The Week in Uppers

Believe it or not, this week was about more than just OBL

Published May 8, 2011 4:09PM (EDT)

Most people's attentions were dominated by one story -- and one story, alone -- these past few days. But last week was about a whole lot more than just Osama bin Laden. Check out these heartwarming stories:

  • Huan Guofu is a painter responsible for beautiful, vivid compositions -- all the more amazing because he has no arms. (CNTV)

  • Residents of the Gaza Strip celebrated the region's first-ever marathon this week to raise $1 million to sponsor children's summer camps. (Reuters)
  • Jakarta, Indonesia, celebrated "car-free" day last week, giving residents some respite from perpetual gridlock. (Christian Science Monitor)
  • What's one way to celebrate your 100th birthday in style? How about by getting married? (NBC News)
  • Three engineering students at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Indiana designed and built a set of mechanical arms for a young boy born without functional appendages of his own. (Huffington Post)

Rose-Hulman students design arm for boy: wthitv.com

  • Beverly Hills residents are launching an effort to raise $1 million to help avoid dozens of layoffs in their school district. (AP)
  • A Pennsylvania high school senior organized a fundraiser to collect clothing and supplies for the Russian orphanage where she once lived. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
  • One deer in Buffalo, N.Y., has struck up an unlikely friendship with a mother goose whose eggs it helped guard for weeks. (Reuters)
  • College rivalries can be intense -- especially in Alabama. But one Auburn University fan is spearheading a tornado recovery effort in Tuscaloosa, home to the rival Alabama Crimson Tide squad. (NBC News)

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By Peter Finocchiaro

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