when she prematurely went into labor and started bleeding profusely (Credit: Ashly Moreau)

“I said to Jayden, ‘You’ll always have a special bond with your brother,”’ Moreau told TODAY. “I’m just so proud of him. He saved our lives.”

Making the story, which was first reported by NBC affiliate KPLC, even more remarkable was the fact that Moreau was also bleeding profusely during the birth, and the baby was initially in the breech position.

The 36-year-old had gotten up to go to the bathroom on the morning of Aug. 11 when her water broke well ahead of the baby’s due date of Sept. 20.

She was then incredulous as she looked down and saw the baby’s feet sticking out of her, which meant the boy was in the breech position that increases the risk of complications.

Her fiance, Kelsey Richard, had already left for his job as a mechanical engineer, so Moreau called for Jayden and sent him next door to get his grandmother, Francis Soileau. However, Soileau had just undergone back surgery and wasn’t able to walk, so she called 911 as Jayden sprinted back to help his mother.

“I said (to Jayden), ‘You’re going to have to deliver your brother, and we have to do it fast because the baby’s feet are turning blue and he can’t breathe,” Moreau said. “He said, ‘Tell me what I need to do and I’ll do it.”’

Jayden rushed to grab a nasal aspirator that was normally used by his 11-month-old sister, Remi (above), to help save Daxx’s life. (Credit: Ashly Moreau)

Moreau was also bleeding profusely from what doctors later told her was most likely her placenta detaching from the wall of her uterus because of the premature birth.

“I was crying, but I just tried to stay calm and collected,” she said. “Jayden was so calm that it made me more calm. I could see he was scared, but he knew he had to do it.”

Jayden helped move Daxx out of the breech position by gently rotating him when his mother instructed him.

‘Just you wait’: Man keeps promise to marry preschool sweetheart, 20 years later

by Brianna Bernath, TODAY: June 30, 2017

http://www.today.com/news/20-years-later-these-preschool-sweethearts-got-married-t113358

Nearly 20 years ago, a 3-year-old Matt Grodsky stood up in front of his entire preschool class, declaring that he would one day marry classmate Laura Scheel.

And then on December 30, 2016, he did.

The two, both now 23 years old, met in preschool in Phoenix, Arizona, and Grodsky was immediately drawn to Scheel.

“I don’t remember the first time I saw her, but she was always a girl who let me follow her around,” Grodsky recalled, “I’d always try to impress her by reciting lines from movies like ‘The Lion King’ and stuff like that.”

Grodsky often tried to impress Scheel by quoting “The Lion King.” (Credit: Matt Grodsky and Laura Scheel)

Some of Grodsky’s and Scheel’s earliest memories are about each other – play dates and trips to the movies (obviously with parent chaperones for the two little lovebirds).

Grodsky was infatuated and Scheel felt the same way.

“When you like someone, you just kind of stand up and say it,” he explained, which is exactly what he did.

He declared his love for Scheel before all of his 3- and 4-year-old peers, who burst into laughter. Grodsky’s response? “Just you wait.

Grodsky knew early on that he would marry Scheel one day. (Credit: Matt Grodsky and Laura Scheel)

It ended up taking quite a bit of waiting. The young couple went to two different elementary schools and lost touch, only watching each other grow up through the annual Christmas cards the two families would send to one another.

Then in the fall of their freshman year of high school, once again at two different schools, Scheel was looking through a friend’s phone and saw Grodsky’s name. It turns out Scheel’s friend had gone to middle school with Grodsky, and when the friend found out that they had been quite the item in preschool, she offered to reconnect them.

“I was a freshman in high school so I was like, ‘I don’t think so!'” Scheel said. “But then she ended up giving him my number and he texted me and we hit it off ever since.”

Two weeks later, Scheel and Grodsky were dating. Four years and 15 school dances (their high school dances combined) later, it was time for college – again at two separate schools, but this time in two separate states.

Grodsky and Scheel had play dates all the time when they were in preschool. (Credit: Matt Grodsky and Laura Scheel)

“Right after we graduated from high school, we were pretty hesitant. We were like, ‘Do we stay together? Do we try to make it work?'” Scheel explained.

They made it work. Scheel went to Northern Arizona University, while Grodsky went to Columbia College Chicago, more than 1,600 miles away. It wasn’t easy, but after some trial and error freshman year, they got a system down, figuring out a schedule for when they would visit each other and watching “Friends” on Netflix together when they were apart.

Grodsky didn’t wait until they finished college to pop the question. On May 23, 2015, as the couple prepared to start their senior year, he brought her back to the place where it all began: their preschool.

Scheel did not see it coming when Grodsky got down on one knee. (Credit: Matt Grodsky and Laura Scheel)

Grodsky had bought an engagement ring two months before this day and had already received her dad’s blessing. He had even stationed his brother at the school before their arrival so he could position himself in the perfect location to capture a photo of the moment.

On the way there, Grodsky repeatedly checked his pockets for the ring. When they arrived, he got down on one knee.

“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, is this happening?'” Scheel said. “I saw the ring and was like, “This is gorgeous. I’m so happy with it.'”

The answer – a resounding yes! And Grodsky’s brother brought out a picnic basket (the very same one that Grodsky’s dad used when he proposed to his mom) full of bridal magazines and sparkling cider, then bowed out to give the newly-engaged couple a private picnic to celebrate.

After 20 years, the couple finally said “I do.” (Credit: Matt Grodsky and Laura Scheel)

On December 30, 2016, the preschool sweethearts said “I do.”

Grodsky’s uncle, who officiated the marriage, put it best during their ceremony: “For most kids in preschool, it’s about finding your snacks and your sleeping mats, but for them it was about finding their soulmates.”

VIDEO: Man spreads positivity across the U.S.

“Big Dave” Sylvester hugs a woman on his tour across America. (Credit: Brittainy Hall and Brianna Rohlehr)

by Sheeka Sanahori, USA Today: July 21, 2017

 

FOLLOW LINK FOR VIDEO: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/humankind/2017/07/19/traveler-determined-spread-positivity-across-america/489522001/ 

JACKSON, Miss. — His sign says, “Hi my name is Big Dave.” He scours coffee shops, beaches, and anywhere else there will likely be a crowd. He’s looking for three things: A hug, a high five, or small talk.

This is Dave Sylvester’s mission in America: to spread positivity through simple interactions.

“I’m just here to make people smile,” Sylvester said. “I think if we can at least have a base of communication via a smile and a hug and high 5 then we can communicate on other issues, and maybe make a difference in the world.”

Sylvester began spreading love worldwide after his friend died in the World Trade Center on 9/11. He biked across three continents, volunteering at charities along the way.

Now he’s driving across the United States. “Big Dave” started in Delaware, then drove south, making stops in North Carolina, Georgia, and more. He’s now heading west through Texas.

He keeps track of every person he hugs and high fives with a counter. He’s met interacted with thousands of people.

When Dave Sylvester was getting ready to leave his hotel in Jackson, Mississippi to head to New Orleans, he heard that an airplane crashed in Leflore County, Mississippi. He knew a detour was in order.

“I figured why go hug a bunch of people that probably are drunk, and come here and embrace some people that probably really really need it.”

Going to the scene of a plane crash was one of the more somber stops on “Big Dave’s” trek across America. But he’s willing to make an impact on anyone, no matter what they may be going through.

‘I missed my nap for this’: 101-year-old sprinter breaks 100-meter dash record

Credit: @usatf on Instagram

By Marissa Payne, Washington Post: July 15, 2017

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/07/15/i-missed-my-nap-for-this-101-year-old-sprinter-breaks-100-meter-dash-record/?utm_term=.d26dbd8b7a57

 

Watch your back, Usain Bolt — there’s a new 100-meter dash superstar and she looks unstoppable.

Meet 101-year-old Julia “Hurricane” Hawkins, who on Saturday became the oldest female athlete to ever compete in the USA Track and Field Outdoors Masters Championships. Not only that, but by running the 100 meters in 40.12 seconds, she shaved more than six seconds off the current certified world record for women aged 100 or older.

[Julia Hawkins started running at 100. Now she’s going for the gold.]

Astonishingly, that wasn’t even a personal best. This month, at the National Senior Games in Birmingham, Ala., Hawkins ran the dash in 39.62 seconds. If either of those times get certified in December, she will become the official world-record holder.

And to think, she may have missed her shot at making track and field history if she opted to follow her original plans for the day.

“[I] missed my nap for this,” she said (via USATF) on Saturday at the event at Louisiana State University, not far from where Hawkins lives in Baton Rouge.

Hawkins is a natural talent. An avid bicyclist,

she said she only began training for track

and field last year.

“I’m always outside and the phone always rings, and I come running in is how I knew I could run,” she told The Post last month:

‘Winning makes her happy’: She’s 101 and still running the 100-meter sprint

Hawkins, who was born in Wisconsin in 1916, said she likes “the feeling of being independent,” as well as the challenge. She also likes impressing her family, which includes the four children she had with her late husband, Murray, three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

“Having a momma that can do this pleases them, and it pleases me to please them,” the former schoolteacher said.

Today, Hawkins spends most of her waking hours being active (no surprise). Along with running and cycling, she’s an avid gardener.

She’s also humble.

Asked about how she thought her race went on Saturday, she told the Advocate, “This time I wasn’t feeling like I was going that fast.”

Strangers step up after man with Down syndrome loses home, movie collection

Strangers from across the country are donating movies to Mark Orsillo, a 34-year-old with Down syndrome, who lost his collection in a California wildfire. (Credit: DANIELLE DEVINE)

By JENNIFER EARL, CBS NEWS: July 12, 2017

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/strangers-step-up-after-man-with-down-syndrome-loses-home-movie-collection/

As a raging wildfire closed in on their Oroville, California, home on Saturday, Steve and Vicki Orsillo knew they only had about 20 minutes to evacuate.

They quickly gathered their valuables — photographs, important documents and a small suitcase full of clothes. But Mark Orsillo, their 34-year-old son with Down syndrome, was only concerned about saving one thing: his movie collection.

Mark’s sister, Danielle Devine, grabbed two garbage bags and began stuffing them full of movies. She only ended up saving about 20 DVDs out of his collection of about 300.

“He has all the movies from the ’90s. He’s been collecting them for years,” Devine told CBS News. “That’s Mark’s life. He’s a movie guy.”

One Monday, Devine broke the news to Mark that the wildfire burned down around 100 buildings in their neighborhood. When she explained that their childhood home was “incinerated” and nothing was salvageable — not even a single movie — Mark began to cry.

“He was really struggling,” Devine explained. “He’s usually so happy all the time. I felt bad I didn’t grab more.”

Danielle Devine and her brother, Mark Orsillo. (Credit: DANIELLE DEVINE)

So, Devine took to Facebook, where she asked friends and family members if they would consider donating a movie or two. Within hours, her post went viral with more than 1,300 shares and 200 comments.

“I have a box of close to 500 DVDs in my basement,” one Facebook user replied. “I’ll try and look through for these tonight.”

“Little Mermaid, Madagascar 2 and Spy Kids 2 coming your way! They will be shipped from Amazon,” another added.

Twenty-four hours later, Devine received about 400 videos addressed to her brother.

“He’s probably going to have more movies than he had before,” Devine joked.

On Tuesday, Devine told her brother what strangers from across the country had done for him, and he couldn’t help but smile.

“Are you kidding me? Are you serious?” Mark repeated.

But the generosity doesn’t end there.

Dozens of people have also chipped in, raising $10,000 to help the family rebuild their house.

“[My parents] are not going to be able to build a house for 6 to 7 months. They’re rebuilding on that same lot,” Devine explained. “After all, it’s Mark’s forever home.”

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Things Aren’t As Bad As They Seem – An Optimist’s View of the World

Picture credit: Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kaia-roman/things-arent-as-bad-as-th_b_11085220.html

A WONDERFUL piece from Kaia Roman from the Huffington Post about rising above the bad news in today’s world! This is what Some Positive Space is all about.

By Kaia Roman, Huffington Post

Bad news abounds these days. Violence. Hate. War. Terrorism. Environmental destruction. Political insanity. It all seems so…bad. And I don’t know about you, but when my social media feed is filled with the news it has been of late, each story more disturbing than the last, I start to lose hope.

I start to wonder if we’re going to make it as a civilization, or if we’ll soon be handing the planet over to the cockroaches and mosquitoes (nothing seems to wipe them out).

But what if things aren’t actually as bad as they seem? What if our view about what’s happening in the world is distorted by the very means by which we learn about it? In fact, violence of all types has been on the decline for thousands of years.

According to Steven Pinker, Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, we’re actually living in the most peaceful era since the existence of our species. Pinker crunched the numbers in his book, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, and displayed the facts in cold, hard diagrams.

Homicide, war-related deaths, genocide, rape, violence against children, direct deaths from political violence (including terrorism)—have all been steadily declining for decades. Seems inconceivable, right? The thing is, we usually don’t see it this way because of both the nature of news and the function of our brains.

As Pinker says,

“News is about things that happen, not about things that don’t happen. If you base your beliefs about the state of the world on what you read in the news, your beliefs will be incorrect. You never see a reporter standing on the streets of Angola, Sri Lanka, or Vietnam saying ‘I’m here reporting that a war has not broken out today.’ It’s only by looking at data on the world as a whole that you get an accurate picture of the trends.”

Don’t get me wrong, I love social media. Our ability to be in constant contact with each other has created a web of support, connection, informed action, and entertainment that I truly appreciate. But our capacity to hear about atrocities in real-time, coupled with our frequent exposure to bad news, activates an inborn cognitive bias in our brains that predisposes us to remember negative input more readily than positive.

This can quickly create a formula for hopelessness.

Our brains have a built in “negativity bias,” which means we pay far more attention to and are much more strongly influenced by negative than by positive information. Our brains are set up this way on purpose—being cautious keeps us safe.

But this negativity bias can override our perception of reality to the point that we see the world as much worse than it really is. And the sooner we realize that, the faster we can turn our attention toward solutions rather than problems.

We’re more empowered to make a difference for positive change when we’re feeling hopeful rather than fearful. In a state of fear, our brain’s amygdala is activated—triggering the instincts of fight, flight, or freeze—which hinders the ability of the prefrontal cortex to do its best thinking.

Look, I’m not suggesting that we all go bury our heads in the sand. But each act of optimism, each morsel of good news, in this day and age, is a powerful act to help to turn the tide.

There is violence, there is hatred, there is darkness in the world, to be sure. But there is also immeasurable love, incalculable kindness, and infinite light. Look for small ways to spread optimism where you can—this can be as simple as a smile.

Every act of love, kindness, and hope—even each positive thought—counterbalances the opposite forces that are also present in the world.

As the song goes, Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me.

Check out Kaia’s blog at TheJoyPlan.com and connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. She loves to hear from readers!

Welcome to Some Positive Space!

Hello, everyone!

I’m incredibly excited to announce the launch of a brand new, different kind of news blog: Some Positive Space.

I think I first decided I wanted to become a journalist when I was watching the nightly news with my family. Watching it, I was just very disappointed at the fact that they seemingly ran bad news stories like a shooting or a tax issue, right after another, and then finished with a positive story to end the night on.

To me, that seemed a little wrong and disingenuous; why aren’t there more positive stories throughout than some just tacked on to the end to make it seem like there’s nothing bad going on in the first place?

I decided right then and there that as a journalist, my goal would be to change the landscape of how news is presented. This site is my action on that goal.

In our world, right now, I believe that we are more divided than ever, and there is so much distrust and negativity being spread throughout the media.

However, even though it sometimes seems like there’s nothing good in the world, there is always news of people doing good, genuine things that are sometimes covered up by the latest tragedy or political pointer.

That’s what the goal of this site is: highlight the good in the world, which there is still plenty of.

In addition to sourcing and archiving stories from around the internet from different sizes of publications, I have also opened up a Community section. This gives a chance to smaller stories that may not get picked up by big news companies a chance to shine. In the link, there is a Google Form with more information on how to submit your small positive story.

IT IS UNWISE to pretend like there is no negativity in the world. However, I think it’s always nice to have a reminder that there is ALWAYS….

Give the blog a follow and Like and follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

I’m incredibly excited to begin this journey. I hope you are too!

–Michael Sneff, somepositivespace.com