GOD BLESS THIS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM...

See What This High School Football Team Did for Autistic Boy

In today's edition of the "Good Stuff," a high school football team helps make an autistic student's dream come true. CNN's Chris Cuomo reports.

A  junior varsity team in St. Louis recently made Craig Lancaster an honorary member of the squad.

Teammate Ernie Diaz said "when we gave him his jersey, it was the biggest smile I've ever seen in my life."

A fellow player even gave Lancaster his number – 42.

The team's athletic director, Scott Hemker, said this is a big moment for their team, but a bigger moment for sportsmanship in general.

"When they do things to make you proud and feel good about the big picture of why we do athletics ... this is outstanding stuff."

PEAR RAISIN CINNAMON TORT

AN EASY AND DELICIOUS TREAT FOR A CLOUDY RAINY FALL DAY!

I had some small pears from my tree which I peeled and cored and quartered, approximately, 2 cups of quartered pears.

I sprinkled the pears with ½ cup sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, and added 1cup raisins and 1 tsp vanilla. Sprinkled with 2 tbsp flour and put aside.

I had a previously frozen lb of pizza dough, which I had thawed and spread on my round pizza pan as if to make a pizza and sprinkled with sugar. Let it stand for a little while to give it a raise.

I then placed the pear mixture in the center of the pizza dough leaving approximately 2” of border and placed 6 pats of butter on top. Then I folded the border around the pear filling until completed.

I brushed the dough with milk and sprinkled a little more sugar around the dough.

Baking at 350 degrees for approximately 35 Minutes in a convection oven or until dough is golden brown.

POLICE OFFICER'S ACT OF KINDNESS

Police Officer's Act of Kindness 

In today's edition of the "Good Stuff,"  a police officer goes above and beyond for a pair of young boys. CNN's Chris Cuomo reports.

Officer Joseph Bolland from Virginia was on patrol in a neighborhood when he spotted a pair of kids who looked like they could use a buddy.

The boys were using a balled up sock to play catch.

Officer Bolland wasn't having it, so with his own money he bought them a proper ball, action figures, and even a costume police hat.

He said the kids' reaction means everything to him.

“Just to see their eyes light up was incredible. It was probably my greatest moment as a police officer.”

HEARTS OF GOLD: The Greatest Gift of All....

Your warm and fuzzy story of the day involves hateful high-schoolers and a homecoming queen with a heart of gold.

Some mean girls at Grand Prairie High School in North Texas thought it would be funny to make their classmate, Lillian Skinner, think that she had been nominated for homecoming queen.

“They make fun of my teeth, my hair — you know I have short hair — people call me Chucky and buck teeth,” Lillian told NBC News.

But when the two girls who had really been nominated for queen heard about the cruel prank they decided that if either of them won, they would give the crown to Lillian, their friend since 7th-grade choir.

And they did.

When Anahi Alvarez’s name was called at the Sept. 12 football game, she handed the crown to her longtime friend, who felt like she was in a dream.

“It was just a way that we could, we’re gonna make Lilly feel good, we’re going to let her know that she deserves the crown,” Anahi told NBC.

“Whoever told her that she’d been nominated — they’re going to see that there’s people that are going to stop them, that are going to stand up for all the innocent people that can’t defend themselves.”

The act of kindness has gone viral on Twitter and Facebook, where millions have read of it. And this week Anahi, Lillian and Naomi Martinez, the other girl nominated for queen, asked the school’s students to sign a pledge against bullying.

Told you. Hearts of gold

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/ent-columns-blogs/stargazing/article2241654.html#storylink=cpy

THE BRITISH HAVE KATE AND WE HAVE CHELSEA

Chelsea Clinton Announces Birth of Baby Girl on Twitter

It's a girl! Chelsea Clinton and husband Marc Mezvinsky are the proud parents to a baby girl, Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky, the new mom said via Twitter early Saturday.

The 34-year-old daughter of the former president and ex-secretary of state had told Glamour magazine last year that she and her husband hoped to make 2014 "the year of the baby." On Saturday afternoon, the Clintons said in a statement that they were "blessed, grateful, and so happy" to be Charlotte's grandparents. "We are thrilled to be with our daughter and her husband as they welcome their daughter into the 

world," the statement said. "Chelsea is well and glowing. Marc is bursting with pride. Charlotte's life is off to a good start." Their first grandchild comes as Hillary Clinton considers whether to run for president, a decision that could put her on a path to becoming the nation's first female president. She has said she expects to announce her intentions around the beginning of next year.

Following the birth of his granddaughter, former President Bill Clinton bowed out of a scheduled appearance to lend a hand to a pair of embattled Colorado candidates. He has been traveling the country to help Democrats in 2014.

DEREK JETER FINDS GOLD AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW...

I mean, could it have ended any other way? After the Orioles stunned the crowd at Yankee Stadium by scoring three runs off David Roberston to tie the game in the top of the ninth inning, Derek Jeter hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to give the Yankees a 6-5 victory in the final home game of his career.

Jose Pirela led off the bottom of the ninth with a single against Evan Meek before Brett Gardner bunted pinch-runner Antoan Richardson over to second base. Jeter then slapped an opposite-field single to bring home Pirela with the winning run. Storybook ending complete.

Did you know there actually was a Rainbow over Yankee Stadium that evening?

LOCATION SANT-ONOFRIO, ITALY

Sant'Onofrio is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Vibo Valentia in the Italian region Calabria, located about 45 kilometres (28 mi) southwest of Catanzaro and about 4 kilometres (2 mi) northeast of Vibo Valentia. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,202 and an area of 18.4 square kilometres (7.1 sq mi).[1] It is named after Saint Onuphrius.

Sant'Onofrio borders the following municipalities: Filogaso, Maierato, Pizzo, Stefanaconi, Vazzano, Vibo Valentia.

SAINT ONOFRIO 5TH CENTURY MARTYR

Life and legends Saint Onofrio 5th Century Martyr... 
Onophrius was one of the Desert Fathers who made such an impression on Eastern spirituality in the third and fourth centuries, around the time that Christianity was emerging as the dominant faith of the Roman Empire. At this time many Christians were inspired to go out into the desert and live in prayer in the harsh environment of extreme heat and cold, with little to eat and drink, surrounded by all sorts of dangerous animals and robbers. 

VINCENT PHILIP D'ONOFRIO, LAW AND ORDER:CRIMINAL INTENT

ONE OF MY FAVORITE PROGRAMS: D'ONOFRIO IS EASY ON THE EYES...
S Vincent Philip D'Onofrio (born June 30, 1959) is an American actor, director, producer, writer, and singer.[1] An accomplished character actor, he has been referred to as "The Human Chameleon" and is often referred to as an "actor's actor".[2] He is known for his roles as Private Leonard Lawrence ("Gomer Pyle") in the war film Full Metal Jacket, "Edgar" in Men in Black and Detective Robert Goren in the crime TV series Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

AMAZING NEIGHBORS BRING CHRISTMAS CHEER...

Neighbors Hang Christmas Lights to Cheer Man After Shocking Cancer News

Once neighbors in Shoreline, Washington, learned about Frank Henderson’s terminal diagnosis and his love for the holiday, they started getting into the holiday spirit, decorating their houses with lights in September to show solidarity.

“It wasn’t necessarily meant as ‘We’re going to celebrate Dad’s last Christmas’ — as funny as that is, that’s what it’s turned into, which is wonderful — but it’s really more about the Christmas lights, because my dad’s kind of a nut-job when it comes to that,” Thea said. “Loves them to pieces. … It’s insane. That [first] night, there was a string of lights, and then, the next day, neighbors just kept putting them up.”

THE AMAZING LOST & FOUND OF KLM AIRLINES

Published on Sep 23, 2014

KLM’s dedicated Lost & Found team at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is on a mission to reunite lost items as soon as possible with their legitimate owner. From a teddy bear found by the cabin crew to a laptop left in the lounge. Locating the owners can sometimes be a challenge, so special forces have been hired… our financial future tomorrow.

ROSH HASHANAH 2014: The Jewish New Year Begins

Rosh Hashanah 2014: The Jewish New Year Begins

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is celebrated in 2014 from sundown on September 24 to nightfall on September 26. The Hebrew date for Rosh Hashanah is 1 Tishrei 5775.

Though Rosh Hashanah literally means "head of the year," the holiday actually takes place on the first two days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, which is the seventh month on the Hebrew calendar. This is because Rosh Hashanah, one of four new years in the Jewish year, is considered the new year of people, animals and legal contracts. In the Jewish oral tradition, Rosh Hashanah marks the completion of the creation of the world.

Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the Jewish High Holy Days, or Yamim Noraim (the "Days of Awe"), and is followed 10 days later by Yom Kippur, the "day of atonement." The Mishnah refers to Rosh Hashanah as the "day of judgment," and it is believed that God opens the Book of Life on this day and begins to decide who shall live and who shall die. The days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are viewed as an opportunity for Jews to repent (teshuvah, in Hebrew) and ensure a good fate.

Jews traditionally gather in synagogues on Rosh Hashanah for extended services that follow the liturgy of a special prayerbook, called a mahzor, that is used during the Days of Awe. At specific times throughout the service, a shofar, or ram's horn, is blown. The mitzvah (commandment) to hear the shofar, a literal and spiritual wake-up call, is special to this time of year.

The new year is the only Jewish holiday that is observed for two days by all Jews (other holidays are observed for just one day within the Land of Israel) as it is also the only major holiday that falls on a new moon.

A common greeting on Rosh Hashanah is shana tovah u'metukah, Hebrew for "a good and sweet new year." Many traditional Rosh Hashanah foods -- apples and honey, raisin challah, honey cake and pomegranate -- are eaten, in part, for this reason.

RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS ARE ALWAYS A BLESSING...

“Make a plan to make it home. Your friends are counting on you,” says the ad, which has racked more than 6.3 million views since being uploaded to YouTube on Friday.

What an excellent message.

When cops showed up at their doorway, this Portland, Oregon, couple couldn't help but laugh -- and for a very good reason.

After a Pizza Hut driver was injured in a car crash on his way to a delivery earlier this month, Officers Royce Curtiss and Michael Filbert, who responded to the accident, offered to finish the job for him. They brought the pizza to surprised customers Steve and Ginger Huckins, who knew they needed to commemorate the moment, KOIN6 reported.

"They turned to leave and I said, 'Wait, I want a picture. Nobody will believe me that the police would deliver that pizza,'" Steve told Today.com. The couple then shared the picture on social media.

Steve said that he was happy to post the photo so the cops could receive some praise for their simple act of kindness.

"I wanted these officers to get a little bit of a recognition because they went above and beyond, because I feel police get criticized too much," Steve told Fox12.

The Huckinses had already received a hand-delivered pizza from the restaurant manager after their food hadn't showed up, and were just about to dig into their meal when the officers arrived with the original pie, KOIN6 reported. "We just started laughing," Steve told Fox12 of his initial reaction after seeing law enforcement holding a pizza.

Though Steve says he isn't looking for attention from the photo, he hopes that the buzz will spotlight the good that officers do.

"It exploded," Huckins told Today.com. "I’m just amazed. I’m just a 40-hour-a-week working man. I don’t want the attention. The cops deserve it."

And as for the deliveryman, he hurt his back and neck in the crash but is going to be OK.

SOMETIMES PUPPIES SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS

Sometimes, puppies speak louder than words.

Just watch Budweiser’s new ad against drunk driving above, which centers around the bond between a man and his adorable (we repeat: adorable) dog:

“Make a plan to make it home. Your friends are counting on you,” says the ad, which has racked more than 6.3 million views since being uploaded to YouTube on Friday.

What an excellent message.

AUTUMN FOLIAGE PROGRESSING UP ROUTE 146

THE END OF SUMMER HERE IN NEW ENGLAND WAS A BIT BELOW NORMAL AS THE TEMPERATURE PLUMMETED AND THE FOLIAGE IS SHOWING ITS COLOR A LITTLE EARLIER THAN USUAL. GOD'S BEAUTIFUL GIFT TO THE UNIVERSE.

HILARIOUS FOCUS GROUP ASKS PUPS TO RATE PRODUCTS

Hilarious Focus Group Asks Pups To Rate Products, And They're Not Shy With Their Opinions

It pays to know what your customers want -- even if they walk on four legs, bark at inappropriate times and leave drool marks on your car windows.

That's the thinking behind the latest commercial from Big Lots, an overstock-based department store that sells everything from groceries to furniture to small electronics. In assessing which pet supply products should be stocked on their store shelves, they filled a boardroom with a new kind of focus group -- one made up of the actual consumers as opposed to their owners.

Committed to their furry focus group's satisfaction, the two moderators (played by improv comedians) ask the pets probing questions in the video above -- "Do you suffer from bad breath?" "Do you go to a lot of formal events?" "If it's not too forward of me, what breed are you? OK, you don't have to answer that question."

It makes sense, right? After all, Hippo, Boots and Tabitha, among others, are the ones who ultimately eat the treats, play with the toys and even wear the clothes. Watch as the moderators ask introductory questions, explain the rules behind the focus group -- sorry guys, his pants are not a restroom -- and begin asking the pets about the issues that matter most to them, from collar fashions to how squeaky a squeaky toy should be.

"The puppies have kind of liked everything, so that does throw off the curve a little bit," the focus group leader quips after an exhausting and adorable survey.

It's nice to know we aren't the only ones who speak to our pets like they're humans and believe that their opinions matter, too.

A YOUNG STUDENT WITH A WINNING ATTITUDE!

TWC News Austin: High School Blitz Interview with Apollos Hester

STRANGER PAYS IT FORWARD WITH $1000 At Chick-fil-A Drive-Thru

Employees of Chick-fil-A on Southwest Drive say they are used to seeing customers pay it forward, but they never expected to see such a large act of generosity as they did on Monday night.

At around 7 p.m. on Monday, a man who identified himself simply as John, ordered his food and handed the cashier $1,000.

"Here is ten $100 bills and I would like to pay everybody else in the line," Brian LaCrois, the franchise owner said. "For the next hour, he bought everyone's meal."

The good deed would help serve 88 customer's orders. Team leader Duste Wolf says she was stunned when the employee approached her asking what to do.

"I asked him, did you win the lottery today?!" Wolf recalled. "He said Mondays are tough and wanted everyone to have a good day."

His actions would have many customers behind puzzled, and shocked. LaCroix said even a lady started crying after hearing about the story.

"She just had an awful day," LaCroix said. "We told her the story and she just started crying."

The anonymous gesture was buzzed around the restaurant the next day. The good deed continues to overwhelm some customers and the employees who were fortunate enough to witness him pay it forward.

"It reminds you how important it is to think of others," Barry Taylor, a customer said. "Putting a joy in other people's lives unexpectedly is a real blessing."

Management says they ended up giving the gentleman a free meal after giving the large sum of money. He ended up ordering an 8-piece chicken nugget with a Dr. Pepper to drink.

On Tuesday, Chick-fil-A's marketing team posted on their Facebook page a post asking customers who received the benefit to message them about their experience.

WARREN RI RESCUE CREWS MAKE SPECIAL DELIVERY

Warren rescue crews make special delivery

When they were going over possible names for their first child, Sowamsett Road residents Leila and Chistopher Zarlenga settled on Benedetto Lucius, in part because Lucius means “bringer of light.” The couple never thought those lights would be blue.
But last Tuesday morning, one day before her due date, Mrs. Zarlenga woke her husband up early to let him know that contractions had started and she believed their first child was on its way.


With no time to make it to the hospital, Mr. Zarlenga called the Warren Police Department, which dispatched Fire Chief Al Galinelli at 7:15 a.m. On the way to the home, EMTs, members of Engine 3 and Chief Galinelli considered transporting the young mother-to-be to the hospital. But after they arrived around 7:20 a.m. and EMT Sue Annarummo did an examination, they knew there was no time. So EMTs, firefighters and the chief helped bring Benedetto, all eight pounds of him, into the world. His official time of birth was 7:39 a.m.


“It was a group effort,” the chief said. “Not just one or two people, but everyone helped coach the mother and did their part.” In all, he said, there were 10 or 12 emergency responders at the Zarlengas’ home.
After Benedetto was born, crews transferred both him and his mother to Women and Infants Hospital.
“It was a great way to start the day,” the chief said.


A week later, Mrs. Zarlenga said everything is returning to normal around her household, though “I’ve heard people talk about something called sleep, but I don’t know what it is.”
As for the response by rescue and fire crews, she said she couldn’t be happier. She had a friend bring ‘Edible Arrangements’ bouquets to police, fire and EMT crews this week to show her gratitude.
“The whole team was wonderful,” she said. “They made us feel so comfortable and safe.”

THE VALUE OF CHICKEN LIVER AND ONIONS IN YOUR DIET...

Chicken, liver, all classes, cooked, simmered…47 calories per 1 0z serving

FOOD SUMMARY 

The good: This food is low in Sodium. It is also a good source of Thiamin, Zinc, Copper and Manganese, and a very good source of Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Iron, Phosphorus and Selenium.

The bad: This food is very high in Cholesterol.

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO STILL REELING FROM HURRICANE ODILE

Hurricane Odile mangled Mexico’s Los Cabos resort five days ago, and in its wake left a wasteland: Waterlogged hotels, scarce resources and tourists — including hundreds of Americans — desperate for any scrap of reliable information and the fastest flight home.

By Thursday, about 15,000 tourists out of an estimated 30,000 had gotten out of the ravaged resort, Mexican officials said, with a handful of American airlines among those resuming flights. The U.S. military has since gotten involved, and the U.S. State Department said Friday that more than 500 Americans were put on four charter flights home in the past 24 hours.

One military plane carried about 40 Americans from Cabo San Lucas to Los Angeles early Friday, and they were charged $570 each for the ticket out, a defense official told NBC News.

Others, frustrated by the slow pace and worried over the chaos and looting in the storm’s aftermath, didn’t wait for help to arrive.

We were told military was going to come and pick us up from the hotel, but they never did,” Matt Milletto, of Portland, Oregon, told NBC News by telephone from Mexico. “They told us no flights were going out of Cabo. Tourists were panicked because there was no news and no direction. No organized aid. Some military presence, but not a lot of leadership and order.”

Milletto was so desperate to get home that he and his wife hitched a ride on the floor of a minivan, and eventually traveled 300 miles to Loreto, where they’re scheduled to take a flight out Saturday on Alaska Airlines.

“Cabo is in desperation,” Milletto added. “Every building has windows blown out, it’s complete destruction. I’m mostly concerned for the people who live there. People are stealing, people don’t feel safe.”

Other Americans who managed to make it out echoed the dire circumstances. San Francisco executive Jim Benton went to Cabo with 35 of his tech companies’ top performers for an “all-stars event.” By the end of their hurricane-stricken trip, they called their experience a “life or death version of ‘The Amazing Race’” and “Cabo-geddon.”

Tuesday night — two days after the ferocious Category 3 storm struck — became Benton’s breaking point. They were down to their final day of clean water. Cell service was dead. There were warnings that looters were planning to hit up the hotel.

His group split up, and by Wednesday, he and three others were able to catch the last AirTran/Southwest flight out.

At the crowded and crippled Cabo airport, Benton said, he saw two American officials helping tourists, and was startled by the stark contrast of the Canadian government, which personally dispatched officials to hotels to help its citizens.

Autumn Bremer, of Fort Bragg, California, who was stuck in Cabo with her husband and two young children, wondered the same: “If the Canadians were able to get their people out Tuesday, why weren’t the Americans there?”

With a 1- and 3-year-old to worry about, Bremer was left going from hotel to hotel to find food that they could stockpile and clean water for bathing. They finally made it out of Cabo on Wednesday afternoon before getting an Interjet flight to California via Mexico City.

“It’s a complete humanitarian disaster down there and [U.S. officials] are doing nothing. Where is all the aid? You have Americans there still,” an exasperated Bremer told NBC News before heading home.

Alexa Corcoran, a student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, had heard rumors that the military was helping Americans out of Cabo San Lucas, but in the chaos it was impossible to separate fact from fiction. 

What will stay with her, she said, was the devastation she saw on the way to the airport.

“Everything had been destroyed,” Corcoran said. “I didn’t see one building in town that had been OK. Everything there had been completely damaged.”

Mark Brinda, of Brooklyn, New York, was on his annual fishing trip to the Baja California peninsula with his father and friends when Odile caught them flat-footed. Traveling through Cabo to get to the airport, he saw “very little police presence, people getting robbed. ... 100 percent of the locals are screwed. The houses are wiped out.

”He’s been going to Baja for the past 20 years, but this may be his last, he said: “I will never go back to Mexico.”