Less than one year after being blinded by an explosion in Afghanistan, U.S. swimmer Bradley Snyder has won a gold medal in the men's 100m freestyle at the 2012 Paralympics. His fast time would have put Snyder in first place in one of the early men's 100m freestyle heats at the London Olympics.
There are no charges or entry requirements at an innovative college in London for homeless people, the first of its kind in the country. Recovery College, set up by St Mungo's charity, is attracting hundreds of students, providing courses which improve practical skills and help to rebuild confidence.
After an intense three-year campaign, Africa's first woman head of state, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, has won international forgiveness of its crushing $4.9 billion debt, making way for the revitalization of the war-ravaged West African country.
Rock star Ozzy Osbourne was so blown away after seeing these kids play his signature song that he sent them a $10,000 donation.
A group of Kentucky men never thought it would get this big. Starting with a notion to raise a few thousand dollars to buy Christmas presents for needy kids in their area, the Edmonson County friends in nine years have bought $270,000 worth of holiday happiness for others.
Over the years, a homeless woman known as Dorothy with her carts filled with plastic bags became a familiar fixture to Lexington residents. She had always refused any invitation to accept shelter, preferring to sleep outside, whatever the weather. But things changed this past weekend, with the approaching arctic blast and its promise of temperatures that could induce frostbite.
Both NFL football teams in Missouri swooped into Joplin last week, lifting spirits and clearing clogged yards and roads. The Kansas City Chiefs had invited fans to donate supplies and water and cash, and the club was stunned at the outpouring it saw from the community, loading six semis of water (187,490 bottles, by their count) and relief supplies, along with $35,000 from the club and $21,000 of private donations.
BP announced plans on Monday to build an $800 million wind farm in Kansas next year, providing a lift for the US wind power industry at a time when the expiration date looms for federal tax credits. The 419-megawatt wind farm will include 262 General Electric turbines placed 43 miles from Wichita.
A compassionate police officer in Kansas bought clothing and shoes, diapers and supplies for a desperate mother caught shoplifting for her children.
Indonesian electricity entrepreneur, Tri Mumpuni Iskandar - IBEKA photoAn Indonesian woman has developed micro-hydro projects that have already delivered electricity – and all that comes with it – to half a million Indonesians. The charismatic director wants to get power to the other 90 million Indonesians who are still without it.
Young Indonesians are breathing new life into their polluted concrete capital city with little more than buckets of soil and seeds. A group of mostly young professionals are converting vacant patches of land - once eyesores -- between Jakarta's skyscrapers into lush green vegetable gardens.
An Idaho zoo gained notoriety a few months ago when a four-year-old elk started acting strangely at his water trough. Baffled zookeepers watched as the animal tried to dip his hooves into his drinking trough, before attempting to dunk his whole head in the water. Then they were amazed as 10ft tall Shooter lifted his head from the trough clutching a local marmot between his jaws.
By now, it's hardly news when a city bans plastic bags at checkout counters -- but an entire state? That's happened in Hawaii, where Honolulu County has joined the state's three other counties to give Hawaii a first-in-the-nation title after a two-year campaign.
Wayne Dyer would hand out copies of his film, "The Shift," to people he'd meet and now his publisher is doing the same online, as a tribute to the late author.
A German company has installed its first clean energy kiosk in rural Ethiopia powered by rooftop solar panels. The self-contained SolarKiosk functions as a small-scale power company for surrounding villages that have no electricity. The large metal roadside booth, which can hold 6-8 people inside, is expected to provide enough power for villagers to charge their mobile phones and car batteries, run a computer, and power its own solar fridge, which might offer the only refrigeration for miles.
What happens if you give a thousand small PCs to Ethiopian kids who have never even seen a printed word? Within five months, they'll start teaching themselves English while circumventing the security on your OS to customize settings and activate disabled hardware. All, without instruction.
Winter journeys are made safer and more attractive for Dutch cyclists. Reflective crystals make lines in the road visible without electric lights, while other roads are getting underground geothermal heating for natural de-icing.
Tina Brown, editor in chief of Newsweek, kicked off her first annual Hero Summit last week in Washington to bring together military heroes and exceptional civilians for meaningful dialogues and information-sharing.
Washington, D.C., has a thriving restaurant market with a plethora of restaurants serving its multicultural residents. But this barbecue eatery offers more than food on its menu. Inspire BBQ aims to reclaim troubled young people, teach them a trade, and give them a chance at success.
Many of the 11 million Cubans have been eagerly awaiting this day since the government announced the change in October. Starting Monday, a new kind of migration commences as the communist government eliminates a long-standing restriction on Cubans' ability to leave the country.
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