[goldie0608]

Rare Pink Dolphins Returning to Hong Kong as Coronavirus Halts Ferry Traffic, Giving Scientists a Closer Look



Another animal is being seen in a dense metropolitan area—this time in Hong Kong, as the Chinese white dolphin, or the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, has been seen in the normally dense waterways around the city.

The lack of ferry traffic resulting from the coronavirus shutdowns have allowed the animals to make their dramatic re-appearance in the Pearl River Delta that connects busy Macau with even-busier Hong Kong.

Sightings have increased 30% since March from last year when only 52 of the estimated 2,000 dolphins entered the waters around the cities, allowing scientists like Lindsay Porter, a marine biologist at the University of St. Andrews, a rare opportunity to study the charismatic aquatic mammal.

Dropping microphones into the water, she and her team have discovered the dolphins have adapted far more rapidly than might be expected to the dip in delta traffic.

Porter explained to Reuters that local governments haven’t yet made a very serious effort to protect the dolphins, largely relying on marine parks where boat traffic is limited but not banned.

However, Porter has hope that the speed of recovery of the population in just this brief reprieve since COVID-19 would mean that any serious conservation strategy would turn the decline into a comeback.

Cities across the world have been noticing the presence of more wild animals in their streets and canals since the COVID-19 shutdowns have come into effect, from dingoes in Australian cities to fish in the Venice canals.

This has many biologists speculating over just how much is actually required to give some wildlife a chance to recover.

[krazny9]

District helps people barter plastic with rice



Mulugu’s district collector C Narayan Reddy has come up with a unique initiative to get rid of single-use plastic- ‘1 kg rice for 1 kg plastic’.

The villagers had to bring single-use plastic items at the collection point and based on how much they weighed, an equal quantity of rice was given. A lot of people came forward to donate rice for this cause.
Reddy and his team were able to collect 450 quintals of rice and Rs. 6 lakhs as a donation. With the money collected, the team hired two to three tailors in each village. The authorities asked people to donate any cloth they longer used. The tailor-made bags out of those clothes and gave them back to the people.

The initiative has also provided livelihood to women and children. They spend their time collecting plastic waste and submit it to get rice in return. It is also helping the society in two ways- reducing plastic waste and re-using clothes to make bags.

[Governor3]

I sometimes get REALLY DEPRESSED reviewing the news these days. It's always about a global pandemic threatening life as we know it, protests around the world, stupid politicians, natural disasters, or some other really bad story.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

Welcome to The mobi weekly news magazine
IN OTHER NEWS
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 22nd

What is it?
Here is your chance to become an "ACE REPORTER" for our weekly news magazine.
It is your job to fine weird, funny or "good feel" stories from around the world and share them with our readers in our weekly magazine

How do you play?
Just post a story that you have come across that made you smile, laugh, feel good...
BUT NOTHING DEPRESSING

EXAMPLE POST

​Naked sunbather chases wild boar through park after it steals his laptop bag

A naked sunbather was seen chasing wild boar through a park after it stole his laptop bag.
Amusing photographs from Germany show the man running after the animal to try and claim the plastic bag back.
But the cheeky boar and its two piglets appear to be too quick for the sunbather, who can't keep up with their speedy little trotters.
As the incident unfolds, groups of friends and family sat on the grass watch on and laugh.
Heads are seen turning in surprise and amusement in the hilarious photographs.
The incident happened at Teufelssee Lake - a bathing spot in the Grunwell Forest in Berlin, Germany.

Rules:
Each Edition of IN OTHER NEWS will be open for 7 days...
You may post One Story in any 24 hour period
So in other words, you can enter only once a day
Stories may be accompanied with images - but No big images, please! 800x800 pixels wide maximum
Videos are allowed, but please keep them to under a minute, and post a short summary for those that don't like to click on videos
No Duplicate stories - Where a post has been edited resulting in duplicates, then the last one in time gets disallowed.
And please limit this to reasonably family friendly stories

Reward:
Each news story posted that I feel is acceptable (must be a real story, too few words or simply a headline are not considered acceptable) will earn you 50 WRZ$
If you post multiple stories on any given day, you will only earn 50 WRZ$ for the first story of the Day
Special Bonus - Each week I will award "The Pulitzer Prize" for the best story of the week
The weekly winner of the "The Pulitzer Prize" will receive a 100 WRZ$ bonus
It's just my personal opinion, so my judgement is final

So help bring GOOD news to the members of mobi, and join our reporting team...

IN OTHER NEWS

[goldie0608]

Toddler Gets His Own Real-Life Garbage Truck Parade From Local Trash Company And It’s The Best Birthday Ever



Ask little kids what they want to be when they grow up and chances are you’re in for some high-flying answers like astronaut, helicopter pilot, or maybe even paratrooper.

Ask 3-year-old Wolfgang Reader (“Wolfy” to his friends and family) about his future plans, and you’ll quickly discover this tyke’s aspirations are a lot more down to earth.

His obsession? Garbage trucks and the men who drive and load them. In fact, the precocious preschooler has his own fleet of toy garbage trucks to play with.

Up until recently, due to the pandemic, Wolfy was spending most days at home rather than with his classmates. His favorite day of the week was Friday—trash collection day, of course.

Friday mornings, Wolfy eagerly waited for his beloved garbage trucks to make their run up his street. Under his parents’ supervision, according to CBC, Wolfy became something of a mascot to the trash collectors.

To Wolfy, these men are superheroes. Two of them, D.J. and Drew, became his particular pals, earning him and his trash posse the nickname of the “Wolfpack.”

With family in COVID-19 lockdown, Wolfgang’s parents knew they weren’t going to be able to throw him a big birthday party. Instead, they told him he could invite a couple of friends over for cake.

Wolfy’s ideal guest list was obvious. “Drew and D.J.!” he decreed.

Since her son’s birthday fell on a Wednesday rather than a Friday trash collection day, his mom Julia Wehkamp doubted the Wolfpack would RSVP with a yes. However, with a little help from Wolfie’s grandmother, who’d sent a letter to the City of Toronto detailing the little boy’s devotion to his garbage truck buddies. Unbeknownst to the family, Wolfy’s birthday wishes were about to come true in spectacular style.

On the morning of September 9, four bright green garbage trucks, horns honking, rolled their way up the street to the delight of the ecstatic birthday boy and his stunned family.

“The boys came bearing gifts, howling out their windows and took time to play with Wolfie,” Wehkamp posted to her Facebook page. “He even got to honk the horn! Does it get any better!?”

D.J. was unfortunately out of town, but Drew and several other trash collectors climbed down from their rigs to help Wolfy celebrate. After showering the little boy with trash-related gifts, sharing cake, and playing with toy trucks for close to an hour, Wolfy’s garbage collecting heroes drove off to their other appointed rounds.

Wolfy’s mom, more than a little impressed, summed up her feelings, saying, “These are really kind gentle souls who are full of positive, good energy. These men are ideal role models.”

While it’s clear the friendship means the world to Wolfy, the bond he shares with his Wolfpack holds a special significance to them as well. “It means a lot because, it’s the children you know,” Drew told CBC News.

“They’re the next generation to come, so seeing them enthusiastic about something even as simple as what we do in our everyday lives brings meaning; shows the importance of what everyone does in society. It just makes me feel good.”

[Fatima99]

Arizona Woman Drops Off Surprise Gift To Louisiana Man Whose Home Was Hit By Hurricane

A South Louisiana man is feeling grateful after receiving an unexpected act of kindness from a stranger.



The elderly man, who wishes to remain anonymous, lives in Lake Charles which was hit hard by Hurricane Laura.

Making do in his hurricane-ravaged home with no electricity or running water, the man was hauling storm debris to the street when an SUV stopped in front of his home.

A woman hopped out and exchanged pleasantries with him. She was originally from this area, she told him, but now resides in Arizona.

As she left, she wished the man well and handed him an envelope.

Inside the envelope was a greeting card with a $50 bill inside and a hand-written note that read: "A little something from friends in Arizona. God bless you!"

"The bad thing is I didn't even get her name and there was no return address on the envelope. I can't even tell her thank you," he said.

The man says he plans to use the money to repair his water well pump damaged by the storm.

[Fivetide]

New Jersey transit officers save baby born in train station bathroom



Police bodycam video shows scary moments as New Jersey Transit Police officers rushed to a train station restroom to rescue a baby who had just been born and wasn’t breathing.

“Working here, you see a lot of things, but expecting a baby in a mother’s arms that’s a newborn, that’s nothing that we would expect,” one of the officers, Bryan Richards, said Friday, according to WNBC-TV. “I took possession of the baby to do the assessment on it. We didn’t know how long the baby was in this world.”

Not long.

Richards and Officer Alberto Nunes arrived at the Newark Penn Station women’s restroom Tuesday just moments after the newborn’s mother gave birth, according to reports.

Richards brought the baby back to life after administering CPR.

“There we go, good girl,” he is heard saying in the video.

“It was high stress and high adrenaline, but once I had the baby crying it was a very big sigh of relief,” Richards told reporters, the Bergen Record reported.

He and his partner rushed the infant to the hospital in their patrol vehicle.

The baby was reported to be doing well. Her mother was also being treated.

You can watch the bodycam video here:
https://feelgood.news/2020/07/21/watch- ... -bathroom/

[Governor3]

Goats take up the cause of fire prevention in Oregon



These ungulates can eat large amounts of dry undergrowth that fuels big fires in a matter of days, offering a furry approach to fire prevention.

With thousands of Oregonians forced from their homes and dozens of wildfires burning, reasons for optimism in the state may seem elusive.

But one small example can be found in Forest Grove: a herd of 230 fire-preventing goats.

For the next week, they’ll be eating the dry undergrowth in a 14-acre grove that someday may be a city park.

“It’s something to see,” Leslie Lundquist said recently as she watched the goats jump out of a trailer like so many clowns from a clown car.

“Away they go!” she said. “And they’re all different sizes and colors. Fun to watch.”

Forest ecologists and wildfire experts have pointed to excess vegetation and undergrowth, often near power lines or among standing timber, as a key potential fuel source for catastrophic wildfires. Removing or reducing those fuels is seen as one way to help reduce the risk or at least minimize the potential spread.

In some places, that means goats.

These belong to Healing Hooves, an eastern Washington company that takes the goats across the Northwest at the request of cities and private land owners.

The goats cost about $800 a day, plus a trucking fee, so potentially quite less than the cost of power tools and city employees. The animals are corralled within an electric fence, which moves with them as they eat.

“People say: ‘Oh, what do you do?’" said their caretaker, Craig Madsen. ‘"I’m a shepherd.’ You get this second look.”

Madsen is used to that double take. He’s been a shepherd for 18 years, ever since giving up an office job with the federal government.

From May to October he drives his herd from one spot to another, living in the back of his truck with little more than a bed. His wife chooses to stay at home.

“This is kind of more of an urban site," he said of Forest Grove this week. “There are people doing it out on the range. They’re out there managing weeds in that kind of environment.

"I get a lot of requests from people who want to do their backyards. And I say: ‘I don’t do those, because I can’t put 230 goats in your backyard.’ But there are people who’ll have a dozen or so goats. They’ll come out and do those projects.”

Madsen’s main job is to move the fences and to keep the goats inside. They like to climb, and sometimes the best thing to climb is a shiny new car.

Madsen said the job can be lonely, but he likes to read, and he has two canine companions: Gigi, an Irish wolf hound who spends the night keeping away coyotes (even cougars in some regions), and Nessie, a herding dog who will corral the goats back into the trailer when it’s time to move to greener pastures.

Their next stop: Spokane.

“I’ll be doing some work in the city of Spokane, and the primary purpose is to reduce fuel loads. And second is to try and manage noxious weeds,” Madsen said.

He estimates his flock can clear an acre in about a day and a half.

Mary and Mean Bolden live next to the swath of land the goats are clearing. They know Craig Madsen from last year, and they want him to feel at home.

“He knows where the water is. He charges the batteries for his fence,” said Mean Bolden. “We let him come over and take a shower and wash his clothes."

“We have a spare bed," said Mary Bolden, who even made Madsen an apple pie. "But he won’t stay in that.”

So the thousands of people fighting fires across Oregon, Washington and California can take some solace knowing that there’s a small army of goats, also doing their part to suppress fire.

[FRKJ]

Annual dog surfing contest in California goes virtual



An annual competition for surfing dogs in California went virtual amid the COVID-19 pandemic, replacing the in-person contest with videos of canines riding waves around the world.

The Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon, which normally is held each September at Del Mar Dog Beach in De Mar, instead was held virtually this year, with the owners of surfing dogs around the world submitting videos of their pets' prowess.

The dogs were divided by weight class and judged on criteria including the duration of the ride, the size of the wave and special tricks including walking on the board and barking.

The contest raised funds for the Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.

———

For the people who are interested: 2020 Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon Virtual Competition

[PennySerenade]

86-year-old Toronto jazz musician puts on porch performances for neighbours



TORONTO -- The COVID-19 pandemic may have changed his performance schedule, but Vic Lawrence is still finding ways to keep the music going.

“I’m 87 [years old] next month,” he tells CTV News Toronto. “And, you know, I’m still going and enjoying myself!”

Lawrence is an accomplished professional jazz musician from Toronto who has played in many well-known big bands, including the house band at the Beverly Hills and in the Black Knight Room at the Royal York. He has taught music at the high school and university levels and, most recently, played at the Imperial Pub on Friday nights.



When summer arrived, Lawrence was encouraged by a friend to put on a couple of “porch performances.”

“She came up with the idea that it might not be a bad thing to bring it out and perform for the neighbours,” he said.

Lawrence ended up doing one performance in August, and the demand was so great for a second one that Lawrence put on another in September.

“We couldn’t have the whole band out, obviously, so what we’ve done is we’ve had my piano player, trumpet player, and me,” he explained. “And then I have a computerized rhythm section playing, so that’s how we get away with it.”

Lawrence’s East York neighbours were thrilled to savour the smooth sounds of “Swing on the Porch.”



“It’s a gorgeous Canadian Day, I mean how can you not love being outside,” adds neighbour Jim. “It’s just terrific.”

“Very lovely,” adds Marie. “We’re like family here.”

“They love it,” says Becky Wicks, pianist at “Swing on the Porch,” of the audience members. “They have their set up across the street, they have their little canopy, and sometimes seven or eight people will be sitting out in their front yards.”

Lawrence is legally blind, but he says it’s easy to know when the crowd is enjoying a performance.

“Music doesn’t end at the edge of the stage, it goes into the audience and the feedback comes back to you and when it’s working, you know it,” he tells CTV News Toronto. “It’s a two-way thing.”

Wicks also acknowledged what Lawrence is doing for his neighbours by saying he has “a good heart.”


“He’s a good guy, and a wonderful player,” she says.

For the audience members, Lawrence’s musical gift provided a moment of escape.

“We just heard the music, and I love jazz,” says neighbour Basil. “I needed that, with all of this pandemic going on. It’s just beautiful.”

Lawrence says he’s happy to perform and bring some nice moments to his community.

“Under the circumstances we’re in now, anything that brightens life up is a good thing,” he adds.

[hija]

Estonia creates its sixth national park



Almost a century after the idea was first mooted by botanist and conservationist Gustav Vilbaste, Estonia has established a new national park—the country’s sixth.

The Alutaguse spans more than 43,000 hectares in Northeast Estonia, taking in a remarkable diversity of habitats—including the country’s largest area of swamp and dense coniferous forest, its longest sand beach and numerous lakes.

It is an important habitat for many notable species such as golden eagles, brown bears (right), nocturnal flying squirrels and the endangered willow grouse. Environment minister Siim Kiisler describes the park as “a beautiful gift to all of Estonia.”

Spanish Fisherman Accidentally Discovers Medieval Virgin Mary Statue

At first glance, the statue looked like a moss-covered river rock. On closer inspection, experts say it likely hung on the wall of an unidentified building in the 14th century.


A fisherman came across a 700-year-old religious sculpture of the Virgin Mary and child in the Sar River of Galicia.

In early June, a Spanish fisherman out in search of his daily catch stumbled upon a mossy heap that looked like an ordinary river rock at first.
But a closer look revealed some oddities.
“I noticed the stone was square – which is odd in a river – and then I looked at its lines, at the cape and at the shape of the head,” Fernando Brey told a local newspaper. “And I said to myself: ‘There’s something here.'”
According to the Guardian, what was lying there in the river by Brey’s feet was a statue of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus from the 14th century. The statue had mysteriously washed up on the banks of the Sar River in the Galician territory of northwestern Spain.
Officials at the local Museum of Pilgrimage and Santiago in Santiago de Compostela, not far from where the statue was found, were the first to confirm the odd-looking rock was in fact a 700-year-old religious sculpture of the Virgin Mary and child.
https://twitter.com/RomanLalin/status/1272508384101765121
The faded features on the piece were difficult to make out. But investigators revealed that the base of the statue was decorated with a four-petal flower and acanthus leaves.
“On both sides of the Virgin, by each of her shoulders, are two angels or putti,” read a statement about the statue’s recovery put out by the regional government of Galicia. “They’re fairly worn away, but you can still make out each of their faces and a hand holding up an object or the Virgin’s own cape.”
Investigators noted the sculpture’s design was made in the Galician gothic style distinct to the area. The carved piece was likely once part of the wall design of an unknown structure. Moreover, they believed that the statue may have survived an attempted defacement.
“The face of the Virgin is gone, as is the head of the child,” the government’s statement read. “This is probably due to an old impact inflicted in an attempt to desanctify the piece.”
According to the Galician culture department, the stunning archaeological discovery, which happened on the outskirts of Santiago de Compostela, will be examined in the laboratory so authorities can gain better insight into the story behind the Virgin statue.


The area is part of the famous Camino de Santiago, a Christian pilgrimage route dating back to Medieval times.

“Studies should tell us whether this is a very valuable gothic statue,” said Román Rodríguez, the minister for culture and tourism in the regional government, who shared photos of the statue online. “But beyond its cultural and historic value, we’ll also need to try to put together the story of this statue: what happened, and how could it remain undiscovered so close to the city for so many centuries? It must be quite a story.”
Indeed, the religious statue’s discovery and its suspected desecration were especially striking since the carving seems to have been discarded sometime during the 14th century when Galician culture was prospering through the region.
The autonomous territory of Galicia is also part of the famous Camino de Santiago, a Medieval Christian pilgrimage route otherwise known in English as the Way of St. James, where tourists and visitors flock even today.
The religious carving’s deposition could be a sign of social unrest at the time, similar to the reckoning that has fueled the removal of unsavory figures around the U.S. But the mystery behind the Virgin Mary’s tragic end will remain unknown until researchers are able to dig up more information about the origins of this mysterious statue.

https://allthatsinteresting.com/virgin-mary-spain-river

[krazny9]

Puppy pulled from the rubble in an area devastated by wildfires



Authorities in California made an unexpected discovery while searching a property that had been burned by wildfires: a small black puppy.

And he was still alive.
"These last several days have been hard on our entire county and we thought we would share a positive story," the Butte County Sheriff's Department wrote.

Search and Rescue teams found the puppy on a large property in Berry Creek.

They gave him food and water, and dubbed him Trooper -- a fitting name for such a tough little survivor.
The puppy had some minor burns and was taken to a veterinarian to be further evaluated.

[Governor3]

I sometimes get REALLY DEPRESSED reviewing the news these days. It's always about a global pandemic threatening life as we know it, protests around the world, stupid politicians, natural disasters, or some other really bad story.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

Welcome to The mobi weekly news magazine
IN OTHER NEWS
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 23rd

What is it?
Here is your chance to become an "ACE REPORTER" for our weekly news magazine.
It is your job to fine weird, funny or "good feel" stories from around the world and share them with our readers in our weekly magazine

How do you play?
Just post a story that you have come across that made you smile, laugh, feel good...
BUT NOTHING DEPRESSING

EXAMPLE POST

​Naked sunbather chases wild boar through park after it steals his laptop bag

A naked sunbather was seen chasing wild boar through a park after it stole his laptop bag.
Amusing photographs from Germany show the man running after the animal to try and claim the plastic bag back.
But the cheeky boar and its two piglets appear to be too quick for the sunbather, who can't keep up with their speedy little trotters.
As the incident unfolds, groups of friends and family sat on the grass watch on and laugh.
Heads are seen turning in surprise and amusement in the hilarious photographs.
The incident happened at Teufelssee Lake - a bathing spot in the Grunwell Forest in Berlin, Germany.

Rules:
Each Edition of IN OTHER NEWS will be open for 7 days...
You may post One Story in any 24 hour period
So in other words, you can enter only once a day
Stories may be accompanied with images - but No big images, please! 800x800 pixels wide maximum
Videos are allowed, but please keep them to under a minute, and post a short summary for those that don't like to click on videos
No Duplicate stories - Where a post has been edited resulting in duplicates, then the last one in time gets disallowed.
And please limit this to reasonably family friendly stories

Reward:
Each news story posted that I feel is acceptable (must be a real story, too few words or simply a headline are not considered acceptable) will earn you 50 WRZ$
If you post multiple stories on any given day, you will only earn 50 WRZ$ for the first story of the Day
Special Bonus - Each week I will award "The Pulitzer Prize" for the best story of the week
The weekly winner of the "The Pulitzer Prize" will receive a 100 WRZ$ bonus
It's just my personal opinion, so my judgement is final

So help bring GOOD news to the members of mobi, and join our reporting team...

IN OTHER NEWS

[FRKJ]

Fifty meters up and two apart - Belgium's dinner-in-the-sky relaunches


A nine tons structure that can accommodate a total of thirty two guests, suspended from a crane at a height of fifty meters is seen during an event known as "Dinner in the Sky 2.0 New Generation?" in Brussels, Belgium.

Belgians looking for a different culinary experience will once again be able to eat 50 metres (164 feet) above the ground as the dining-in-the-sky experience returns from COVID-19 lockdown with a new, socially distanced feel.

Belgium-based Dinner in the Sky, which has been set up in some 60 countries since its 2006 launch, involves diners strapped into seats at a table suspended from a crane while well-known chefs cook and serve from the centre.

Their original platform sat 22 people together along the perimeter, but in the COVID-19 era, up to 32 diners will now reserve four-person private tables spaced apart from. The chefs and servers also have a little more space to roam.

“It means all the public are sitting in sort of a bubble,” said co-CEO Stefan Kerkhof at the crane base in the centre of the Belgian capital.

Dinner in the Sky offers three sittings - for lunch and two for dinner over the coming two weeks. The price is 295 euros ($350) per head or 150 euros for weekend afternoon cocktails. ($1 = 0.8430 euros)

[goldie0608]

Billionaire Reaches His Goal Of Giving Away His Entire Fortune After 38 Years Of Secret Donations



In 1982, a wealthy businessman quietly set up a philanthropic foundation. His goal was to secretly give away his entire fortune. Now, 38 years later, he has achieved his goal at the age of 89.

Chuck Feeney made his money in the duty-free shopping business, building a nestegg of $8 billion over the course of his life.

The Irish-American is known for his frugality and humility. Despite his riches, he does not own a car. He rents a small apartment, he flies economy class, and he owns only one pair of shoes.

The co-founder of the Duty-Free Shoppers Group managed to keep his charitable activities hidden from the public for 15 years, until his identity was revealed to the public in 1997 when he sold his shares in the company.

He continued to keep a low profile until 2005, when the opportunity came along to do some good with the publicity.

The New Jersey-born businessman decided to cooperate in journalist Conor O’Cleary’s writing of his biography, with an eye toward promoting ‘giving while living’ to other wealthy people. In 2007, former Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern launched the book at Trinity College Dublin.

This week, Feeney’s foundation, The Atlantic Philanthropies, finally ran out of money.

The elderly businessman told the Guardian that he was very happy with “completing this on my watch.” He urged other super-rich folks not to wait until after they have passed away to experience the joy of giving away their fortunes.

In explaining what motivated his generosity, the duty-free shopping mogul said “Wealth brings responsibility. People must define themselves, or feel a responsibility to use some of their assets to improve the lives of their fellow humans, or else create intractable problems for future generations.”

Feeney has donated $3.7 billion to higher education institutions, including close to $1 billion to Cornell University alone, where he studied for free under the GI Bill after serving in the Air Force during the Korean War.

He has also donated $870 million to various human rights groups, and $1.9 billion to fund various projects in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, where he helped found the University of Limerick.

Feeney’s grandparents came to America from County Fermanagh in the North.

In addition to its direct financial impact, the businessman’s charitable actions inspired Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to establish the “Giving Pledge” for the world’s richest people.

Those who take the pledge commit to giving at least half of their fortune away to charity.

Expressing his admiration for what his friend has accomplished in his life, Buffett said that Feeney is “my hero and Bill Gates’ hero—he should be everybody’s hero.”