This week the CITES conference, a major conference on protecting and preserving ocean wildlife, officially added five shark species to the international protection program. This is a big deal because the 5 species in question have been fighting for the protection for nearly 20 years and now it has finally been granted.

Due to the popularity of shark fin many sharks are caught simply for their fins, then thrown back into the ocean. Thanks to the new protection policies for these 5 species marine activists are hopeful that the deadly process will finally be put to a stop. There was significant opposition to the new protected status but experts at the conference decided that the threat is sever enough to warrant international protection. This is absolutely great news because it will keep millions of sharks from being senselessly killed around the world.

Following the addition of international protection, a task force will likely be created to actually enforce the law as well. Shark fishing and shark fin harvesting is expected to become a major international fight in the coming year due to social issues and the CITES conference group hopes that they will be able to police the oceans and cut down on the amount of illegal killing which is absolutely great news.

The mortgage crisis in the United States and much of the world has been a major issue for many years now. Unfortunately due to economic trouble millions of people have lost jobs and income and have been unable to pay their mortgages. The good news is that as of today a number of banks are now starting to offer at least some sort of mortgage crisis resolution systems in a number of different forms.

A number of major banks have announced that they’re going to begin working with consumers to reduce the chances of foreclosure in many cases. Of course these banks are not simply going to forgive the debts but they are planning to offer reduced payments, or other support to those that simply cannot afford their mortgage payments. This effort comes after significant encouragement from the government any many state governments as well.

This is absolutely great news for the millions of Americans that are struggling to make ends meet. These banks don’t plan to openly announce how they will qualify people for the help project but they are hoping that it will be able to save a significant number of families from losing their homes. This is definitely great news for anyone with a mortgage.

Tori is by far one of the best known primates around the world due to her terrible habit of smoking cigarettes but now, approximately 10 years after she started this bad habit, Tori is finally going to kick it. Tori has been smoking for almost 10 years as zoo visitors would throw cigarette butts and eventually entire cigarettes into the habitat where she lives.

Now that Tori is getting older the zookeepers are finally going to help her kick the habit, although they’re not exactly sure how successful they will be. By moving Tori to a secluded island habitat the zookeepers are hopeful that Tori will completely forget her desire to smoke and once again become a healthy and lively primate.

It is not terribly uncommon for orangutans in zoos to start smoking when given the opportunity, but many are hopeful that this type of environment change might make Tori kick the habit. This is truly an incredible endeavor to undertake and will definitely be watched by millions around the world. Hopefully someday the world famous smoking orangutan will stop smoking for good and be able to live a healthy and happy life. It may hurt the number of visitors to the zoo according to some analysts, but zookeepers say that the lives of their animals are significantly more important.

This holiday season a group of individuals all around the country have been impacting thousands of people’s lives through sometimes large donations that are generally anonymous. Since early December various “secret santas” around the country have been paying off thousands of layaway payments for unsuspecting people and it seems that the more it happens the more people it inspires.

Shortly after the first instance was televised in a news story more and more people began to copy the donating idea. Thousands of people have been shocked, surprised, and incredibly grateful for the incredible donations they’ve received through the payments and analysts say that more and more people are picking up on the generosity as many of the recipients return at least part of the favor.

These acts of kindness and generosity have greatly inspired millions of people and in some ways they have definitely brought the spirit of Christmas back to life around the United States. It is amazing how much of a difference so few people have made but it is truly one of the most heartwarming stories of the holiday season and as Christmas draws closer the generosity is getting stronger and stronger. Keep an eye out for secret santas in your area and be sure to do your part while others are in need this holiday season, you never know what a little help can do for so many people that desperately need it.

Thanksgiving dinner is always a big deal to all Americans, not only civilians but soldiers as well. Today, Representative Giffords who has been in the news for the past 9 months during her recovery made one of her first public appearances to help serve those in need. Giffords was shot in January during an attempted assassination and for the past month her recovery has begun entering the final stages, today we finally saw the end result.

Giffords and her husband both helped serve Thanksgiving dinner at a military base in her home state of Arizona to veterans and retirees. The fact that Giffords has recovered enough to do such a thing is great news according to analysts as she really has gone through quite a lot this year following the shooting. The miraculous recovery is an amazing story that has inspired millions of people worldwide so the fact that she was ready and willing to give back to society already such a short time after her horrible incident is definitely great news.

Giffords and her husband are still trying to stay out of the media in as many ways as possible, but she is hopeful that she will be able to return to work soon. In the coming weeks Giffords is expected to finish her long term recovery which will likely mean she’s ready for work if possible. The overall recovery Giffords has gone through has been absolutely miraculous and has been great news all year long.

Bradley Thomas is just 7 years old but he is making a significant impact in the lives of one family this week with his courage and kindness. As part of a community service project he decided to help out a family he had encountered that had lost their home and everything else in a fire earlier this year. Thomas vowed to do his best to save their Christmas and that is exactly what he is doing now.

Through a variety of activities and programs Thomas has managed to raise hundreds of dollars since the beginning of October. He has been working side jobs for neighbors, passing around donation plates at church, and just doing anything he can to help and he says that he is very happy to have what he has now. Young Bradley Thomas may have only raised a few hundred dollars and enough for a few big toys for the family he is helping, but the family all agrees that it was his acts of kindness that made the biggest difference.

All the members of the family in need say they are incredibly grateful for what he has done and will graciously accept any help he offers. The fact that Thomas cared enough about a family of strangers to spend months of his time trying to save their Christmas is a truly amazing story which will likely inspire thousands of people around the world and that is why Bradley Thomas is in the news this week.

A young boy in Argentina has been told for the past seven years that there was absolutely no way he would ever walk. He was born with brain damage that made it impossible to control and develop certain muscles that would be necessary to walk on his own two feet. Apparently the boy’s father refused to give up hope though because news broke this week of the miraculous work the man put in to developing a machine which would help his son walk.

The machine was built by the boy’s father and despite little to no technical training he had no problem building a working prototype out of wooden planks and bicycle parts. The boy is able to walk mostly on his own with the help of the machine and despite the success the boy and his father are not done; future development is in their plan, regardless of any money or donations that they may receive.

This incredibly heartwarming story has spread around the world as news of the boy got out. Again, despite the lack of any funding or formal building training the boy’s father is now building a new model of the walking machine as well as multiple copies of the prototype to help underprivileged children around the world. It is truly amazing that someone with so little is able to do so much and give so much hope to others around the world with nothing more than things he made with his hands.

Student loans have been a target for quite some time in the recent economic troubles; many lawmakers and economists have been working to find ways to reduce the burden put on students by student loans and until today there was no set plan. Fortunately experts believe that the plan announced today by President Obama will actually help reduce the stress and possibly make it easier for many students to pay back their loans.

This is great news for the millions of American’s with student loans, currently student loans are one of the largest many people have so there is clearly some benefit in helping them. President Obama’s plan is based entirely on income and earnings so that students that are struggling to find a paying job will not be forced to make huge loan repayments; this means that only those who actually get the jobs they were hoping for will be making full loan repayments. Obviously this means many people will not be paying as quickly on their student loans but this does not mean any of the loan will actually be forgiven.

President Obama makes it quite clear that the loan plan is simply a way to help those students that are unable to make the loan payments; any one with student loans that is making enough to pay full loan repayments will be forced to do so. No word on when exactly congress will begin to tackle the plan but experts are hopeful that it will be approved.

Famine Relief to Continue in Mogadishu. Source: AP

Today multiple famine relief groups confirmed that they will be continuing their ongoing support in the area despite recent bombings in the area. Multiple bomb strikes in the city of Mogadishu killed approximately 70 people on Tuesday but the relief effort will continue at this time.

The current famine relief efforts have been ongoing for quite some time in order to suppress the ravaging food shortage in the area and despite all of the negative attention and horrific attacks in the area the U.S. government and other relief agencies are planning on continuing the current support system. This is a much needed sign of relief for many in the area as it is truly the only way they are surviving at this time. The food shortage in the area is consistently getting worse according to many analysts and without help from the United States and other support programs they would have little chance of survival.

Mogadishu itself is still undergoing massive recovery efforts following the explosive attacks on Tuesday. Experts say that whoever was behind the attacks will likely not hesitate to attack again; for now however the focus has remained entirely on supporting the citizens of the area through continuous food supplies. It is an ongoing relief effort that is expected to continue for as long as necessary which has many citizens of Mogadishu incredibly hopeful that they will in fact be able to survive through the ongoing food shortage crisis.

Greyhounds are commonly used for racing in many parts of the world so it is not surprising to hear that they are often mistreated. Fortunately there are dozens of well meaning people out there that help out and rescue as many of these troubled dogs as possible. One such group of people is making news this week for their amazing story; a couple from Florida that has rescued thousands of these greyhounds.

It is not uncommon for couples and dog lovers to rescue multiple greyhounds in need of a loving home but this Florida couple went above and beyond. Dennis and Claire Tyler successfully rescued over 7,000 greyhounds in the past 15 years and amazingly they have been successful in finding homes for each and every one of the dogs. The Tyler’s truly are a unique couple in that they simply never stop giving back and doing what they feel is right.

Like so many other dog rescuers the Tylers are often forced to drive cross country to find a home for the numerous dogs they rescue. Quite frequently the couple drive thousands of miles simply to pickup or give away yet another abandoned greyhound and despite the cost and the time commitment the couple say it is entirely worth it. This is a heartwarming story in all senses of the word and that is exactly why the amazing story of the Tyler’s dog rescue operation is such a popular story online right now.