Ex-U.S. President Jimmy Carter and three other former leaders arrived in Beijing on Sunday en route to North Korea to discuss the revival of nuclear disarmament talks.
Carter and the group of veteran statesmen known as the Elders are to travel to Pyongyang on Tuesday as part of international efforts to restart the negotiations on ending North Korea’s nuclear program.
Veterans dealing with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder can turn to their smartphones for help any time with the “PTSD Coach” application created by the Veterans Affairs and Defense departments.
PTSD Coach lets users track their symptoms, links them with local sources of support, provides accurate information and helpful individualized strategies for managing symptoms, officials said. The app is now available for download from the iTunes Store and will be available for Android devices by the end of the spring.
Scientists have developed a new fiber from fruits like pineapples and bananas that is almost as strong as Kevlar, the fiber used in bulletproof vests. The new fruity “nono-cellulose” fiber is so strong that researchers plan to use it to reinforce plastics like those used to make automobiles.
New York state officials chose Earth Day on Friday to announce purchase of a large tract of land in Long Island’s pine barrens as a preserve for hikers and other naturalists and a source for pure drinking water.
Wael Ghonim, the Google executive who became the hero of the Egyptian revolution, on Sunday said he planned to take an extended break from the Internet giant to set up his own NGO in Egypt.
He said his technology focused NGO will help fight poverty & foster education in Egypt.
Ghonim, Google’s head of marketing for the Middle East and North Africa, administered the Facebook page that helped spark the uprising that toppled president Hosni Mubarak’s regime.
(READ the AFP article in France 24)
Beavers living near U.S. 2 in Vermont need a traffic cop, Mandy Hotchkiss decided.
There’s probably hundreds of beavers living in the wetlands along the flooded shores of Lake Champlain, and as many as 25 of the creatures have gotten hit by cars as they crossed the highway in past weeks.
So on Friday morning Mandy stood alongside the road holding a sign — and her friend dressed up like a beaver.
Mayor Michael Nutter joined Jon Bon Jovi and formerly homeless youth in a special ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday for the new Covenant House Rights of Passage apartments in Philadelphia.
“The program not only will provide a safe place for homeless youth, but also provides skills and experiences needed to become independent and responsible adults,” said Mayor Michael Nutter. “The city is proud to be part of such an important and unique program.”
Mayor Michael Nutter joined Jon Bon Jovi and formerly homeless youth in a special ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday for the new Covenant House Rights of Passage apartments in Philadelphia.
“The program not only will provide a safe place for homeless youth, but also provides skills and experiences needed to become independent and responsible adults,” said Mayor Michael Nutter. “The city is proud to be part of such an important and unique program.”
25 percent of the world’s population, more than 1.5 billion people, live in areas with no access to electricity. After considering this problem, four female Harvard University engineering students dreamed up an innovative solution. They developed the “sOccket” — a soccer ball that creates usable energy from every kick.
150,000 landfill sites dot the continent of Europe. Now, digging up this waste could power 60,000 homes. If a pilot project by U.K. company Advanced Plasma Power comes to fruition, these mounds of debris may soon be feeding the power grid.
While several other European countries are engaged in feasibility studies, it is near Hasselt, in Belgium, that this rubbish revolution is springing to life.
If you live in an apartment or condo unit with a balcony, LifeOnTheBalcony.com has a unique way to utilize a small amount of that space to create a productive garden.
Fern, the site’s blogger, gives us a tutorial on how to make your own pallet garden…
Hoping to inspire the youth of Canada to vote in the upcoming May 2 federal election, groups of university students in various parts of the country are injecting a little excitement into the process with their impromptu “vote mobs”.
In the last federal vote, only 37 percent of eligible voters between 18-24 came out to vote.
(READ the story at the BBC)
Jeff Parness, like many New Yorkers, was changed by the terrorist attacks of 9/11. He lost a good friend when the Twin Towers fell, but was also deeply moved by the support the city received from across the country following the attack.
In 2004, he established New York Says Thank You, a nonprofit organization that sends volunteers from New York City, particularly the city’s beloved firefighters, to help rebuild other disaster-stricken communities each September.
“I want to show the world that New Yorkers will never forget what people did for us following 9/11,” says Parness.
And, volunteers from those towns often join Jeff in continuing to ‘pay it forward’ on subsequent projects which, to date, have involved more than 7,000 people nationwide.
A new documentary on Jeff & his organization, “New York Says Thank You”, premieres next week at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Watch the film’s trailer, and CNN’s Hero of the Week video below… (READ CNN story here)
Jeff Parness, like many New Yorkers, was changed by the terrorist attacks of 9/11. He lost a good friend when the Twin Towers fell, but was also deeply moved by the support the city received from across the country following the attack.
In 2004, he established New York Says Thank You, a nonprofit organization that sends volunteers from New York City, particularly the city’s beloved firefighters, to help rebuild other disaster-stricken communities each September.
Planting begins this month for a group of students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst who are pioneering a sustainable solution for campuses across the country.
The UMass Permaculture Committee is transforming a 12,000 square foot conventional grass lawn into a sustainable permaculture garden for supplying fresh food to its campus community.
In September the all-volunteer team moved 250,000 pounds of organic matter, intentionally using lawn carts to avoid any fossil fuel consumption, laying the foundations of a huge fertile garden to be planted that month.
Planting begins this month for a group of students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst who are pioneering a sustainable solution for campuses across the country.
The UMass Permaculture Committee is transforming a 12,000 square foot conventional grass lawn into a sustainable permaculture garden for supplying fresh food to its campus community.
In September the all-volunteer team moved 250,000 pounds of organic matter, intentionally using lawn carts to avoid any fossil fuel consumption, laying the foundations of a huge fertile garden to be planted that month.
A Jack Russell terrier named Chowder would not cease his persistent clawing on his sleeping owners in the middle of the night until they realized there was a fire next door, giving them just enough time to save an elderly neighbor.
“He kept jumping on me, digging in with his claws and wouldn’t stop,” Richard Carlino told The Cape Cod Times. “He wouldn’t rest until he knew everyone was awake, and we’d gone out the door to help our neighbor.”
Hundreds of people whose lives were upended by last weekend’s tornadoes, are receiving help from the kind people who have stepped up before being asked.
Distributing hot dinners, lunches, and water twice a day to 400 people, they also match the needy with those who can provide it.
WATCH the Making a Difference story below…
The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is one of the many groups that leapt to the aid of communities across six states where homes were destroyed by tornadoes, providing free meals and water, assistance with clearing drives and roadways, and support for other vital needs of families.
Here is a summary of good neighbors at work in Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas, Virginia and Mississippi and North Carolina.
(READ the story – and see how you can help – in the Huffington Post)
