The Big Lottery Fund in the UK is donating £5 million to help areas in the Philippines devastated by typhoon Haiyan.  It stressed however that it wants its donations to be used for rebuilding the lives and livelihood of the victims, instead of just for immediate disaster relief. 

Florida Governor Rick Scott has been sending a lot of congratulatory letters to his constituents lately.  The recipients of his “attaboy” letters include Florida bar candidates, professional license applicants, recent college graduates. 

Eight carpenters working for the West Mifflin Amusement Park have received early Christmas presents.  They will share a million dollar Powerball jackpot (about $750,000 after taxes) after the ticket they jointly held managed to match all five white numbers but not the red powerball. 

Retired Merseyside School caretaker Brian McTigue from West Derby has been playing the lottery twice a week for several years and until Saturday morning had only won a measly £78. 

When you need a lot of dough, where do you go  find it?  At a bakery apparently.  One lottery player has won a $130 million Powerball jackpot from a ticket purchased at the 117 Brighton Beach Bakery and Deli in Brooklyn.

Edward Shaw won $410,115 from the Mega Millions lottery when one of his tickets matched all numbers drawn except for the mega number.  He and his wife now plan to pay off their house and buy a new Harley Davidson bike.

Interesting stories this week include news about the latest beneficiaries of the lottery’s generosity – pets, and the incredible luck of a 21-year old woman who is now set for life after winning big. 

Lotteries around the world usually operate to benefit good causes such as hospitals, education, and other forms of charity.  Now you can even add pets to the list of lottery beneficiaries.

Morgan Harker has made it a habit to bet on the lottery whenever the jackpot is big, and the Lotto Max jackpot of $50 million certainly fit the bill. 

Rachel Riddall, 43, was horrified at the scenes which she saw on television of extreme suffering in the Philippines in the wake of a devastating super typhoon.