Good News: Father and Son Save 120 From Rooftops During Flooding

1. First Song Transmitted From Another Planet (WATCH)
   For the first time in history, a recorded song was beamed back to Earth from another planet. Will-i-am’s new composition, "Reach for the Stars," traveled 300 million miles to the ears of students gathered yesterday at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., after it was transmitted from the surface of Mars by the Curiosity rover.
2. Louisiana Father-Son Team Rescues 120 From Flooding They stayed behind rather than evacuating their Louisiana home in the path of Hurricane Isaac. While police and the fire department were unable to reach stranded people using their vehicles, Jesse Shaffer, 25, and his father were able to save dozens of lives using boats in their Plaquemines Parish. (Video)
3. Hollywood Producer Leaves $125 Million to Indiana Town
   Elkhart, Indiana was hit pretty hard by the recession of 2008. But now, things will run a lot smoother, after Hollywood producer David Gundlach bequeathed his entire personal fortune to the Elkhart community foundation, which supports the county.
4. 5 Simple Tips to Boost Your Confidence
   Confidence can improve your life in many ways, but it isn’t always easy to practice. You may want the improvements that self-confidence can bring to your life — a higher salary and more friends — but it’s hard to know exactly what to do to make yourself more confident. I offer you these tips.
5. Miraculous Recovery for Veteran After Getting a Dog
   Inspired by the sudden bonding between their father, who is a veteran suffering with Vietnam-era Agent Orange poisoning, and a little rescue dog in their home, Brenda had an idea. Her father-in-law’s improved condition following his friendship with the dog was remarkable: "Within months of taking the dog home, my father-in-law, who’d actually given up on life, had lost 40 lbs, his diabetes was under control."
6. Commuters Have Happy Mondays When Man Waves Uplifting Signs

   Bleary-eyed drivers entering Washington, DC on Monday mornings, have been jolted into happiness by people waving with signs with optimistic slogans from the side of the road. Held by 29-year-old Massoud Adibpour and 4 other volunteers, the signs were scrawled with uplifting messages — "Honk if you love someone!" and "Don’t be so hard on yourself" and "Smile!" — aiming to affect hundreds of workers who might otherwise be blue because it’s Monday.

7. Stolen Laptop Leads to Generous Outreach Toward Poor Teen
   A Boston, man who found his stolen computer in the hands of a teenager, instead of getting angry, decided to raise money to buy the boy from the housing projects a new laptop.
8. Google Founder Quietly Buys Up Property, Charges Below-Market Rent

   Soviet-born Sergey Brin is already a world-changer. The Google co-founder has donated millions of dollars to charity and given us public technology tools that make us smarter. But one of the most touching efforts comes from his small real estate holding firm. (Wall Street Journal)

9. How Brazil’s Good Governance Created a Model Country for the World

   Brazil has become one of globalization’s success stories. A rigorous battle against corruption and poverty has ushered in new freedoms, growth, and increasing equality, winning the country respect around the world. (Der Spiegel)

10. Unique Way to Help Hurricane Victims Suffering from Massive Flooding

    As expected, Hurricane Isaac wreaked havoc last week along the Gulf Coast — and New Orleans in particular — with storm surges flooding coastal communities under ten feet of water and displacing thousands of people. Of course, there are the usual ways to pitch in. But there is another simple option most people haven’t considered.

Video of the Week: Security Cameras Catch the World Doing Good

Security Video Surveillance is always looking for wrongdoers. Rarely do we see clips highlighting the actions of good Samaritans or friends. This is a great example of people doing good things when no one is looking. (WATCH the heartwarming video)

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