In order to improve student’s health, the Colorado Board of Education says schools under its jurisdiction will no longer be allowed to sell sodas (soft drinks), including diet sodas, or other sugary drinks in vending machines and cafeterias. (RockyMountainNews.com)
Colorado Schools to Eliminate Sale of Sodas, Offer Healthy Choices
Adrian Grenier Braves The Snow To Help Fight Hunger
Despite the blustery December weather that hit earlier today in New York City, Hollywood star Adrian Grenier nonetheless was busy lending a hand for charity. The 32-year old actor rode shotgun in City Harvest’s new hybrid truck and helped pick up unused food from local bakeries and restaurants in NYC. (Ecorazzi has the story)
Preventable Blindness Dramatically Reduced Worldwide
Thanks to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Trachoma Initiative, the number of people suffering with preventable blindness in the last ten years has been reduced from 63 million to 41 million, according to a 2008 announcement.
The International Trachoma Initiative (ITI) was founded in 1998 in response to the World Health Organization’s call to eliminate preventable blindness — trachoma — by the year 2020. ITI’s founding partners, Pfizer Inc and the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, saw the need for an international charity dedicated solely to the elimination of blinding trachoma.
In 2008, the number of Pfizer-donated antibiotic treatments surpassed 100 million, and the number of people who have received blindness-preventing eyelid surgeries exceeded 410,000.
Italy’s Poor to Dine on Contraband Caviar
Some homeless people in Italy will be savoring beluga caviar this Christmas, thanks to officials who seized 88 pounds of the contraband delicacy from smugglers. Rather than destroy the delicacy, authorities decided to donate it to charities. (AP story via MSNBC)
Dog Rescued From Frozen Missouri River
Black Eagle firefighters scaled a railroad trestle to rescue a dog that had fallen through the ice into the freezing Missouri River this afternoon. The male dog was able to muster up enough strength to bite down on a rope thrown. (Great Falls Tribune.com w/ photo)
Tree Farm Donates Trees to Foreclosed Reno Residents
The owner of Ferguson Tree Farms says he is giving away one tree to every Reno family who can’t afford one this Christmas. He says he gave away 400 trees Wednesday alone. “The economy is just really down, so there’s so many stories from people who come in here. They’ve lost their cable or their house is foreclosed, so I just try to do what I can do and still survive and make Christmas for everyone here in Reno.” (From the Channel 4 KRNV web site – includes a video)
Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother Helps Abused Kids at Christmas
My lawyer girlfriend asked, “Will you help with the holiday party for the abused kids?” “Sure, what do you want me to do?” I replied.
“Oh, just be some fairytale character” she said and hung up. I sat there staring at the phone. Which character?
My girlfriend was on the board of an organization, in San Francisco, that deals with child abuse and works on prevention through parental education. I grew up with loving parents and a secure home life, so I wanted to help.
I’ve been a performer all of my life and had no problem with that part of her request. I just wanted to make sure I chose the right character.
At first I started thinking of holiday characters like Frosty and Rudolph but they weren’t really ‘fairytale characters’ . Then I spent time considering fairy tales and nursery rhymes. I wasn’t the Pinocchio or Little Mermaid type, more like the grandmother, than Little Red Riding Hood.
Then the perfect idea came twinkling in, as if by magic. Of course …Cinderella had been abused…maybe the kids would relate to The Fairy Godmother.
Facebook Pastor Raises $21,000 for Needy Kids
Dozens of shrieking, smiling schoolchildren tore into Christmas gifts on Tuesday, the holiday coming nine days early thanks to hundreds of people they’d never met and Facebook, the social networking site. MSNBC has the story of the Atlanta pastor who took his crusade to the internet.
‘Operation Christmas Child’ Brings Cheer to Neediest Children Around the World
The annual ‘shoebox’ campaign led by the Salvation Army – ‘Operation Christmas Child’ is the world’s largest children’s Christmas project. Since 1990 the project has sent a message of Christmas joy from the UK to more than 60 million boys and girls throughout the world.
The last month has seen the 2008 campaign in full swing with homes, schools, workplaces and community groups throughout the land ransacking their cupboards to locate any shoe boxes that haven’t made their way into the recycling bin or (like mine) been stashed away at the top of the wardrobe!
Nike Donates $100,00 to Help Rebuild Football Field and Track for New Orleans
NIKE will make a $100,000 contribution to George Washington Carver High School in the 9th Ward of New Orleans for installing a football field and track in the community. The donation, which supports Carver’s “Field of Dreams” initiative, forms part of Nike’s continued rebuilding effort in New Orleans, since Katrina.
“This project is going to be the first public space of its kind in New Orleans, serving as a true community space in every sense of the word,” said Field of Dreams founder Brian Bordainick, who is a Carver High School Teacher and member of Teach For America. “Nike’s commitment reinforces the fact that individuals can believe in their own power to create a lasting change in their community.”
Scientists Record Music Composed by Fish, Ants (Video)
Scientists at Georgia Tech in Atlanta are setting the movements of fish and ants to music. The results could help both animals and humans — especially the vision impaired — live richer lives.
Breakthrough Solar Dye Coating Converts Glass Windows Into Solar Power Plants
MIT researchers have developed a new technique that involves coating glass with a specific mixture of transparent dyes which redirects sunlight to photovoltaic cells in the frame. The technology, outlined in the journal Science in July, could be used to convert glass buildings into vast energy plants. (BBC News reported on the discovery)
Iran’s Generosity in Hosting Afghan Refugees Praised
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has lauded Iran’s long record of generosity in hosting one million displaced Afghans since 1998 calling their settlement camps maybe the best in the world.
“In my work I’m used to visiting the worst places in the world, where people are suffering and life is tough,” António Guterres said on Friday, during a visit to Torbat-e-Jam, a camp located about 80 kilometres from Iran’s border with Afghanistan, housing some 5,000 refugees.
“It warms my heart to visit what is probably the best refugee settlement in Iran, if not the world,” he stated as he surveyed the 100-hectare refugee community of solid brick houses, well-equipped schools and clinics and a mosque and community centre featuring a refugee art exhibit.
Benazir Bhutto Honored During 60th Anniversary of Declaration of Human Rights
Marking the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights December 10, the United Nations honored individuals for outstanding work in preserving those rights. This year the honors were awarded posthumously to slain Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto and Dorothy Stang, a nun murdered in Brazil three years ago who defended the human rights of poor indigenous farm workers, despite numerous death threats.
The United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the most translated document in the world, according to the Guiness Book of World Records. Its creation was spearheaded by former U.S. first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and was designed to guarantee the political and civic rights of all people, including the right to freedom from torture, slavery, poverty, homelessness and other forms of oppression. The 1948 declaration was a product of a unique moment in history, when the horrors of World War II made the world aware of the sanctity of basic human rights.
(Photo: Eleanor Roosevelt holds a copy of the UDHR written in Spanish.)
Every five years the UN honors individuals working in the field of human rights to correspond to the anniversary of the declaration’s adoption. Previous recipients of the UN Prize in the Field of Human Rights have included Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter and Amnesty International in recognition of their contribution to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Additional winners this year’ include Louise Arbour, Ramsey Clark, Carolyn Gomes, Denis Mukwege, and Human Rights Watch.
“As we mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we acknowledge the tireless work and invaluable contribution of these individuals and organizations that have fought to see the rights and freedoms embodied in this historic document become a reality for people in all corners of the world,” said Assembly President Miguel D’Escoto.
Sr. Dorothy Stang of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur defended the human rights of the poor, landless and indigenous populations of the Anapu region of Brazil for nearly 40 years. She worked with farmers to help rebuild their livelihoods, cultivate their land and defend their rights from loggers and ranchers, whose threats never deterred her. She became a symbol of the fight to preserve the rainforest before being murdered in 2005 on her way to a meeting in the Amazon jungle.
Benazir Bhutto was was the first woman elected to lead a Muslim state having twice been Prime Minister of Pakistan (1988–1990; 1993–1996). Before her murder one year ago, she chaired the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a centre-left political party in Pakistan and was campaigning for national office. Bhutto told journalists in Islamabad that her party, the PPP, would focus on “the five E’s”: employment, education, energy, environment, equality.
“These awardees constitute symbols of persistence, valour and tenacity in their resistance to public and private authorities that violate human rights. They constitute a moral force to put an end to systematic human rights violations,” Mr. D’Escoto said in a press release issued November 26.
The human rights prize was first awarded on 10 December 1968 on the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is awarded every five years to coincide with the date.
More About the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is not a treaty. However, because its purpose is to define the terms “fundamental freedoms” and “human rights” embedded in the U.N. Charter, all U.N. member nations are bound by it. Cox says the UDHR has acquired the force of international law and has bolstered human rights movements.
According to Article 25 of the UDHR, “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food…” That is why it is considered a human rights violation for any government to prevent the distribution of humanitarian aid to any part of its population or to allow economic discrimination against any population group. (
UDHR info from Reuters.com)
Toledo Forgives Speeding Tickets in Exchange for Toy Donation
The mayor and police chief of Toldeo, Ohio have offered to overlook your speeding ticket if you pledge to buy a toy for the Marine Toys for Tots program.
The “Trade a Ticket for a Toy” program will run from Dec. 10 to Dec. 24. Just purchase an unwrapped new toy and drop it off at Family Dollar or Toys “R” Us in exchange for the forgiveness of any “lesser traffic citation,” which would include red light violations and normal speeding tickets.
Finkbeiner said this was one more way for Toledo residents to participate in the “act of charity and act of giving.” The average ticket fine is $130. (More at Toledo Free Press)
Partying Helps Power a Dutch Nightclub
If you felt that the atmosphere in the new hip Club Watt was somehow electric, you would be right: The dance floor harvests the energy generated by jumps and gyrations and transforms it into electricity. The Rotterdam club is one of a handful of energy-generating floors in the world, most still experimental. (NewYork Times)
Amish Gene Mutation Makes Them Immune to Heart Disease
After a dozen studies of the Amish over 15 years, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have discovered a novel gene mutation among the Old Order Amish population that significantly reduces the level of triglycerides in the blood and appears to make them immune to cardiovascular disease.
The scientists believe the mutation was first introduced into the Amish community in Lancaster County by a person who was born in the mid-1700s. This mutation appears to be rare or absent in the general population.
Mexico Pledges 50 Percent Cut in Greenhouse Gases
Mexico announced a plan on 11 December to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 using solar power, wind, and other clean technologies — making it one of the few developing countries to set a specific emissions reduction target. (AP story via Seattle Times)
World’s Friendliest Countries For Americans
Canada, Germany and Australia are topping the list of friendliest countries toward Americans who have moved abroad, says a new study: Canada is the most welcoming; almost 95% of respondents to HSBC Bank International’s Expat Exploreer Survey, released today, said they have made friends with locals. In Germany, 92% were so lucky and in Australia 91% befriended those living there. The United Arab Emirates was found to be the most difficult for expats; only 54% of those surveyed said they’d made friends with locals. (See the list results at Forbes.com)
Company Gives More Than Half Its Profits to Charity
What’s in a name? When it comes to the California-based office products firm, Give Something Back, almost everything. GSB gives back more than half its after-tax profits every year to organizations that support better education, healthcare, arts and culture, and environmental stewardship. Based on Paul Newman’s food company, which donates all profits to charity, GSB was founded in 1991 by friends Mike Hannigan and Sean Marx, who’d worked successfully in the office products business for years but yearned to give something back. And have they ever! In 2007 GSB donated more than $432,000 to California nonprofits, and this year the total donations will top $4 million.
