The Week in Uppers

Because there were plenty of notable stories this week that didn't involve dirty photos

Published June 12, 2011 7:10PM (EDT)

While one innuendo-laced story about a Brooklyn congressman hogged the media spotlight this week, there was plenty more to write home about this week than just Anthony Weiner. Take a break from sex scandals and check out these inspiring stories.

  • Actresses Natalie Portman and Zoe Saldana are lending their voices to support FINCA International, an organization that promotes women's entrepreneurship in developing countries through microfinancing initiatives. (Huffington Post)

  • Princes William and Harry are going head to head today in a charity polo match organized to raise money for disadvantaged children in the African kingdom of Lesotho. (Daily Mirror
  • Billionaire Warren Buffet auctioned off the opportunity to dine with him this past Friday, as part of his 12th annual "power lunch" charity. The winning bid was $2.63 million, and all proceeds will go to the San Francisco charity Glide. (SF Gate)  
  • More than 50 dogs competed in a unique fundraiser in Imperial Beach, California, this week. Hundreds of spectators gathered to watch the pooches face off -- in a surfing competition. (Telegraph)

  • An organization called Pilots N Paws is airlifting distressed dogs and cats to rescue organizations that help the animals find new homes. (NBC News)
  • Gabrielle Giffords continues her amazing recovery. We've now seen the first photos of the congresswoman taken since she was shot in January, and doctors say she could be released from the hospital sometime this month. (AP)
  • Kent Melville, a nine-year-old boy with autism, used the profits from a successful lemonade stand to start his own company, producing soda to raise money for other children with the disorder. (Huffington Post)
  • The residents of Joplin, Missouri, got some much needed help in the wake of last month's deadly tornado -- from a group of Katrina survivors who understand better than most the devastating impact of natural disasters. (NBC News)  

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By Peter Finocchiaro

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