Peacekeepers deployed in operations around the world joined in celebrations Saturday marking United Nations Day on the world body’s 64th birthday.
On October 24, 1945, the UN Charter entered into force, an achievement that is commemorated annually to remind the Organization of its commitment to preserving peace, providing security and helping those in need.
Dominique Lincoln was running up a hill during a cross-country race when the ground beneath her seemed to vanish.
Dominique didn’t know it then, but that runner, Helena Page, was disqualified because she stayed with her until help arrived.
“I’m happy that somebody stopped running for me … I don’t know what would have happened if she wasn’t there.”
A group of rich Germans has launched a petition calling for the government to make wealthy people pay higher taxes.
The group say they have more money than they need, and the extra revenue could fund economic and social programmes to aid Germany’s economic recovery.
Germany could raise 100 billion euros if the richest people paid a 5% wealth tax for two years, they say.
Photo courtesy of Sun Star
For decades, Election Day has been just out of reach for many American troops and civilians abroad. After struggling to get the paperwork needed to register, they often receive their ballots too late to return them by the deadline.
On Thursday, however, federal lawmakers made it easier for American citizens to cast ballots overseas. By a 68-to-29 vote in the Senate, Congress gave final approval to legislation requiring all states to provide overseas voters with the new option of getting ballots electronically and no later than 45 days before the election. This is so voters have adequate time to complete and mail them back to the United States.
(Continue reading in the New York Times, subscription needed)
A 20/20 news special recently confirmed that we have a large measure of control over our own levels of happiness — at least 40 percent within our own control, according to researchers interviewed. Only 10 percent is circumstantial and about 40 to 50 percent is genetic. Most interesting is the notion that you can change your brain — and your circumstances — if you are committed to being happy. Here are four ways to get started.
A 20/20 news special recently confirmed that we have a large measure of control over our own levels of happiness — at least 40 percent within our own control, according to researchers interviewed. Only 10 percent is circumstantial and about 40 to 50 percent is genetic. Most interesting is the notion that you can change your brain — and your circumstances — if you are committed to being happy. Here are four ways to get started.
Teachers, construction workers and public safety officials appear to be the initial winners from the states’ share of the $787 billion federal economic stimulus package, according to the first quarterly reports filed by states to show how many jobs the rescue plan saved or created.
States were required to file the reports to the federal government by Oct. 10, but federal officials won’t release the complete state-by-state information until Oct. 30. Many governors made public their states’ reports this week after forwarding them to Washington, D.C., offering a preliminary glimpse of whether the stimulus has been effective.
“The fact is, it’s working,” asserted Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D), who stressed at a news conference that Oregon would be worse off without the $4 billion the state will receive from the package. So far the spending has created more than 8,200 jobs, mostly in education and highway construction, the governor said.
The Interior Department on Thursday proposed designating more than 200,000 square miles of land, sea and ice along the northern coast of Alaska as critical habitat for the shrinking polar bear population.
“The area, the largest single designation of protected habitat for any species, encompasses the entire range of the two polar bear populations that exist on American land and territorial waters,” reports the New York Times today.
Smashing a Guinness World Record, more than 173 million people around the world joined forces with the United Nations to call on global leaders to stamp out poverty and take action to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by their deadline of 2015.
Over 3,000 events were held in more than 120 countries in the fourth year of the “Stand Up, Take Action, End Poverty Now!” campaign over the weekend. Nearly 60 million more people took part in the festivities this year compared to 2008.
Despite the deadly typhoons which recently slammed into the Philippines, over 35 million people took a stand in that country, while the Irish rock band U2 brought 50,000 concertgoers to their feet during a show in the United States.
Starting next year, Levi Strauss will extend the idea of Care Tags for washing, drying and ironing, to add an encouragement for consumers to donate these clothes when no longer needed.
Goodwill Industries joined with Levis yesterday to announce A Care Tag for Our Planet, a new initiative that aims to put billions of pounds of unwanted clothing to good use, instead of into landfills.
“This initiative uses our global voice to empower hundreds of millions of consumers around the world to join us by providing simple and actionable ways to help care for our planet,” said John Anderson, president and chief executive officer of Levi Strauss & Co.
LіfеSаvеr, a UK-bаѕеd manufacturer оf роrtаblе and rеuѕаblе wаtеr fіltrаtіоn systems, рrоudlу аnnоunсеd a brаnd new product that “rеvоlutіоnіzеѕ” соmmunіtу аnd оff-grіd wаtеr рurіfісаtіоn. Cараblе of рrоduсіng mоrе thаn 132,000 gаllоnѕ оf safe drіnkіng wаtеr аt thе turn of a tap, the C1 offers thе bеnеfіtѕ оf mass water purification fоr lаrgеr communities wіth the simplicity аnd еffісіеnсу of LіfеSаvеr’ѕ ѕmаllеr dеvісеѕ.
Mеаѕurіng аррrоxіmаtеlу thrее fееt lоng аnd less thаn tеn inches tall, the C1 can еаѕіlу bе ѕhірреd аnd іnѕtаllеd іn even thе most remote соmmunіtіеѕ. Ideally suited fоr соnnесtіоn tо оvеrhеаd water ѕtоrаgе tаnkѕ оr munісіраl piped ѕuррlіеѕ whеrе water ԛuаlіtу mау be соmрrоmіѕеd, іtѕ lightweight, robust construction аnd ԛuісk соnnесt fіttіngѕ mаkе іt іdеаl fоr еmеrgеnсу оr dіѕаѕtеr response. A ѕіnglе C1 unіt wіll рrоvіdе a соmmunіtу of 100 реорlе dаіlу drinking wаtеr fоr uр to fоur and a hаlf уеаrѕ, at a nеglіgіblе cost per gаllоn. In аddіtіоn, multірlе C1 unіtѕ саn bе dаіѕу сhаіnеd tоgеthеr, runnіng frоm the ѕаmе source, іn оrdеr tо multiply the оutрut of potable wаtеr.
“We dеvеlореd thе C1 tо overcome some of thе challenges we fасеd wіth dерlоуіng our muсh lаrgеr and hеаvіеr C2 units,” ѕауѕ Joe Lоvеgrоvе, Tесhnісаl and Operations Dіrесtоr аt LіfеSаvеr. “Nоw wе саn provide thеѕе соmmunіtіеѕ wіth lоng tеrm solutions for ѕаfе drіnkіng water wіthоut аѕ much logistical burdеn аnd аt a lоwеr соѕt. Bеіng аblе to еаѕіlу lоаd a C1 оntо a canoe tо reach a remote vіllаgе, fоr еxаmрlе, іѕ gоіng to be a game сhаngеr whеn іt comes tо humanitarian aid аnd dіѕаѕtеr rеѕроnѕе.”
Like аll оf LifeSaver’s ultrаfіltrаtіоn products, thе C1 еffесtіvеlу removes 99.9999% оf bасtеrіа, 99.99% of microbial суѕtѕ ѕuсh аѕ gіаrdіа or cryptosporidium аnd 99.99% оf vіruѕеѕ frоm wаtеr supplies, wіth no electricity оr chemicals rеԛuіrеd. An іnсоrроrаtеd drаіn роrt аllоwѕ fоr rоutіnе cleaning and fluѕhіng of thе filter, whісh is easily rерlасеаblе, and FailSafe tесhnоlоgу еnѕurеѕ that wаtеr саnnоt раѕѕ thrоugh оnсе the fіltеr membranes are blосkеd.
(Continue reading in Ode Magazine)
Efren Peñaflorida grew up in a Filipino slum near the city dump, but vowed to better his life through education. In 1999, while in high school, he recruited friends to reach out to slum kids as an alternative to gang membership, always rampant on-campus.
They began a feeding project for the children who scavenge for left-overs and spoiled food in the dump site. They supported their effort by selling old newspapers, bottles, and recycled products.
Today, the teens cart a portable schoolroom down the road to reach the 1,500 labor-exploited and neglected street children, teaching them English, math and hygiene.
Efren’s Dynamic Teen Company has 10,000 members.
Watch the first hero story below, featuring Efren in three videos, or read the full report at CNN Heroes.
Take a firsthand look at the Philippine slums where CNN Hero Efren Peñaflorida played as a child.
One Filipino teen describes his drug use at an early age and the life-changing day when he met CNN Hero Efren Peñaflorida.
Some 200 poor children with deformed limbs have come to Bangalore in the hope of learning to walk, skip and jump like their friends. Helping them realize their dream will be 30 top surgeons from India, UK and USA who will conduct 30 surgeries a day. All this is free of cost, thanks to the Sparsh Vachana project.
The hospital came alive on Monday when doctors began their week-long operations…
(Continue reading in the Times of India)
Thanks to Linda for submitting the link!
Target and CVS stores are starting new programs to reward shoppers for not requesting new plastic bags with every purchase, either with a 5 cent per bag credit, or a one-dollar cash bonus for four consecutive no-plastic visits, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.
Editor’s Note: Do what I do. Carry cloth bags in your car and never accept a plastic bag when purchasing only one or two items. (You can buy a Good News Network bag at CafePress, but I have to say, it is not as big or sturdy as the price would indicate… I like all the other products, though!)
RELATED STORIES: Nation’s Capitol Takes Stand Against Plastic Bags
Great Britain Launches Plastic Bag Campaign
Wal-Mart to Cut Global Plastic Shopping Bag Waste
A Tax We Could All Benefit From (Ireland’s bag usage dropped 94% within a week of imposing a 33 cent tax on each bag)
China Bans Free Plastic Bags
Whole Foods Ditches Plastic Bags
Australia to End Plastic Bags in Supermarkets
India Youth Spurring Locals to Trade Plastic Bags for Eco-Friendly Sacks
Water purification is only the beginning of the good things that are happening for the poor in India — all in the name of “business” but to benefit those who need help.
Indian companies are becoming cutting-edge innovators as they target one of the world’s last untapped markets: the poor.
For the slum family struggling to get clean water, there is a $43 water-purification system. For the villager who wants to give his child a cold glass of milk, there is a tiny $70 refrigerator that can run on batteries.
“Our family has never had a refrigerator before.”
The San Francisco-based Trust for Public Land recently rescued 595 acres of oak woodlands and 2 miles of river in the Sierra foothills that had been slated to be bulldozed for homes. When the bottom dropped out of the economy the plan to build homes was yanked, allowing the trust to swoop in with a $4 million offer that was quickly accepted.
All over California, tough economic times are forcing investors and developers to abandon housing projects and real estate deals that would have made them a fortune just a few years ago. Conservation organizations and trusts are moving in to buy the land, often at bargain basement prices, promising to preserve the land forever — a trend that conservationists are calling the “green lining” (instead of the silver lining) on the sour economy.
Thanks to Sarah F. for submitting the link!
Apple Inc. once again defied the gravity of high general unemployment, reporting that its fiscal fourth quarter profit rose 47 percent. The company reported it sold more Macs and iPhones in the fourth quarter which ended Sept. 26 than in any prior quarter, making it the most profitable quarter in Apple’s history.
At Yellowstone National Park, the soda cups and white utensils are made of plant-based plastics that dissolve magically when heated for more than a few minutes.
At Ecco, a popular restaurant in Atlanta, uneaten morsels are dumped into five-gallon pails and taken to a compost heap out back.
A Corvette parade longer than 10 miles snaked down the Atlantic City Expressway, each car filled with toys for the Marine Corps’ Toys For Tots campaign.
More than a thousand people from Corvette clubs across the Northeast arrived on Saturday to fill the parking lot at Bernie Robbins Stadium and stack their toys under the Marine League’s tent.
The group, which distributes the toys to needy children in Atlantic County, New Jersey, said it looked like they had collected more than the 2,500 toys they got out of last year’s ‘Vette parade.
(Photos and story in The Press of Atlantic City)
Thanks to Ruth Rundgren for submitting the article!
Since the final batch of XO laptops were delivered on October 13, it is now official: Every last pupil in Uruguay’s primary school system now has a portable green and white laptop and a growing love for the free operating system, Linux.
When the teachers were asked if they were having any problems with the laptops one replied, “we can’t get the kids to leave the school. They hang around here all day long. Is there anything you can do to get them to go home?”
Over the last two years 362,000 Uruguayan pupils and 18,000 teachers became part of the One Laptop Per Child project, an organization set up by internet pioneer Nicholas Negroponte with his vision of providing $100 laptops.
2014 UPDATE: A study this year shows no increase in test scores for Uruguay’s children in years following the laptop distributions. A link to the paper is here.
