A Rare Snow Day Turned Vatican Into A Real Heaven
A rare whiteout in Rome and in Vatican City State delivered a great photo opportunity for Romans and tourists. The snowfall was a result of an extreme cold front called the "Beast from the East" that hit Europe and the UK at the end of February 2018. The Arctic blast continued to Rome and made a rare event. Six years have passed since it last snowed in Rome. Snow is an exceptional event in the city's Mediterranean climate and although it was gone almost as soon as it came, it disrupted transport, shut down schools and urged the authorities to call in the army to help clear the streets.
But then again, the <a href="https://rumble.com/v32tpy-vatican-lights-up-christmas-tree.html" target="_blank">Vatican</a> in the snow is heavenly. Here is what a lucky tourist captured.
When it only snows once every six years or so, you have to make the most of the flurries. So after a rare winter storm covered Rome in the white fluff, the priests and nuns of the Vatican took full advantage. In St. Peter's Square, a <a href="https://rumble.com/v4gwtp-snowball-fight-breaks-out-among-visitors-at-romes-colosseum.html" target="_blank"> snowball fight </a> broke out between the seminarians from the Pontifical North American College and those of the English College.
The wintertime happiness spread to the city’s other historic monuments. Although major tourists attractions shut down because of the snow, some intrepid Romans and tourists ventured through the powder to photograph the historic buildings dusted in white.
On the whole, Rome received around 1.5 inches of snow. The most recent time the city reported heavy snowfall was February 2012.
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Meet Dawn, The Cat Saint Of Cyprus
This is May. This is Nala. This is Suri, that’s Twiglet. These cats and kittens are all Dawn’s children. Dawn is currently managing a sanctuary that has nearly 800 cats and kittens – the Tala Monastery Cat Park, in Paphos, Cyprus. This crazy cat lady od 46 years old, she is originally from West Yorkshire, UK.
Dawn and her husband Mark came to Cyprus for one year and brought their three cats to the island with them, and unfortunately, one of the three cats decided not to come home when they released it. So, they started to search and somebody told them to go to the Agios Neophytos Monastery. There were approximately 70 <a href="https://rumble.com/v2zvf8-big-red-cat-fight-with-cute-kitten.html" target="_blank"> adult cat</a>s that were living up in the monastery. When they saw the condition of the cats they felt they wanted to help sterilize, vaccinate, try to rehome and try to create an environment for the cats that was as close to a home environment, as much as possible.
They now have just under 800 cats. They have recently rehomed their 613th cat. They are free of charge, and they are not selling the animals which is crucial when you are running a <a href="https://rumble.com/v4d3e9-man-transforms-his-home-into-sanctuary-for-300-abandoned-cats.html" target="_blank">sanctuary</a>. Every year they receive around 200 kittens that are abandoned in the car park and the majority of the time they are not in a good condition.
First thing in the morning at home, they are dealing with the large volume of animals they keep at home. Then they distribute the wet food for the cats, about 40 kg every day. A lot of mouths to feed. Then disinfecting, cleaning, washing of litter trays, food bowls, changing over a bedding. The money for all of this is raised through other events, 12-month sponsorships.
But the biggest satisfaction from all this work is seeing an animal in need changing its feral personality in a very short time.
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Owners Surprised By Unknown Visitor Caught On CCTV Camera
CCTV footages serve people in many ways. For example, for monitoring schools and other public objects, for sports events, as an evidence of a crime or crime prevention and for home security. But the video you are about to see is nothing like that. This CCTV footage is a proof that there are still good people out there in the world. Take a look!
Happened in Long Beach, California on February the 23rd, 2018. This homeowner installed cameras just a month ago and never thought he'd catch this. Somewhere after 8 pm, the camera shows an Amazon delivery guy that approaches the front door. He carries two <a href=" https://rumble.com/v4bos9-package-thief-receives-instant-dose-of-karma.html" target="_blank">packages</a> with him and he leaves them near the door in the front yard.
Approximately two hours later, a man wearing a white suit enters the house and rings the doorbell. After few minutes, he reaches for the packages and takes them to the backyard. Then he leaves a note on the door saying: ‘’I moved your packages closer to the other door so they wouldn’t get <a href=" https://rumble.com/v32o45-way-to-protect-your-packages-from-being-stolen.html" target="_blank">stolen</a>’’.
The owner of the house, Manny was very surprised after he saw the CCTV footages. He said: ‘’It was stuff I needed the next morning for a household project. I got home around midnight and saw the note. We could all use more people like this.’’
Watch this amazing video of a man helping Amazon packages not to get stolen. Such a pleasant surprise for the owner! If you have any idea who this man might be, feel free to send us a message!
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A Woman's Simple Secret For Defeating Guerrilla Fighters
Mariela Lopez from llano Grande in Columbia, has just proven that forgiveness is not only possible, but it may just be the answer Colombia needs to finally heal the wounds inflicted from the FARC conflict.
"We need to learn to forgive, because as long as we don’t do that, conflict will continue to live on inside of us."
Mariela is one of the 9 million victims of the FARC armed conflict. In 2015, during the peace dialogues, FARC rebels killed her husband. She has three daughters, now left orphans. However, the crisis only brought out their strengths. Mariela went through a transformation: she decided to open her heart and start a new chapter in their lives.
Since Llano Grande became a FARC transition zone, the school’s population increased. Now, one third of the students are children of former combatants.
Despite the difficulties for her and her family, and the enormous fear of change and post-conflict instability, of the social problems following the peace agreement, she knew that she had to serve as an example not only for her daughters, but also for her students and for all the people around her. Gradually the children learned how to live in harmony. There is no <a href="https://rumble.com/v3qd3v-the-lady-uncovering-aeroflots-severe-discrimination.html" target="_blank">discrimination</a> for being a former guerrilla’s son, or the son of a combatant, or the victim of the conflict. It is a place where many stories of peace and reconciliation can be heard.
"Everyone has to say what they think peace means."
"For me, peace means that there is no more war."
"It means that everyone lives in harmony."
She draws her greatest motivation to continue fighting exactly from those <a href="https://rumble.com/v4de91-simple-weaving-shapes-for-children-with-autism.html" target="_blank">children</a>, these promises of a better generation.
In an imperfect world it is key to recognize that we all make mistakes and start again. One day, hopefully, one could say that in Columbia you can live in peace.
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Mexico's Hammer Festival is literally explosive
This 400-year-old festival is one of the most dangerous in the world, and it's all to celebrate a miner's revenge on gold-stealing bandits.
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18 Year Old Nigerian Saves Homeless Children
At only 18 years old, James Okina decided to turn his life around by turning around the lives of others. In Nigeria, his home country, he brought homeless children <a href="https://rumble.com/v3i2qh-back-to-school-keeping-kids-safe-at-school.html" target="_blank">back to school</a> to prevent them from making the same mistakes he did.
Nigeria has an estimated 8,6 million children roaming the streets homeless. These are among the 10,5 million Nigerians of school age that do not attend school.
Every child has the right to education. This is why James came up with an idea of sending those <a href="https://rumble.com/v2zndu-homeless-drug-addict-vs-homeless-fathersocial-experiment.html" target="_blank">homeless</a> children to school.
He started at 15, when he helped two kids get back to school. Then he decided never to quit because those children needed him. He was young and untrained, but he took responsibility. He acted as if there were no other options. The knowledge he gained in the process is irreplaceable.
He started alone, talking with these kids and gaining their trust. He decided to help them no matter what, because in them he could see a younger version of himself. His parents separated when he was 8 and he had to go live with a dad who was never around. With no parental guidance or care, he turned to gangs for a sense of belonging and often got into trouble.
He started an organization Street Priests and today it has 50 volunteers. They facilitate involvement in school for at risk and indigent child to prevent them from ending up on the streets. They also work with the basic rights council to report and prosecute abuse cases. He and his team have so far saved 215 homeless kids. Their core motivation was to turn the smile back on those kid’s faces and, in their hearts, ignite hope that there is a chance.
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The rocker who's challenging the Mexican music scene
Damian is an indigenous Mexican with a dream of giving his culture a voice. Truly believing that music can bring people together, he has set up his own studio to celebrate diversity and unite Mexicans at the same time.
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The alternative gold rush
Gaza's farms have taken a massive hit over the years, and has affected one of their biggest exports: the humble strawberry. But this farmer's approach to planting has rejuvenated the strawberry farming industry, and it sure is environmentally friendly, too.
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A Portuguese Transformer Group Bridges Social Differences
Joana is dedicated to improving peoples' lives through teaching. And anything goes. From skating to <a href="https://rumble.com/v49625-knitting-and-crochet-club-honors-dr.-martin-luther-king-jr.-by-making-gifts.html" target="_blank">knitting</a>, if you have a skill then you're welcome to join the transformers and improve social conditions in Portugal.
In Portugal, there is still a lot of social difference, and in fact, there are two parallel realities. And there is a possibility for all of this to change and this is what Joana Moreira, a 28 year-old from Portugal and her team are doing every day. She is calling herself a ‘transformer’.
Transformers use their skills to make a difference. They consider every skill a superpower and that super power can be translated as cooking, skating, rollerblading, swimming. All you have to do is share that super power with a group of apprentices.
Their apprentices are mostly people in difficult situations. She is part of a national voluntary movement where people apply to be <a href="https://rumble.com/v3vutn-boy-shows-off-impressive-transformers-halloween-costume.html" target="_blank">transformers</a>. The volunteers have one weekend of compulsory training and then they start teaching once a week. Through activities, the Transformers try to fix social problems in the community and they have determined that their efforts pay off – they can see payback.
What is this payback? All the apprentice groups, throughout the year, have to identify a social problem that bothers them and find a way to fix it. Joana’s main motivation in the process is actually being with the kids and seeing the difference they are making.
This project shouldn’t be limited to Portugal; it should be implemented all over the world.
Joana’s wish as a transformer is to reach that moment when you forget you are volunteering to help change lives because it’s changing yours.
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The Great British Plastic-off
Britain is waging a war on plastic, and it seems to be working! With initiatives as simple as a charge on plastic bags to more eco campsites, the effects are huge. Claire Osborne tells us more about her campaigns and how Brits can continue to choose green.
Bottle Fever
Who would have thought that a discarded bottle in the ICU could turn into a low-cost lifesaver? In Bangladesh, one thrifty doctor found an alternative to expensive respiratory machines that has saved the lives of hundreds of children, and the invention is contagious.
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'Dear Trump, I'm not the bad immigrant you think I am'
Gerson is a TPS [Temporary Protected Status] holder from El Salvador with a bone to pick with the American president. In this heartfelt letter, he makes clear his disappointment in the so-called country of opportunities and makes it known that he is a worthy member of society.
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Diary of an 11 year old: Playing with bombs
How do kids play in a war-zone? Here are the answers. This is the first episode of our new series that follows Janna, a young journalist living in in Nabi Saleh, a small village in Palestine.
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Moo-nure Future
In Egypt, Shayma Omar has come up with a scheme for farmers to make the most of their animal's waste. What began as a small university project is now growing into something that could prove beneficial for farmers worldwide.
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How do kids get a snow day in earth's coldest town?
In Yakutsk, Siberia kids can only get a snow day when temperatures drop to shocking levels. Here's what an extreme snow day looks like.
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These kids will give you an imagination reality check
Turns out you don't need anything to start a rock band, just ask these Ugandan kids.
The boot camp that celebrates life
In Dubai, 28 year-old Abdulrahman lost his father to lung cancer. After that, he realized that people need to take better care of themselves and he created just the class for it. And it's free.
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The hippy truck for the homeless
Lilian and Andres believe that everyone deserves a good breakfast, which is why they're driving through the streets of El Salvador giving out eggs, beans and juice.
A Chinese professor invented a new way of teaching
Song Peilun was a sculpture teacher. Upon retirement, he decided to dedicate his life to building a shrine to Yelang culture. Until his last day he will build his castle inspired by the ancient culture of the region.
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This green grandpa is the new Leonardo da Vinci
Meet Bruno, the Italian grandpa who's dedicating the rest of his life to the creation of the world's first electricity-free amusement park.
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The shoes that made the man
This is the rags-to-riches tale of Morris, a young Ugandan boy who turned his life on the streets around by making flip flops. He is now teaching his trade to other young boys to help them get off the streets.
A sailor's view of the Mediterranean
Sailor Fran García made a timelapse of his two months through the Mediterranean and it's as soothing to watch as you'd expect.
When a dad has to explain a phone booth to kids
This Canadian dad took the time to teach his kids about something they'll never know- the phone booth. Try not to feel old.
Reviving the Reef
UNESCO heritage site Cabo Pulmo is known for its outstanding beauty. But this was not the case twenty years ago. Damaged by overfishing, and worried the reef was permanently destroyed, the locals decided to take a stand. The recovery is breathtaking.
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My son's death helped me realize my life's mission
The death of a child is the worst thing that can happen to a parent. Sandra may have tragically lost her young boy, but in her sadness she found the strength to create something positive.