Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods unexpectedly rose in February, increasing 3.4 percent, contradicting economists who had expected a 2 percent drop. It was the strongest one-month gain in 14 months. Demand rose for military aircraft and parts, machinery, computers and fabricated metal products.
Orders for Durable Goods Jump 3.4% in February
Housing Starts Unexpectedly Surge in Feb.
Unexpected gains brought welcome news in the housing market today. The Commerce Department reported that nationwide sales of newly built single-family homes in February rose a surprising 4.7 percent, at their fastest pace in 10 months.
California home sales in February were 83 percent ahead of the previous year and sales jumped 15.6 percent in the Northeast.
Pakistan Chief Justice Reinstated After Year of Protests (w/ Video)
Supporters of Pakistan’s reinstated chief justice Muhammad Chaudhry celebrated the judge’s first day back at work since the government backed down in the face of mass protests and restored him as the country’s top judge.
Chaudhry was stripped of his Supreme Court job by the former-president, Perez Musharraf, who feared the judge would expose and repeal presidential actions deemed blatantly unconstitutional.
Supporters showered him with rose pedals as he left his home on Monday. He was reinstated last week by President Asif Ali Zardari who hoped to calm a political crisis and avert further protests that threatened to destabilize his government.
The video below, from Reuters, may take a moment to load…
Plan for Free Festival to Mark Woodstock’s 40th Anniversary
The last attempt to revive the original Woodstock experience, for a 30th anniversary festival in 1999, ended in chaos with hundreds of police officers called to the site to stop rampaging fans from looting the overpriced vendors.
Now Michael Lang, the organiser of both events, is risking the Woodstock name once again by attempting to put together a free, green festival for the 40th anniversary.
Talks have been opened with a distinctly retro line-up of bands, including The Who, Santana, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Joe Cocker, the Dave Matthews Band and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Read about a myriad of anniversary plans for books, DVDs, TV and more, to celebrate the 40th year since the Summer of Love.
Twelve Amazing Shipping Container Houses
While a number of resourceful people have converted shipping containers into make-shift shelters at the margin of society for years, architects and green designers are also increasingly turning to the strong, cheap boxes as building blocks for beautiful structures.
Discover some of the exciting possibilities of shipping container architecture, from disaster relief shelters to luxury condos, vacation homes, and off-the-grid adventurers. See what makes them green as well as cutting edge. (Photo: Urban Space Management)
Strangers Lend a Hand to Job Seekers
Alarmed by the nation’s rising unemployment rate, many working Americans are going out of their way to help their laid-off counterparts — often complete strangers — secure new positions. They’re sharing job leads, leveraging their networks and making referrals and often putting their own reputations on the line.
Paraplegic Man Walks After Spider Bite (w/ Video)
A bite from a poisonous spider had a miraculous result for a paraplegic man in California. After nearly 21 years in a wheelchair, he was able to walk again.
David Blancarte had no use of his legs after a motorcycle accident nearly killed him, until a spider bit him and within a week, his legs woke up, CBS13.com in Sacramento reported.
Watch CNN video below or read story at CBS-13…
Ben & Jerry’s Unveils its eCONEomic Relief Plan – Today Only
Give yourself a treat at Ben & Jerry’s today for $1.00, when you bring a non-perishable food item as a gift for the local food bank.
On Tuesday, March 24th, do something good for your local food pantry and you get to choose from the full list of legend-dairy flavors like PhishFood, Cherry Garcia and Chunky Monkey to quell your own hunger — for just a buck.
“Ben & Jerry’s knows it’s a tough economic time for everyone right now, so we wondered what we could do to sweeten the sour economy,” said the company’s press release this morning. “The answer: let’s do something good for the community and offer you a cone for a buck just for helping out.”
The way to participate is simple: Just bring in a non-perishable food item on Tuesday, March 24th and drop it off at your participating Ben & Jerry’s. (Make sure to check with your local Ben & Jerry’s for exact hours and participation.)
If you need more information visit www.benjerry.com to read about the eCONEnomic Relief details
Thai ‘Spider-Man’ to the Rescue on Window Ledge
A Bangkok firefighter dressed up as the comic book superhero Spider-Man to rescue an eight-year-old boy who had climbed on to a third-floor window ledge. The unusual disguise was successfully used to coax the boy, who is autistic, from his dangerous perch.
(Photo and story from the BBC) Thanks to Grace for story tip!
Indiana High-Tech Success (Video)
Some small businesses are finding great success in Indianapolis and attracting big companies like Microsoft away from the coasts.
Indiana University graduates produce a high tech talent pool for businesses, and there is loyalty among employees.
UK Team Builds Robot Fish to Detect Pollution
Robot fish developed by British scientists are to be released into the sea off north Spain to detect pollution. The team hopes to use the five-foot-long robotic fish to find pollution in rivers, lakes and seas across the world.
Dow Surges 500 Points as Geithner Unveils Toxic Asset Plan
Tim Geithner went from zero to hero in a matter of just a few days. Last week, people were calling for the Treasury Secretary’s head in the wake of an AIG bonus report. But now that he has finally unveiled the public-private partnership plan to buy up toxic assets from banks, the Dow surged nearly 500 points today, a gain of 6.8%, and stocks around the globe soared on the news.
“It’s a buying stampede,” said Jeffrey Saut, chief investment strategist for Raymond James Financial. Saut thinks that it’s now possible that the market hit bottom earlier this month.
(Read more at CNNMoney.com)
When Hope Heals: A Positive Sense of Calm and Control Helps Fight Disease
Cancer and AIDS seem to develop faster and more aggressively in patients who have less control over their stress, which is one reason why support groups are so helpful.
At the University of California, Los Angeles, Assistant Professor Steve Cole found that AIDS treatments benefitted those who remained calm facing life’s difficulties far more than those who have trouble controlling their stress. In the latter group, the virus spreads four times as fast.
(Great advice from David Servan-Schreiber in Ode Magazine)
For World Water Day Groups Get Pumped, and Get Hiking
To honor World Water Day today, the Rotary International and USAID have launched the International H2O Collaboration to implement water, sanitation, and hygiene projects in the developing world.
Rotarians worldwide, however, are focused all year long on the issue, like john Hopf who quit his job to hike 2,000 miles for water awareness. Rotary clubs are volunteering their time and resources to provide safe water and sanitation facilities to communities in need.
Today, Hopf takes his first steps down the Appalachian Trail as part of Hike4Water, a fundraising effort to support clean water solutions in Guatemala and Tanzania.
The 26-year-old quit his job as a fitness manager to hike the entire 2,200-mile trail from Georgia to Maine within about five months, stopping along the way to raise awareness among Rotary clubs and talk to the media.
Independent Bookstore Stands Strong
In an era when conventional wisdom holds that independent bookstores are being vanquished by the big, bad book chains, Nancy Traversy has so far been victorious with her children’s book empire.
In 2007, her publishing company and bookstore made Inc. magazine’s list of the fastest-growing businesses. The Barefoot Books website and store sales grew nearly 40 percent in 2008. (Photo, right, employee shows off new books in the colorful Barefoot Books store)
MIT Breakthrough Promises Lighter, Fast-Charging Batteries
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a way to charge lithium ion batteries in seconds, instead of hours, that could open the door to smaller, faster-charging batteries for cell phones and other devices.
Lithium ion batteries can store large amounts of energy, but can take hours to recharge. Now, a team of MIT scientists discovered that lithium ions, which carry electricity in the battery, can move much faster if they are aligned with tunnels that can be accessed from the surface of the battery.
Residents Rally to L.A. Food Pantry’s Aid
Fliers distributed describing the local food pantry’s ‘extreme shortage’ of food amid rising demand, led to 3,000 pounds of food flowing in. The residents of Bell Canyon really came through in support of L.A.’s West Valley Food Pantry, organizing an easy way for neighbors to drop food by their mailboxes.
AutoNation to Cover Car Payments for Laid-off Workers
Auto-dealership franchise AutoNation said Wednesday that it will cover car payments for up to six months for buyers who lose their jobs, similar to a provision pioneered by the automaker Hyundai in its Assurance Plan. Called Payment Protection, the plan began at 33 Florida dealerships. The company is considering offering it nationwide. The plan requires an initial 90-day waiting period.
African Lions Accept Man As One of Their Own
South African lion tamer and animal behaviorist Kevin Richardson doesn’t fear his animals. He’s developed a close relationship with 38 lions that allows him to swim with them, cuddle and play as one of their own. They call him the lion whisperer.
Video below may take a moment to load…
Bus Driver Delivers Free, Home-Cooked Meals Every Night
Jorge Munoz understands the true meaning of giving and service to others as evidenced by his feeding the hungry every night of the week.
At around 9:30 each night, unemployed men gather under the elevated 7 train in Jackson Heights, Queens. Many of them are homeless. All of them are hungry. They wait for the white pickup truck, filled with hot food, coffee and hot chocolate. To date, Jorge estimates he’s served more than 70,000 meals.
For information on the non-profit he has formed, visit AnAgelInQueens.org
Thanks also to Chris for submiting this link!
