26 forest elephants slaughtered in Central Africa

Men armed with Kalashnikov rifles have massacred 26 elephants in the Dzanga-Ndoki National Park in the Central African Republic, say conservationists.

WWF reported the number of carcasses, quoting its sources in the region.

Concern about what was happening in the park was raised earlier this week when it was said that ivory poachers were using a scientist's observation platform to shoot the animals.

Elephants regularly gather at the Bai, a large clearing, to drink.

Since the shooting, no elephants have been seen in the area, WWF reported.

The Dzanga-Ndoki Park, a World Heritage Site, is located in the south-western corner of the Central African Republic (CAR), where it borders Cameroon and the Republic of Congo.

It is described as a unique habitat for forest elephants in particular.

CAR has witnessed increased levels of violence since the beginning of the year, and conservation groups like WWF withdrew their staff from the Bai are for safety reasons.

On Monday, the conservation group issued a warning that a 17 armed individuals, some with heavy-calibre rifles, had entered the park and was heading for the Bai, known locally as the "village of elephants".

By the time the armed men had left, the Bai was said to resemble an "elephant mortuary", WWF said.

Jim Leape, WWF International Director General, added: "The Central African Republic must act immediately to secure this unique World Heritage Site.

"The brutal violence we are witnessing in Dzanga Bai threatens to destroy one of the world's great natural treasures, and to jeopardise the future of the people who live there.

"The international community must also act to assist the Central African Republic to restore peace and order in this country to safeguard its population and its natural heritage."

Sudanese ivory poachers have been blamed for the killings.

Village in India(Piplantri) Plants 111 Trees Every Time a Girl is Born.

All too often, it seems that an increase in human population must come at a cost to the environment, like in straining resources and encroachment on once wild habitats. But one quaint village in India has adopted a wonderfully eco-conscious tradition that is actually helping to ensure a greener future with each new generation.

While in some parts of India, many expectant parents still say they’d prefer bearing sons, members of the Piplantri village, in the western state of Rajasthan, are breaking this trend by celebrating the birth of each baby girl in way that benefits everyone. For every female child that’s born, the community gathers to plant 111 fruit trees in her honor in the village common.

This unique tradition was first suggested by the village’s former leader, Shyam Sundar Paliwal, in honor of his daughter who had passed away at a young age.

But planting trees is only one way that the community is ensuring a brighter future for their daughters. According to a report in The Hindu, villagers also pool together around $380 dollars for every new baby girl and deposited in an account for her. The girl’s parents are required to contribute $180, and to make a pledge to be considerate guardians.

Over the last six years alone, as population there has increased, villagers in Piplantri have planted nearly a quarter million trees — a welcoming forest for the community’s youngest members, offering a bit of shade for their brighter future.

The rubbish collector who saved THIRTY babies

A woman has been hailed a hero after details of her astonishing work with abandoned children has emerged.
Lou Xiaoying, now 88 and suffering from kidney failure, found and raised more than 30 abandoned Chinese babies from the streets of Jinhua, in the eastern Zhejiang province where she managed to make a living by recycling rubbish.
She and her late husband Li Zin, who died 17 years ago, kept four of the children and passed the others onto friends and family to start new lives.
Her youngest son Zhang Qilin - now aged just seven - was found in a dustbin by Lou when she was 82.
'Even though I was already getting old I could not simply ignore the baby and leave him to die in the trash. He looked so sweet and so needy. I had to take him home with me,' she said.
'I took him back to our home, which is a very small modest house in the countryside and nursed him to health. He is now a thriving little boy, who is happy and healthy.
'My older children all help look after Zhang Qilin, he is very special to all of us. I named him after the Chinese word for rare and precious.
'The whole thing started when I found the first baby, a little girl back in 1972 when I was out collecting rubbish. She was just lying amongst the junk on the street, abandoned. She would have died had we not rescued her and taken her in.
'Watching her grow and become stronger gave us such happiness and I realised I had a real love of caring for children.
'I realised if we had strength enough to collect garbage how could we not recycle something as important as human lives,' she explained.
'These children need love and care. They are all precious human lives. I do not understand how people can leave such a vulnerable baby on the streets.

Lou, who has one biological daughter, Zhang Caiying and now aged 49, devoted her life to looking after the abandoned babies.
Word of her kind-hearted gestures has now spread in China, where thousands of babies are abandoned on the streets by their poverty stricken parents.

One fan explained: 'She is shaming to governments, schools and people who stand by and do nothing. She has no money or power but she saved children from death or worse.'
'In the local community she is well known and well respected for her work with the abandoned babies. She does her best.
SHE IS A REAL HERO !

Huang Guofu - The man who put his art where his mouth is

He is an example for all of us. At age 4 he lost both his arms in a terrible accident, but this didn’t prevent him to follow his dreams: so at the age of 12 years he began to paint with his feet. His father became seriously ill when Guofu when was 18 and the boy was forced to abandon his studies. He began to travel to different cities in China to sell his paintings and he learned to paint also with his mouth.

Now, at the age of 41, Huang Guofu is the director of the Chongqing museum and he keeps on painting, also helping other disabled artists to approach to art and painting.

“When life closes a door is because another is open” says Huang. “I want the younger generation to understand that there are no obstacles in life, if you really want to do something.”

His incredible strength of character has attracted the attention of Hu Gouy, a woman who felt in love at first sight and married him in 2000. Huang says of her: “I have no hands, but loving a woman compensates this lack. Without her help, I would not be able to achieve my everyday goals. ”

Cody

Have you ever given up on something because it was too hard? Have you ever not tried something because you were afraid? Have you not taken the time to think of a big goal you would like to accomplish in your life?

If so, there is a lot that you (and pretty much everyone else on earth) can learn from Cody McCasland. Cody is a 10 year old and has no legs below his knees. He was born with a rare birth defect called Sacral Agenesis that required for his legs to be amputated at the knee to give him a better chance at being able to move around. Cody has gone through 20 surgeries and more than 20 sets of prosthetic legs in his short 10 years of life.

But, Cody doesn’t just move around now. He is a multi-sport athlete, spokesperson for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, and one of the most inspiring people we’ve come across here at InspireMyKids. Cody now participates in horseback riding, gymnastics, t-ball, soccer, swimming, running, golf and have even flown a plane! His dream is to compete in the 2016 Paralympic Games for swimming. This is something we will be watching closely.

No matter what else he does with his life, Cody’ s hard work, perseverance and amazing attitude is a great inspiration to us all.

An Angel from Queens

Jorge Muñoz is one of the most inspiring people you'll ever meet. A school bus driver by day and an angel by night. Every night for the past 8 years, he has gone home and cooked food for hundreds of people on his old stove. He then goes to a street corner in Queens, New York and feeds those that are hungry. He does this with his own money because "it's the right thing to do". He is a man that wants to help, and is the epitome of an everyday hero.
video : http://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=1606

The amazing story of a devoted father

For the past years, Rick van Beek has run his local triathlon with his daughter who has cerebral palsy. She can neither walk nor talk, and her dad says he isn't even sure that she can see, but he knows she loves the outdoors. And he loves her, so he swims while pulling her in a kayak, bikes with her in a cart behind him, then finally runs while pushing her in a wheelchair so she can feel the breeze on her face. What an amazing guy...
I am sure that his daughter knows that her daddy is a real superhero and I hope for a miracle to happen so she can hug him and tell him in her own words what a hero he is for her

This story will warm you better than a coffee in a cold winter day !

This story will warm you better than a coffee in a cold winter day !

We enter a little coffeehouse with a friend of mine and give our order. While we’re aproaching our table two people come in and they go to the counter :
‘Five coffees, please. Two of them for us and three suspended’
They pay for their order, take the two and leave. I ask my friend:
‘What are those ‘suspended’ coffees ?’
‘Wait for it and you will see’
Some more people enter. Two girls ask for one coffee each, pay and go. The next order was for seven coffees and it was made by three lawyers – three for them and four ‘suspended’. While I still wonder what’s the deal with those ‘suspended’ coffees I enjoy the sunny weather and the beautiful view towards the square infront of the café. Suddenly a man dressed in shabby clothes who looks like a beggar comes in throught the door and kindly asks
‘Do you have a suspended coffee ?’

It’s simple – people pay in advance for a coffee meant for someone who can not afford a warm bevarage. The tradition with the suspended coffees started in Naples, but it has spread all over the world and in some places you can order not only a suspended coffee, but also a sandwich or a whole meal.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have such cafés or even grocery stores in every town where the less fortunate will find hope and support ?
If you own a business why don’t you offer it to your clients…I am sure many of them will like it

Dashrath Manjhi, the man who moved a mountain

People often say : “How can I make a difference in the world ? I am just one person among billions of others, what could I possibly do that would change anything? Everyone else should have to change in order for me to make a difference.”
Well, here is a story of a man who single-handedly moved a mountain!
About five decades ago, a landless farmer, Dashrath Manjhi from Gahlor Ghati of Gaya, Bihar decided to take into task the difficulties of his villagers who were almost cut off from the rest of the world by rocky hills, almost making the place impassable.
Around 1959, his wife passed away from illness and lack of immediate medical care when there was no way of taking her to the nearest medical centre over the 300 feet high hills. Heartbroken after her death, Manji alone resolved to create a pass so that no one person would have to suffer the fate that his wife did. He sold his goats to purchase chisel, rope and a hammer. This sudden change in his demeanour made him a laughing stock with people who laughed at him, calling him eccentric and crazy.
Unfazed by their remarks, Manji hammered away with consistent determination for 22 years. At the end of his arduous labour, he finally came face to face with his dream: the OTHER SIDE of the HILL! He shortened the distance from 70kms to just ONE KILOMETER, 16ft wide!

Once this task was accomplished, Dashrath Manji became known as the Mountan Man. Sadly, this amazing man breathed his last on August 18, 2007 after fighting cancer at New Delhis AII India Institute of Medical Sciences and received a proper state burial.

Dashrath Manji, a man who was mocked and ridiculed for his strong will and determination leaves behind a legacy of strong will and determination.

What are the morals of the story ?
1. Patience is the greatest virtue that leads us to success
2. Dream the impossible!
3. Attitude Matters.
4. Stay Positive.
5. Don’t lose heart if people call you mad and crazy for your unique idea/thoughts.

Positive Thinking – Let’s have a look at the glass: Half-full or half-empty?

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the “half empty or half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: “How heavy is this glass of water?”

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.” She continued, “The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything.”

It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don’t carry them through the evening and into the night. Remember to put the glass down!

Grandpa Dobri - The Humble Beggar

  This is the story of the 98 year old beggar Dobri of Bailovo village in Bulgaria who's become the most generous benefactor of the largest Cathedral in Eastern Europe...

In addition a friend of mine whose mother works at an orphanage told me that this noble old man paid the orphanage's power bills becuase they were too high and the power was going to be cut and children left in the cold...

  Dressed in his home-spun clothes and ancient leather shoes worn in winter and summer he could often be seen standing outside the church St. Alexander Nevsky in Sofia somewhat detached and silently clutching his tin-box for coins. I see him every day I pass by. Grandpa Dobri holds the key to people's hearts. Softened at his very appearance, we all rush to put a coin in the hands of the elderly man.

  Apparently he gets up early every day and walks the 10 kilometre route from his village Bailovo to Sofia. He enjoys speaking to the busy passers-by and kisses the hand of everyone who stops for a chat. 

To people in Sofia he's been known for many years simply as Grandpa Dobri - the beggar.

  In 2010 during filming a documentary about the Nevsky Cathedral a journalist working for the Bulgarian national TV found in the church's archives a shocking discovery - the most generous private donation that the church ever received was by no other than the old beggar - Granpa Dobri. It was an astounding EUR 40,000. 

  The 98-year-old Bailovo saint has not touched even a single penny from the money we all thought he lived off. He apparently lives only off his 100 Euro a month retirement and what people kindly leave him - mainly fruit and bread...

  Now, having chosen a life of a hermit, he tours the churches on public holidays, raising money for temples and monasteries. 10 years ago, when he was "still young"...he says, he used to walk the distance from Sofia to Bailovo and other places - now he travels around the city by bus...

  Most likely Dobri's good deeds will remain a secret. People say he's also helped numerous needy people living in shelters. Yet, he doesn't want to talk about it..

  When you GIVE don't do it for the PR or waiting to get something back it like grandpa Dobri - from the heart...I believe that this is the reason for his unbelievable energy and life he's got at his age :)