The decision by Lincoln Logs to shut down production late last year as they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection jolted the Adirondack region of Chestertown.
But the 32-year-old company was purchased by a company that was already interviewing former employees for new jobs.
“They are happy this will put people back to work who would otherwise be unemployed.”
The search for a 19th-century slave ship, wrecked on a reef while illegally transporting 561 African slaves, continues in Biscayne National Park but with an new twist. The National Association of Black SCUBA Divers recruited volunteers to join the hunt and “Dive With a Purpose”.
Ken Stewart, the southern regional representative of the association sent an email a few years ago to encourage members to “dive with a purpose.” The response was immediate, and the following April, ten divers gave their own time and money to fly to Biscayne, train under the park’s sole underwater archaeologist, and begin mapping one of the 91 undocumented wrecks on Biscayne’s ocean floor.
Two years ago 5-year-old Annie suffered a massive seizure caused by undiagnosed Addison’s Disease. Inspired by the call to “act as if what you do makes a difference,” Bothell High senior Jenn Lund, 18, organized an auction this year that yielded $14,000 to help pay for treatment of the child’s brain damage.
Photo Bothell High senior Jenn Lund, Annie Sullivan and Jean Sullivan, by Fumiko Yarita / Bothell-Kenmore Reporter
(Read about the inspired teen who created Annie’s Auction at the Bothell Reporter)
Submitted by Andrea Sawyer, Jenn’s mom, in Bothell, WA
The Salvation Army Central Territory-made up of 11 states in the Midwest-announced today that a total of $3.6 million will be distributed to assist newly unemployed persons throughout the Midwest.
The money will be used exclusively for families and individuals who are in crisis as a result of unemployment occurring after Oct. 1, 2008.
Katie Couric talked about the Good News Network in her Notebook segment on the CBS Evening News last night.
“A website devoted to all the good news that’s fit to print…”
“It’s good to know that GOOD news is just a mouse click away.”
Watch the segment below…
(Featured photo by David Shankbone, CC license)
Creating a day of global solidarity, 2848 cities and towns in 83 countries across seven continents have signed up to observe Earth Hour by turning off their lights. (Photo, Sydney turned off its lights in 2008)
From the small island nations of the South Pacific to the densely populated cities of the Americas, millions of people from all walks of life and corners of the world will participate in the third annual Earth Hour, including 66 national capitals and 9 of the10 most populated cities: New York, London, Beijing, Paris, Moscow, Singapore, Berlin, Rome, Athens, Cairo. L.A., and Washington DC.
The Great Pyramids of Giza, the world’s greatest symbol of the power of collective action, head up a list of 829 landmarks around the world switching off their lights for Earth Hour, including, the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, the Empire State Building, the Acropolis, the Colosseum in Rome, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Arc de Triomphe, Sydney’s Opera House, the Las Vegas Strip, Niagara Falls and the Sears Tower.
The US Environmental Protection Agency this week called for a halt to select mountaintop removal permits, in order to address their impact on water quality.
Two letters were sent to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expressing serious concerns about the need to reduce the potential harmful impacts on water quality caused by certain types of strip mining practices, particularly mountaintop removal, where the top of a mountain is blown off, showering rock and debris into valleys and stream.
A small ad was placed in a Central Illinois newspaper by a local doctor who offered that for the duration of the calendar year, he will treat, free of charge, his regular patients who have lost their jobs or health insurance due to the current recession.
“I didn’t see it as selfless, but just my way to do my part during this economic crisis,” said Dr. Gary Turpin.
(Read more from The Journal Standard) Thanks to Jean Black for the story tip!
(Photo courtesy of Sun Star)
“I am an American and I have rights.” But, if we have our rights, don’t we also have our responsibilities?
Where our rights empower us, our responsibilities ennoble us. They are the great give and take of the American contract and the new initiative 21st Citizens is moving to rally people around a Bill of Responsibilities.
21st calls on citizens, communities and corporations — to forge a new reality, a new approach to things. It starts with “I” — the result is “We.”
To start, 21st is drafting a Bill of Responsibilities and asking for your input. Soon, 21st will evolve to provide real, actionable ways for each of us to make our mark as a Citizen of the 21st Century.
Watch their Video on YouTube and contribute your ideas on their website: www.21stcitizens.com
The good news keeps coming from Amazon.com. After surprising Wall Street with a stellar fourth quarter, the Seattle-based Internet retailer disclosed in January that its employment had risen to 20,700 people as of the end of 2008. That translates into net growth of 3,700 people — its biggest annual jump in nearly a decade.
The company listed about 100 open positions for the month of January, the vast majority of them in the Seattle region.
The job news isn’t all bad in Central Oregon. TRG Customer Solutions announced Thursday it needs an additional 350 workers at its call center in southwest Bend. Since October, TRG has been a tech support and customer service center for Apple products.
Scientists have discovered 56 species believed new to science in Papua New Guinea, including a tiny chirping frog, jumping spiders, and an elegant striped gecko.
The discoveries were announced yesterday by Conservation International whose expedition found the species last summer during a month-long study of Papua New Guinea’s central mountains.
(Photo, A newly discovered tree frog © Steve Richards)
More than 600 species were documented during the expedition. Of those, a total of 50 spider species, two plants, three frogs and one gecko are believed to be new to science. The three frogs include a tiny brown frog with a sharp chirping call (Oreophryne sp.), a bright green tree frog with enormous eyes (Nyctimystes sp.), and a torrent-dwelling frog that has a loud ringing call (Litoria sp.), pictured above. The gecko (Cyrtodactylus sp.) was the only specimen of its kind found in the dense rainforest.
Wall Street built on its big March rally Thursday as fresh nuggets of upbeat news gave traders reason to reach for more stocks. Good numbers from Best Buy Co. and ConAgra Foods Inc. as well as strong demand at a government debt auction pushed traders to step into the market. Major stock indexes rose more than 2 percent, including the Dow.
The Wii video gaming system that promotes physical activity by getting players off the couch is actually helping the elderly and kids with disease.
The Langley Park Senior Center says that those who play the Wii system regularly can improve their coordination and mobility. “I’ve had seniors that have actually been on walkers and come in with canes, that no longer have them.” (Read, Seniors strap on their Wii bowling shoes, at WTOP.com)
Doctors at Cook Children’s Medical Center are now using Nintendo’s Wii console to research and treat children with seizures. Ten systems have been donated to the Dallas area hospital by a local family.
Video below may take a moment to load…
A new survey of 743 community banks found that more than half saw an increase in deposits as a result of new customers. Business owners make up a good portion of those. Here’s more good news: Community banks are making many new loans, with 40 percent of the banks increasing their loan origination compared to the previous year.
In fact, many banks–especially smaller ones with TARP funds–are looking for entrepreneurs, as Dennis Romero found out while researching Banks Eye Entrepreneurs.
The Lone Star State leads the country in wind power. Now Texas aims to ramp up its solar production, too.
This week the state senate is considering an avalanche of bills that would boost state incentives for solar power, and the entire legislative session has become known as the “solar session.”
(Read full report in NYT Green Inc. Blog)
Photo by John Stone, www.eyeclectic.net
A nation may literally raise itself up and save its people — and do so cheaply and simply, using what the mountains and tides bring naturally. Instead of allowing the silt to settle where it wants, Bangladesh has begun to channel it to where it is needed — to fill in shallow land prone to flooding.
46 million of us itemized tax deductions last year claiming nearly 1 trillion dollars’ worth of deductions. But, in itemizing, the opportunity for mistakes is almost unlimited. It’s all too easy to miss a trick and pay too much.
Check out the 11 most-overlooked tax deductions, along with four new ones this year that are certain to be overlooked by far too many taxpayers. Claim them if you deserve them, and cut your tax bill to the bone.
After years of government and faith-based programs to give people a hand up, there is one man who may have found a “cure” for poverty. From Harvard to Harlem, Geoffrey Canada has been moved to correct a century-old problem, working in two charter schools, for more than 20 years. “His main goal has been to turn children of tough inner-city neighborhoods into college-bound citizens.”
Ending the cycle of poverty, it turns out, begins with parenting skills, because a child’s mind begins developing even in the womb, and the words they hear when young, make all the difference.
(Read the story and watch the video from Good Morning America)
Thanks to GNN member Jac Auguste for the link!
Amid tough economic realities, one website is doing its part to help consumers save money.
RepairClinic.com offers free repair help, including detailed drawings of each of the appliances, along with careful how-to explanations for most major appliance repairs. With the average professional repair costing $100-200, or more, free repair help provides families with much-needed relief.
The online retailer of appliance parts also offers more specific advice from their free “RepairGuru” service—an entire staff of repair gurus answers incoming calls helping to solve more complicated repair problems.
The site features more than 80 appliance brands—including Kenmore, Whirlpool, Maytag, GE, Frigidaire, and LG—across 16 appliance types. Do-it-yourselfers use the intuitive PartDetective®, to find the part they need or RepairGuru®, for customized, free repair help online. Appliance parts are stocked in a 72,000 sq. ft. facility and shipped the same business day.
“Business is good,” says co-founder Chris Hall, who says he is grateful to be in a business that continues to grow especially in Michigan. Now in its tenth year RepairClinic.com, based in Canton, says its customer service is the key to growth.
One customer recently said: “You just don’t get service like that anymore”. She quickly became frustrated trying to find the part she needed for her range, but when she contacted the RepairGuru at Repairclinic.com, she found the help and the part she was looking for.
“We have a lot of repeat customers from all over the country.” says Larry Beach, CEO. The company supports an in-house call center where representatives (including Spanish-speaking) receive several weeks to months of training covering every major appliance. The training is crucial in helping them be better prepared for questions from frustrated consumers who don’t know what to do when their appliance breaks.
RepairClinic.com also sponsors a radio show called “The Appliance Repair Show” to answer questions from callers looking for free appliance repair advice. Call in to the show on WJR AM 760, Sunday mornings between 9 and 10am.
