Australia's Don Ritchie Saved at Least 160 Suicidal People by Offering Cups of Tea

(June 16) -- It's good to see that among all the headlines of death, destruction, greed, oil spills, earthquakes and horrific crap, there's still folks out there who do good things, even if they get completely screwed in the process.

First up: Don Ritchie, who just happens to live across the street from a "popular suicide spot" in Australia. Of course, one wonders how a suicide spot can be "popular" -- it's not like folks who used it can spread the word among friends about how great it is. But that's beside the point. Don has basically made it his mission to keep watch of the cliffs and try to stop people before they can plummet to the bottom and end it all.

Don Ritchie has spent nearly 50 years trying to prevent people from committing suicide

AP Photo / Jeremy Pipers

Meet a real-world guardian angel. Don Ritchie has stopped more than 100 desperate people from jumping off a cliff in front of his Sidney, Australia, house by approaching them with a smile and offering them a cup of tea.

And how does he do that? He just offers them tea.

To date, he's saved an estimated 160 people from taking their own lives. That's a lot of tea.

From Fark: No clever headline here, just the facts: an Australian man has spent 50 years at the edge of a cliff and has saved 160 people from committing suicide (gawker.com)

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Then, there's Edwin, a 14-year-old boy who is being charged with kidnapping after reportedly helping a 3-year-old girl find her mother at a department store. As the target article points out, "Edwin is quite the kidnapper. He brings his mom along. He hangs out in front of the store until the victim's mother shows up. And then he returns to the store and starts shopping for shoes."

Our society is sick, people. We're all mentally ill when a 14-year-old boy -- on video, no less -- can't help a kid find her parents without being charged with kidnapping. The fact that the police have looked into this and the Sheriff's office still charged him with false imprisonment makes me angry -- just as angry as the fact that in 2010, I can't go to a grocery store and just make googly eyes at a kid in the checkout lane without being thought of as some sort of pedophile. It's impossible to be nice to strangers without some sort of ramification, and yet Edwin did it.

To Edwin, I say the following: First, hang in there buddy. And second, once these stupid charges get dropped (and they should), you might want to head over to the Sheriff's office with some eggs. If you're going to end up being charged with something, might as well make it worth your while.

From Fark: Apparently it still needs to be said: If you are a male in the U.S. and you see a child -- be it lost, injured, sick or crying -- just walk away or you will be arrested (orlandosentinel.com)

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Even thieves are getting in on the golden heart movement. This one stole $100 from a fundraising jar at a Taco Bell, and returned it when he realized that it wasn't just idle cash -- it was actually a collection for a headstone for the manager's son, who recently passed. Despite knowing he was in deep dookie, he still turned around and did the right thing. Of course, he's a thief, so he should be punished ... But knowing he had it in himself to at least draw some sort of moral line makes me at least a little bit happier about our future as a species.

God forbid he waved at a kid in line at the Wal-Mart, though. Hell hath no fury.

From Fark: Thief who stole $100 from a Taco Bell counter returns the money, which was a fundraiser that was going towards the cost of a headstone for the manager's son (consumerist.com)

EDITOR'S NOTE: Joe Peacock is a staffer at Fark.com, one of the best sources for weird news. The views he expresses are his own and not necessarily those of this news organization.