Author: Darby Jones

  • Box of Cash Sent to City College by Secret Donor Contains $180k for Physics Department
  • Vinod Menon, a physics professor at City College of New York in Harlem, returned to in-person teaching this semester and finally had a chance to go through a pile of mail that had been sitting in the mailroom for a long time — then, he came across a cardboard box the size of a toaster.  Though the box was small in size, it was heavy enough to require $90 in postage. It was addressed to “Chairman, Physics Department” and postmarked Nov. 10, 2020.  The 49-year professor, who specializes in nano- and micro-photonics, assumed it may be a thank-you gift from a former student. However, what he found inside was shocking: It was full of $50 and $100 bills bundled in paper bands, totaling $180,000. “It was a complete shock — I know a lot of academics and I’ve never heard of anything like this,” he told The New York Times. “I didn’t know if the college accepted cash, so I didn’t know if they’d keep it.” The letter explained the donor’s motivations. “Assuming that you are bit curious as to why I am doing this, the reason is straightforward,” wrote the donor, who said he or she “long ago” took advantage of the “excellent educational opportunity” of attending both Stuyvesant High School and earning a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physics at City College, which helped lead them to “a long, productive, immensely rewarding” scientific career. The note was left unsigned, and the name on the return address was not listed in the college’s record. Dr. Menon said the gift is less about the monetary value and more about “a testament to what the physics department has been providing all these years.” Dr. Menon also noted that the annual tuition for City College costs $7,500, so the gift will go much further than if it had been given to a private institution in terms of providing scholarships. Image source: The New York Times
  • Iraqi Museum Restores Artifacts Destroyed by ISIS With Help From The Louvre
  • The Mosul Museum is the second-largest museum in Iraq, but ancient artifacts were smashed into small pieces when the jihadists seized the northern city of Mosul in 2014.  "We must separate all the fragments... It's like a puzzle, you try to retrieve the pieces that tell the same story," said restoration worker Daniel Ibled, commissioned by France's famous Louvre museum, which is supporting Iraqi museum employees. “Little by little, you manage to recreate the full set.” When the jihadists were in control, they filmed themselves taking hammers to the pre-Islamic treasures, proudly displaying their destruction. The largest and heaviest artifacts were destroyed, but the smaller pieces were sold on black markets all over the world. Experts are now hard at work sorting through the items, with financing from the International Alliance for the Protection of Cultural Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH). Many of the pieces are dated all the way back to the first millennium BC. The Louvre has tasked 20 people with helping the restoration efforts, said Ariane Thomas, director of the Louvre's Department of Near Eastern Antiquities. "When we said that with time, money and know-how, we could revive even the most damaged of works, this proves it," Thomas said. "Works that were completely destroyed have started to take form once again." Image source: The National News
  • McDonald’s Employee Jumps Out of Drive-Thru Window to Save Customer Choking on Chicken Nugget
  • On Saturday, a 15-year-old Sydney Raley clocked in for her shift at McDonald’s in Eden Prairie, just south of Minneapolis, expecting to have a normal day at work. Little did she know she would be saving someone’s life. Raley was working the drive-thru when she noticed a woman choking on a chicken nugget, and she quickly jumped out of the window to help the woman. She performed the Heimlich maneuver and dialed 911.  "She was coughing like crazy, and I noticed she was gagging." Sydney told CNN. "Her daughter was in the passenger seat and she looked so freaked out. I immediately knew 'Oh, no, she's choking." The Heimlich maneuver did not seem to be working, so Raley asked a stranger to help her and the pair were able to successfully “dislodge the food from her throat.” When the woman was finally able to breathe again, she thanked Raley for her actions. Raley later received $100 from Edina Police Department’s fund for those who do good deeds in the community. Raley’s father told KARE 11 that his daughter is on the autism spectrum, adding that he is proud of how much she has accomplished. "I always tell her she has a gift, because she's autistic," Tom told KARE 11. "She can remember anything – do anything. It's crazy." The owner of the Eden Prairie McDonald’s told USA TODAY they are “extremely proud” of how Sydney protected their customers. "Sydney truly personifies what it is to be a hero and we are incredibly lucky to have her as a highly-valued crew member at our Eden Prairie restaurant location. We are excited to see all of the well-deserved recognition she has received from the community and will continue to celebrate her courageous efforts of literally jumping out of the drive-thru window to provide aid to a customer in need," Paul Ostergaard said. As for Raley, she said she feels more capable to help people now. "You feel as though likeI’m actually capable of contributing to society and actually like capable of making a difference," Raley told KARE 11. Image source: NY Post, ABC 12
  • Heroic Hound: Boston Terrier Pup Saves Baby’s Life
  • An eight-year-old Boston Terrier is being praised for saving a nine-month-old baby who was sick and having trouble breathing.  The pup, named Henry, alerted his owners, Jeff and Kelly Dowling of Connecticut, that something was wrong. Henry repeatedly barged into the nursery, waking the baby each time. "He was head-butting the door open and going into her room and standing there," Kelly Dowling told "Good Morning America." "And every time I shooed him away, he would go back in as soon as my back was turned." Henry’s persistence pushed the Dowlings to go into the nursery and check on their daughter, who had a cold and was struggling to breathe. "She wasn't clearing her airway," said Kelly Dowling. "She started to turn blue and go rigid and she just really couldn't she couldn't get air, couldn't get any oxygen." The parents rushed their daughter to the hospital where doctors cleared her airways. The family was able to go home from the hospital that very night and give Henry some extra love. "We're definitely spoiling the dog a little bit more," said Jeff Dowling. "He was allowed to sleep in bed with me last night and he's got a steak in his future." Kelly Dowling added: “He’s never done anything quite so heroic before.” Image source: ABC News
  • Tom Holland, ‘Spider-Man’ Cast Meet Young Marvel Fan Who Saved Sister From Dog Attack
  • Tom Holland, Zendaya and the cast of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” met up with a special fan, Bridger Walker, who saved his sister from a vicious dog attack last year. Bridger jumped in front of a German Shepherd to save his sister’s life, which left him needing 90 stitches on his face after the attack. On the set of the film that was just released and grossed $253 million in its opening weekend, Holland took time to greet Bridger, who is now seven years old. Holland even let the boy try on his mask and do his best Spidey pose as Zendaya watched.  Bridger is a devout Marvel fan, and his bravery has turned him into an international sensation. Holland promised Bridger that he could spend a day on set with the crew.  Bridger’s father, Robert Walker detailed the special day in an Instagram post. “They don’t just act the part of friendly neighborhood heroes — that’s what they truly are,” he wrote. “The look on the kids’ faces was priceless when we rounded the blue-screen to see Tom, in full costume, high above the set on a light post. It was emotional to see him wave at the kids like he was the one that was supposed to be excited — not the other way around.”
     
    View this post on Instagram
     

    A post shared by Robert Walker, JD (@robertwalker307)

    When Bridger finally met Holland, the actor showed him how to do the iconic three-point pose. “I can’t tell you guys apart … the Spider-Men,” Zendaya calls to the duo. Zendaya also complimented Bridger’s sister. “Zendaya immediately approached my teenage daughter and told her how much she loved her nails,” Walker’s post continued. “I don’t know if she will ever know how much that simple act means to me — to see my sweet daughter light up with self-confidence and joy.” Image source: New York Post
  • ‘He’s My Hero:’ Man Who Chased Down Purse Thief Honored with Citizen’s Award
  • On Dec. 5, Deshawn Pressley chased down an 82-year-old woman’s purse-snatcher at a Kroger in Ohio. Security footage shows Pressley taking down the suspect in the parking lot after the man snatched the woman’s purse in the checkout line.  Pressley has since become friends with the woman, Pat Goins, whose purse he rescued. “I’m glad that he received this honor,” Goins said, “because he’s my hero.” Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones presented Pressley with the Citizen’s Award last week for his heroism. “You’re the man,” Jones told Pressley. “I’m very proud of you.” Goins said she was walking down an aisle when Derek Vauhn, 58, suddenly approached her and stole the purse right out of her cart.  “I chased him down,” Pressley explained. “He got to his car and everything, but I grabbed him, held him to the floor, got him down. Did what I had to do until the police arrived.” Vauhn was arrested and charged with robbery and theft. Goins and Pressley say they will remain friends in the future, and Goins is excited to meet Pressley’s daughter soon. Image source: Fox News
  • 12-Year-Old Girl Earns College Degree
  • At just 12 years old, Sawsan Ahmed earned an associate’s degree with a concentration in biological science from Broward College — all with a 4.0 grade point average. She is the youngest graduate in the school’s 61-year history. Prior to Ahmed, the youngest graduate was 15 years old. “It was awesome. I’m so happy,” she told the Miami Herald after the graduation ceremony. At just 10 years old, Ahmed attended her first in-person biology lab on campus. During the lab, the professor asked students to find an object and swab it for bacteria. While most students wiped their desks or cellphone, Ahmed pulled out her white teddy bear, Ben, and swabbed it.  Ahmed will attend the University of Florida in January, where she plans to study microbiology and cell science. “There’s a study showing at artificial intelligence is more accurate than a radiologist at detecting cancer, so I want to someday, discover technology like that could potentially save many lives at one,” Ahmed told WSVN. Her mother, Jeena Santos Ahmed, has a Ph.D from Brown University, and her father, Wesam Ahmed, is an oncologist at Cleveland Clinic Weston. As for whether she feels she is missing out on anything, Ahmed says no. “There’s definitely nothing I’m missing out on,” she told the Herald. “I still get to do a lot of things people my age do. Going to college has just been something additional; it hasn’t been replacing my childhood in any way.” Image source: Miami Herald
  • Remaining Missionaries Kidnapped in Haiti Have Been Released
  • All 17 of the missionaries kidnapped in Haiti two months ago have now been freed. The 16 Americans and one Canadian were abducted by a gang outside Port-au-Prince. Three missionaries were released earlier this month and two in November. The remaining 12 appeared to be doing well after leaving Haiti on a U.S.-based plane Thursday afternoon. David Troyer, the ministry group’s general director, said the missionaries included a 10-month-old baby and two other children, and that the group spent much of their time in captivity praying, singing and telling their kidnappers that they needed to repent. Haiti has been battling endemic violence, a problem that has only worsened since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July. The U.S. government has been attempting to strengthen the Haitian National Police and the country’s broader justice sector, Brian Nichols, an assistant secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, told reporters on Friday. The State Department’s most recent travel advisory for Haiti, which was last updated in August, warns Americans not to travel there, designating it a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” country. The advisory also includes a "K" risk symbol, indicating Americans are very likely to be kidnapped. “We are thankful for the FBI, the State Department and Haitian law enforcement officials, who have been working tirelessly to get these missionaries safely home,” said White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre during a press briefing. “The U.S. government has been working tirelessly over the past two months to get them released and get them the medical care and support they need after an ordeal like this.” Image source: Detroit News
  • North Carolina Teacher Raises $106k, Spends it All at Costco to Ensure Students Are Fed Through Holiday Break
  • A North Carolina teacher raised $106,000 thanks to donations from those in her community. Turquoise Lejeune Parker used all of the funds to buy groceries at Costco to help feed approximately 5,106 students in Durham Public Schools through the holiday break. Parker spent last Wednesday afternoon in the gymnasium at Lakewood Elementary School filling paper bags with bread, mac and cheese, beans and other groceries that she will be giving to all of the students at the school. The idea to collect donations for food came about during the holiday break in 2015 when a parent in need approached Parker. “This all started with one family, one family sent me a message in 2015,” Parker said. “This mom said we don’t have anything at all, I don’t have anything for my kids.”  Each year, they have been able to feed more and more children. “We were able to feed the whole grade level, then two grade levels, then the whole school, and then three schools and it kept growing,” Parker said.  Parker said this year, through the help of donations, they were able to raise more than $100,000 and feed all the students at 12 different schools in the district.   Food insecurity is a major concern in Durham, especially for low-income people of color. Of the 12 schools where students are getting bag loads of holiday groceries, 98% of them receive free or reduced lunch at school. For many, schools provide their only meals. “We owe this to everyone who is suffering from systemic oppression,” Parker said. “Our folks are struggling to provide the very basic need, food and water and a place to live, that’s ridiculous.”  Image source: North Carolina African American Heritage Commission
  • Michigan Man Delivers Toys to Children Impacted by Tornadoes in Kentucky
  • Timothy Baise flew from his home in northern Michigan to deliver a plane filled with toys to those impacted by the tornadoes in the southern United States. Baise is the president of Homeless Angels, a nonprofit raising awareness for the homeless and those in need in Lansing, Michigan. While at the organization’s toy drive last weekend, he spoke with the manager of the Mayfield Airport to find out what he could send to those affected by the devastating tornadoes. That is when the manager told him to send the thousands of toys they were surrounded by.  "There's hundreds of houses that are just destroyed. There's no way these families are going to be able to get anything for these children. Toys, I mean I had goosebumps, I almost couldn't breathe, right? I started like blowing up because I'm in the middle of this," Baise told UpNorthLive. "He had no idea who I was or what we were doing at the time and he said toys. All I could say is 'I'll be there tomorrow." Baise packed the plane with as many toys as possible — he estimates around 1,000 toys were delivered.  Homeless Angels also collaborated with Morgan’s Hugs, a Michigan-based nonprofit that helps disabled veterans, to deliver another load of supplies to Kentucky. This time, the plane was filled with basic necessities in addition to toys. Image source: Facebook / Homeless Angels