KFC restaurants in the UK and Ireland will stop using palm oil to fry its chicken beginning this month, reaping a “double benefit” by helping to reducing climate change and heart disease.
Used widely as a cooking oil in fast food chains, palm oil has a poor health and environmental record. Forests in Indonesia and Malaysia have been cut down to make way for plantations and the oil is high in artery-clogging saturated fat.
A few months ago, the grandson of one of the survivors of the Bataan Death March traveled from Northern Virginia to Japan with an old photograph in his hand. It was a grainy picture of a young Japanese boy who helped save his grandfather’s life.
For the 27-year-old, and for the Japanese people who greeted him, the photo offered a way to pluck from a dark chapter of history one single act of compassion.
(READ the inspiring story at the Washington Post)
Between 55 and 75 percent of stroke survivors experience motor problems in their arm. Yet conventional therapy – physiotherapy and occupational therapy – provide only “modest and sometimes delayed effects”.
Virtual reality and other video games can significantly improve motor function in stroke patients, according to research released this week by St. Michael’s Hospital in Ontario. Patients who played video games, such as Wii and Playstation, were up to five times more likely to show improvements compared to those who had standard therapy.
Physicists at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory announced Wednesday that they have found a suspicious bump in their data that could be evidence of a new elementary particle or even, some say, a new force of nature.
“Nobody knows what this is,” said Christopher Hill, a theorist involved with the powerful particle accelerator at Fermilab. “If it is real, it would be the most significant discovery in physics in half a century.”
In Roseland, one of Chicago’s most dangerous neighborhoods, many residents stay off the streets to protect themselves from rampant gang violence.
But one grandmother opened her door and invited gang members to come inside. She hoped that by providing them with support and a place to go, she would ensure that her own daughter and other kids would be safe and focused on their futures, instead of local gangs.
In 2003, the mother of eight started a community center in her living room. Today, the building next door provides the haven she calls ‘Kids Off the Block’, with tutoring, mentoring, job training and other activities to keep young people off the streets.
“Our young people need help,” Latiker said. “All of them are not gang-bangers. All of them are not dropouts. But the ones that are, they need our help.”
WATCH the CNN Hero profile below, or read the story on CNN…
In Roseland, one of Chicago’s most dangerous neighborhoods, many residents stay off the streets to protect themselves from rampant gang violence.
But one grandmother opened her door and invited gang members to come inside. Diane Latiker hoped that by providing them with support and a place to go, she would ensure that her own daughter and other kids would be safe and focused on their futures, instead of local gangs.
After the Japanese government ordered the people of Minamisoma to stay indoors when the nearby nuclear plant started leaking, all the food stores shut down and gas stations ran out of petrol as people fled. 25,000 isolated residents who remained were facing starvation.
The mayor pleaded for help, speaking into a small digital camera, and posted it on YouTube. After a quarter million views, Mayor Sakurai received hundreds of boxes of food and other supplies from individuals, and truckloads of relief goods from nonprofit organizations.
He described the response to his 11-minute online plea as a turning point for the city.
“Suddenly, the world was extending its hand to us,” said Mr. Sakurai, 55, an energetic man who still wears the same beige uniform as in the video, but now smiles and seems more relaxed. “We learned we’re not alone.”
See the mayor’s video below, and READ the story at the New York Times.
In a Buffalo, NY cemetery, a mother goose has lost her lifelong mate and was left alone to tend her nest. She spends the day sheltering her eggs from the cold spring air.
The loss of her male partner now makes her vulnerable to any would-be predators who choose to approach the nest. But, in an unlikely twist of fate, an adult deer has taken over the role of protector.
There’s no known way that a deer and goose can communicate, yet somehow the deer has come to understand the need of the nesting mother.
(WATCH the video below, or read the story at WGRZ-Tv)
–Photo by Mary Baird, CC
In a Buffalo, NY cemetery, a mother goose has lost her lifelong mate and was left alone to tend her nest. She spends the day sheltering her eggs from the cold spring air.
The loss of her male partner now makes her vulnerable to any would-be predators who choose to approach the nest. But, in an unlikely twist of fate, an adult deer has taken over the role of protector.
There’s no known way that a deer and goose can communicate, yet somehow the deer has come to understand the need of the nesting mother.
A train-crazy youngster has landed his dream job after applying for the position of Director with the National Railway Museum in York, England.
Six-year-old Sam Pointon from Leicester wrote to the museum after he had read about the retirement of director Andrew Scott.
Bosses were so taken with his enthusiasm they created a role for him on the museum board: “Director of Fun”.
(READ the story in the BBC)
On the 17th anniversary to mark the start of the Rwandan genocide, read the story of Carl Wilkens — the only American to stay in the country — who remained behind to protect Tutsi friends.
Carl was inside his home in Rwanda with his family when Hutu militia arrived on the second day of the genocide, carrying machetes, clubs and rifles. They didn’t get past the front gates.”
“Mothers and grandmothers from the neighborhood rushed down the dirt road to stand outside the house, refusing to let the killers enter. “They’re good people,” the women explained, “Their children play with our children. They bring us to the hospital at night when we are sick.”
Why did he decide to stay in Rwanda when he knew that things were on the verge of exploding?
Two Tutsis had lived with Carl and his wife for three years and would almost certainly be killed if the Wilkenses left.
(READ the profile at Huffington Post)
Women suffering from hot flashes associated with menopause may have another alternative to hormone replacement therapy.
Leslie, a busy businesswoman in Vancouver, found her hot flashes and sleep deprivation debilitating until she finally tried acupuncture.
“I knew I didn’t want to take hormone therapy, but hot flashes and night sweats were waking me up almost every night, and I was finding it really hard to function during the day.”
“After my treatment with acupuncture I started feeling better, and after a few weeks of acupuncture treatments and Chinese herbal therapy, I noticed major relief. The number of hot flashes decreased dramatically, and I was actually sleeping through the night.”
One study, conducted by the Ankara Training and Research Hospital in Ankara, Turkey, documented similar outcomes with acupuncture. It included 53 postmenopausal women. Twenty-seven of the women received traditional Chinese acupuncture for 20 minutes, twice a week for 10 weeks. The rest believed they were given acupuncture treatment, but the needles didn’t actually penetrate their skin. The women who received real acupuncture showed significant drops in the severity of their hot flashes.
The result of another study, presented by the National Research Center in Alternative and Complementary Medicine, University of Tromsø, Norway, showed “significant reduction in the severity and frequency of hot flushes in postmenopausal women undergoing a 12 week course of acupuncture.”
Researchers are still trying to understand how this 2000-year-old treatment affects menopausal symptoms.
According to Lorne Brown, clinical director of Acubalance Wellness Centre in Vancouver, “Studies have shown that acupuncture appears to bring hormones into balance and reduce anxiety through a process called homeostatic regulation: buffering hormonal disturbance and stimulating feel-good endorphins.”
Dr. Jerilynn Prior, UBC professor of endocrinology, author and world expert on women’s hormones, states: “This research supports a large body of anecdotal evidence that acupuncture can safely relieve hot flushes and night sweats–it may ‘work’ by decreasing the stress responses that we know make hot flushes worse.”
For Leslie, acupuncture has allowed her to resume her life. “Not only am I getting relief from hot flashes and the overwhelming fatigue and exhaustion, but I’m so glad to have the option of a safe, effective treatment for my menopause symptoms that actually improves my overall health.”
Terje Alraek of the University of Tromsø says in a press statement: “After menopause, 10% – 20% of all women have nearly intolerable hot flushes. The promising results of the Acuflash study suggest that acupuncture can help.”
The 2,000-year-old Chinese tradition has already become popular in the West for the reduction of symptoms related to arthritis, back, neck, knee and shoulder pain, and even infertility.
Women suffering from hot flashes associated with menopause may have another alternative to hormone replacement therapy, according to two new studies showing that treatment with acupuncture significantly reduces the severity and frequency of hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause.
Leslie, a busy business woman in Vancouver, found her hot flashes and sleep deprivation debilitating until she finally tried acupuncture. “I knew I didn’t want to take hormone therapy, but hot flashes and night sweats were waking me up almost every night, and I was finding it really hard to function during the day.”
Hyperactivity. Fidgeting. Inattention. Impulsivity. If your child has one or more of these qualities on a regular basis, you may be told that he or she has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Many kids with ADHD are treated with drugs, but a new study says food may be the key. Published in The Lancet journal, the study suggests that with a restrictive diet, kids with ADHD could experience a significant reduction in symptoms. By limiting themselves to reliable supplements, like CBD made for kids with ADHD and anxiety, one is able to reduce symptoms by 44% after a week of regular dosing.
Teachers and doctors who worked with children in the study reported marked changes in behavior. “In fact, they were flabbergasted.”
(READ the story in NPR.org)
When Regina Mayer’s parents dashed her hopes of getting a horse, the resourceful 15-year-old didn’t sit in her room and sulk. Instead, she turned to a cow, offering hours of training, tons of treats, cajoling and caresses.
The two are now soul mates and their daily routine involves grooming, petting, jumps and a roughly one-hour ride
(WATCH the video below)
When Regina Mayer’s parents dashed her hopes of getting a horse, the resourceful 15-year-old didn’t sit in her room and sulk. Instead, she turned to a cow, offering hours of training, tons of treats, cajoling and caresses.
The two are now soul mates and their daily routine involves grooming, petting, jumps and a roughly one-hour ride
Today President Obama is travelling to the Philadelphia area to hold a town hall event with employees at Gamesa Technology Corporation, a manufacturer of large-scale wind turbines, to further discuss the U.S. energy future.
In addition to his goal for increasing the US renewable energy portfolio and decreasing dependence on oil, energy efficiency ranks as vitally important for the country.
Not just in homes and buildings, Philadelphia has revved up its energy efficiency campaign in the streets.
Today President Obama is travelling to the Philadelphia area to hold a town hall event with employees at Gamesa Technology Corporation, a manufacturer of large-scale wind turbines, to further discuss the U.S. energy future.
In addition to his goal for increasing the US renewable energy portfolio and decreasing dependence on oil, energy efficiency ranks as vitally important for the country.
Not just in homes and buildings, Philadelphia has revved up its energy efficiency campaign in the streets.
Every state is the best at something. Wyoming has the cleanest air, California is safest for workers, and Colorado has the lowest obesity rate. Wisconsin can boast the highest graduation rate and Ohio, the highest library usage (but, who knows how long it will endure with layoffs and lower salaries on the horizon in those struggling states). Florida offers the most affordable in-state college tuition.
Spring means breeding season for toads and, in Philadelphia, that means closing off a city street so the tiny creatures are safe from traffic as they seek their mates.
Each year for the month of April, 150 volunteers organize the Toad Detour in the city’s Roxborough neighborhood, where American toads leave the woodlands of the 350-acre Schuylkill Center to breed across the road at an old reservoir.
