An architect who uses recycled building materials from historic buildings torn down to make way for China’s megacities has won architecture’s most prestigious international award, the 2012 Pritzker Architecture Prize.
Wang Shu, 48, whose Hangzhou-based firm Amateur Architecture Studio has just four permanent staff, was widely regarded as a long shot to win the $100,000 prize that has previously been awarded to celebrity architects such as Norman Foster and Frank Gehry, CNN reported.
“For myself, being an artisan or a craftsman, is being an amateur or almost the same thing,” Wang said in a press release, using the word in its true meaning as one who does something for love rather than money or professional accolades.
Howard Chudacoff, a cultural historian at Brown University, recently published a history of child’s play arguing that for most of human history what children did when they played was roam in packs large or small, engaging in freewheeling imaginative play: “They improvised their own play; they regulated their play; they made up their own rules.”
But, in the second half of the 20th century, Chudacoff says, the way that children spend their time has changed. A growing number of psychologists believe that these changes in what children do has also changed kids’ cognitive and emotional development.
Pop star Lady Gaga launched her new foundation with some powerful friends at Harvard Wednesday, a non-profit charity whose mission is to “foster a more accepting society” and help youth “challenge meanness and cruelty”.
The singer was joined by Oprah Winfrey, spiritual leader Deepak Chopra, and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to kick off the online Born This Way Foundation.
It may come as a surprise to some, but people in Northern Ireland are the happiest in the UK, new data from the Office of National Statistics has shown.
14 years after the Irish Peace Accord ended decades of violence and established self-rule for Northern Ireland, the new data demonstrates that two-thirds of citizens there feel happier in their lives than ever before.
A California company says it has built a better battery that could make electric vehicles more efficient and much more affordable.
Envia Systems, a startup that has conducted research with funding from the Department of Energy and GM’s venture capital arm, says its proprietary anode, cathode and electrolyte battery could cut the cost of an EV battery in half.
Until the death of this group’s leader in 2010, the South Sudan Democratic Movement was considered the strongest of several militias challenging the central government of Africa’s youngest country, which is searching for stability so it can develop after decades of war with the north.
The group, around 1,800 strong, declared a ceasefire yesterday, accepting an amnesty offered by President Salva Kiir last July when South Sudan gained independence from the north.
The Nasdaq composite index broke through 3,000 on Wednesday for the first time since the collapse in dot-com stocks more than a decade ago marking the best February on Wall Street in 14 years.
The milestone for the Nasdaq, heavy with technology stocks, came a day after the Dow Jones industrial average closed above 13,000 for the first time since May 2008.
By the end of this week, twelve families in Guatemala will have a home, a direct result of one man’s philanthropic efforts.
For the last seven years, Tim Foley has traveled one thousand miles from his home in Tavares, Florida, to work in a small town in Guatemala constructing houses for low-income families. Not only that, the Amway businessman subsidized the trip for 100 volunteers, and donated $250,000 to Habitat for Humanity to build a community of 40 homes over the next five years. Since 2005, Tim and his team have built 54 homes and for his selflessness, he was recently granted the 2011 Amway Hero Award for Generosity.
“I believe if ‘The Guy In Charge’ lets you make some money, then you ought to do something valuable with it,” says Foley.
Tim’s impact on other people’s lives was lauded by the independent panel of judges invited to choose the winners of the 2011 Amway Hero Awards, which also includes prizes for Patriotism, Leadership and Determination.
WATCH a video about Tim’s generosity, and continue reading about the 3 other winners below…
The annual winner of the 2011 Amway Hero Award for Patriotism devotes himself to reducing suicide and divorce among military families. Mike Schindler, a Navy veteran, founded Operation Military Family, an organization that provides guidance to help military personnel preserve their families, strengthen their marriages, and curb domestic violence and suicide. On average, the company has offered support to 1,500 people each year since 2007.
In another country, the Dominican Republic, Ulises Feliz uses his impressive charisma as a tool to teach business and entrepreneurship to teenagers through Junior Achievement. Discovering talented young adults and coaching them to excel is what earned Feliz the 2011 Amway Hero Award for Leadership.
“I want to be remembered as a person who gave everything possible to help others excel, as someone who stood out as a leader for his aptitude in doing the just thing, and for helping to discover and to develop the talent of others,” he said.
The winner of the Hero Award for Determination was Stephen Willoby, of Waddell, Arizona. He survived a tour of duty in Iraq only to break his neck in a diving accident back home. After nearly dying, the Air Force bomb disposal technician was left with no movement in his legs and no control of his hands. “In the military, we always said, ‘Adapt and overcome.’ That’s all anyone can do in the face of adversity. How you adapt determines how you’re going to live the rest of your life,” believes Willoby, who has become a successful Amway Independent business owner.
Among more than 300 nominated for the Amway awards, the initiatives of these four businessmen were evaluated by a group of professionals whose backgrounds include foundation work, the not-for-profit sector, community agencies and the ministry. Last December, Schindler, Feliz, Foley, and Willoby received the awards to the ovation from a crowd of more than 4,000 Amway Independent Business Owners.
Amway created the Hero Awards program to recognize the efforts of hundreds of its Independent Business Owners who give their time and resources to improve the world. The annual program started in 2010 with prizes of $10,000 awarded to each of the winners.
By the end of this week, twelve families in Guatemala will have a home, a direct result of one man’s philanthropic efforts.
For the last seven years, Tim Foley has traveled one thousand miles from his home in Tavares, Florida, to work in a small town in Guatemala constructing houses for low-income families. Not only that, the Amway businessman subsidized the trip for 100 volunteers, and donated $250,000 to Habitat for Humanity to build a community of 40 homes over the next five years. Since 2005, Tim and his team have built 54 homes and for his selflessness, he was recently granted the 2011 Amway Hero Award for Generosity.
Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim will spearhead a project to rescue the Pacific port of Acapulco, a once glamorous haunt of Hollywood stars that has lately become mired in violent crime.
Slim, the world’s richest man and owner of Latin America’s biggest cell phone company, will be the president of a council that will pool funding for new hotel developments, mostly in the oldest part of the resort.
The United States said Wednesday North Korea has agreed to suspend nuclear activities and accept a moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests, in a breakthrough in negotiations with the secretive communist nation.
In a key concession, North Korea said it had agreed to allow International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to verify and monitor a moratorium on uranium enrichment activities at its main Yongbyon nuclear complex, “with a view to maintaining positive atmosphere’ for the US-North Korea talks”.
A man with cancer, who was not expected to live past June, wished he knew how his favorite book series would end. The latest installment of Harry Turtledove’s series, “The War That Came Early,” isn’t due out until July.
His friend, suspecting the “internet can do anything,” used Reddit to obtain an advance copy, effectively lifting the only remaining regret of his dying friend.
After posting the request last month on one of the internet’s most amazing online communities, it was quickly flooded with comments and helpful suggestions. A mere 5 hours later, Colton Jang was connected with an editor who could provide the advanced copy — and even arrange a phone conversation with the author for his friend to hear about books planned for the distant future.
Watch the young man, who still dons his hospital bracelet, open his amazing birthday gift in the video below.
(BEWARE the expletives! “Holy S#@t” is loudly repeated, as Nachu expresses his utter shock over his friend’s achievement.) Or, you can read the full story at HLN-TV, instead.
A man with cancer, who was not expected to live past June, wished he knew how his favorite book series would end. The latest installment of Harry Turtledove’s series, “The War That Came Early,” isn’t due out until July.
His friend, suspecting the “internet can do anything,” used Reddit to obtain an advance copy, effectively lifting the only remaining regret of his dying friend.
After posting the request last month on one of the internet’s most amazing online communities, it was quickly flooded with comments and helpful suggestions. A mere 5 hours later, Colton Jang was connected with an editor who could provide the advanced copy — and even arrange a phone conversation with the author for his friend to hear about books planned for the distant future.
What are God’s favorite letters? Discover two simple letters — R and E — that can refocus your view of life and renew your commitment to living an inspired one.
This is one Christian message that any person of any faith can enjoy, especially as it is delivered by a homeless scrabble-playing preacher with a huge smile.
A new game in development called Code Hero will teach gamers a new skill to go along with strategic thinking — computer programming. The game itself teaches players how to make games, learning code by using a Code Gun that shoots Javascript in Unity 3D programming language.
The founder of Primer Labs has raised more than $170,000 on the Kickstarter crowd-sourcing site to help him realize his dream of a multi-player game that allows players to build the very code that advances their 3-D world.
The more you learn, the more victories you can rack up against the evil FizzBosses.
A new game in development called Code Hero will teach gamers a new skill to go along with strategic thinking — computer programming. The game itself teaches players how to make games, learning code by using a Code Gun that shoots Javascript in Unity 3D programming language.
The founder of Primer Labs has raised more than $170,000 on the Kickstarter crowd-sourcing site to help him realize his dream of a multi-player game that allows players to build the very code that advances their 3-D world.
The more you learn, the more victories you can rack up against the evil FizzBosses.
It took just 15 minutes to locate a teen who went missing five months ago in New York City, after Whoopi Goldberg broadcasted her photo and appealed for help on the ABC talk show The View.
An anonymous tipster who recognized the 16-year-old’s profile from Friday’s segment called the Black and Missing Foundation to report her whereabouts, which led to her recovery at a women’s shelter.
The View wanted to help the Foundation create more parity between media attention focused on white women who go missing and women of color. They believe media attention is often key in finding missing persons.
It took just 15 minutes to locate a teen who went missing five months ago in New York City, after Whoopi Goldberg broadcasted her photo and appealed for help on the ABC talk show The View.
An anonymous tipster who recognized the 16-year-old’s profile from Friday’s segment called the Black and Missing Foundation to report her whereabouts, which led to her recovery at a women’s shelter.
The View wanted to help the Foundation create more parity between media attention focused on white women who go missing and women of color. They believe media attention is often key in finding missing persons.
When the Broward Sheriff’s Office held a town hall-style screening of the anti-gay bullying documentary film ‘Bullied: a Student, a School and a Case that Made History,’ they hoped to change a few minds and attitudes.
They got all that, and a check, to boot. 83-year-old Leonard Solomon stood up and announced he was giving $25,000 to fight hate crimes and bullying.
“The movie made me realize the size of the bullying problem,” the retired Fort Lauderdale resident explained. “There was a lot that struck me about it -– the lawsuit, how lax the school administration was. I knew I wanted to get involved.”
A Palmerston North man who crawled into a burning house to rescue a baby was terrified at the time, but said he could not ignore the screams and pleas of family members.
Neighbor Tony Selby heard the adults screaming for the baby and rushed inside, after another man failed to locate the 16-month-old girl.
He said the room was filled with thick smoke and he couldn’t see anything in front of him. ”I was terrified,” he said.
An architect who uses recycled building materials from historic buildings torn down to make way for China’s megacities has won architecture’s most prestigious international award, the 2012 Pritzker Architecture Prize.
