“City officials in Dallas plan to have the state’s first landfill that captures methane gas for conversion into natural gas to be used in homes. If successful, the McCommas landfill will use banana peels, milk cartons and newspapers to fuel up to 16,000 homes.”
Dallas Accelerating Production of Trash to Gas
Study: World Getting Happier
Overall, the world is getting happier, according to a World Values Survey, done regularly by a global network of social scientists. It found happiness to be on the rise since 1981 in 45 of 52 countries analyzed. Some of the optimism is attributed to economic growth in previously poor countries, democratization of others, and rising social tolerance for women and minority groups. The happiest country is Denmark. The US ranked 16th. (MSNBC.com has the story)
Wal-Mart To Eliminate Wood from Illegal and Unknown Sources
Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, has committed to using more wood from sustainable, certified sources and phasing out wood from illegal or non-sustainable sources. By becoming a member of the Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN), Wal-Mart will be helping to save the world’s most valuable and threatened forests.
DC Mural Project Covers up Graffiti
A city-funded project to cover graffiti launched this weekend in DC as six teenagers began creating images of “a trumpet player, a girl playing a guitar and a diploma-clutching graduate to cover a huge 50-foot-long brick wall. Over the coming year, 12 murals of aerosol art will be commissioned across the city and painted by local teens using a type of oil paint that repels the spray paint typically used by taggers.” (Washington Post has the story and another photo)
Lebanon, Syria to Establish Diplomatic Relations
Western countries welcomed a historic decision by Lebanon and Syria to open diplomatic relations after talks with the French president Saturday.
1-on-1 Tutoring After School Behind a Pirate Supply Shop Changes Kids
What if you wanted to help kids transform their reading and writing experience? Dave Eggers did this by moving his magazine staff of editors and writers inside a tutoring center to give kids one-on-one attention amidst the whimsical environment of a Pirate Supply Store. An amazing adventure was created that shapes the life of every young person who enters. The intention for this new kind of learning experience in San Francisco became a place called 826 Valencia, but today, a handful of similar tutoring centers have begun in New York (behind the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Store), in Los Angeles (behind the Echo Time Travel Mart — a sort of 7/11 for time travelers), and other cities where creative adults give time and devotion to kids and their words.
Dave’s tutoring center transforms the lives of children who once were struggling at below-average reading and writing levels, turning these same children into authors of their own ideas and inspiration.
Studies have shown that tutors can boost a student’s grade-level by a full grade with just 45 to 50 hours of one-on-one attention, but Eggers goes a step further. He makes homework time not just a chore, but a time when kids’ ideas are given center stage with serious attention.
826 Valencia has expanded to a family of seven nonprofit satellite organizations dedicated to helping students, ages 6-18, with expository and creative writing at seven locations across the country, including Ann Arbor, Seattle, Boston and Chicago.
Eggers has also co-founded a foundation that builds schools in Southern Sudan. He won a 2008 TED Prize for his work, which comes with $100,000 and the chance to make your wish come true. Dave wishes to gather 1000 stories of transformation in public schools through individuals who volunteer or make a difference in some creative way, hoping to inspire others to help the public schools and teachers. He set up a website that will bring his wish to fruition at http://onceuponaschool.org.
Below is a video of Dave Eggers at the 2008 TED conference talking about his tutoring centers and Once Upon a School. Many laughs during his slide show will inspire us all.
(Thanks to Tosho Bailey for submitting the idea and initiative for this story!)
D.C. SmartBike Revolution (Video)
DC is the first city in the nation to start a cycle sharing program like those in Paris and Barcelona. The new bike rental program, ideal for commuters, costs just $40.00 per year to join.
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Five Celebrities We Can Admire
While the mainstream media elaborates on the latest celebrity divorce or drug problem, many Hollywood stars are making our world a more positive place. Here are some examples:
Cindy Crawford made appearances over the July 4th weekend in Madison Wisconsin to raise awareness of pediatric cancer. Crawford is the honorary chairwoman of Kids with Courage which was having a 4th reunion to celebrate childhood cancer survivors. She also took part in similar reunions here in 1993, 1998 and 2003. The University of Wisconsin indicates Cindy Crawford has been contributing time and money to the UW Pedriatric Oncology program for nearly 20 years.
Earvin “Magic” Johnson continues his efforts to prevent and fight AIDs. In conjunction with National HIV Testing Day, the Magic Johnson Foundation, and Abbott launched a new Facebook group to further engage young adults in the I Stand With Magic program and its efforts to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS in the African-American community.
By utilizing Facebook’s wide-reaching social media network, the I Stand With Magic program is continuing its commitment to reach young people nationwide and encourage them to get educated, get tested and seek treatment for HIV. The Facebook group, provides a new opportunity for individuals to personally engage, educate and urge their family, friends and colleagues across Facebook’s active online community to protect their health by knowing their HIV status — the first and most important step in the fight against the HIV epidemic.
Magic and his wife have also made a series of Public Service Announcements targeting the African- American and other minority communities where almost 50% of new HIV infection are occurring.
Pierce Brosnan recently donated over $1 million to help the environment. The Irish actor, who now lives in Hawaii with his wife Keely and their children, has become a dedicated ‘green’ campaigner in recent years, receiving an Environmental Leadership Award from the Green Cross organization in 1997. The star has set up a trust with his wife, which donates funds to eco-friendly organizations — over $1 million so far. Brosnan urges us to help the cause in our own way: “People can give back by donating to offset emissions such as planting trees and paying carbon tax when traveling in environmentally sensitive areas.”
Will Smith focuses on inner city families with his wife, Jada Smith, helping the less fortunate with a number of critical issues: violence prevention, substance abuse, and education. The Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation funds charitable organizations in Baltimore and Smith’s native city of Philadelphia. The Foundation supports inner-city community development, encourages youth educational projects, and works with under-privileged kids and their families. Smith has said that more than anything he wants to carry himself in a way that would make his family proud.
In addition to his local community work, Smith and his wife have donated significant time, work, and money to helping the suffering families and children in South Africa. This spring Smith hosted the Nelson Mandela AIDS benefit concert in George, South Africa. Mandela has been one of his heroes for a long time because people like Mandela inspired Will to believe that “Greatness is in each and every one of us. You just have to decide to embrace it.” Ever an optimist, Smith learned early on from his family that anyone can achieve greatness with enough hard work and persistence.
Celine Dion continues her long efforts to combat cystic fibrosis. Celine Dion had been a leader in efforts to address Cystic Fibrosis since 1982, promoting public awareness of the disease on an international level. Cystic Fibrosis is a disease that usually develops in early childhood, affecting the lungs, sweat glands and the digestive system. The singer/songwriter has been dedicated to the cause since her adolescence and currently holds the position of the National Celebrity Patron for the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (a position held since 1993.). She has hosted benefit concerts, attended press conferences, and addressed the disease in some of her songs. Her hope is to find a cure or control for the disease in the very near future. It is her belief that her dedication to this cause, and the dedication of many others, can and will make a difference.
Website Gives Best Gas Prices in Your Area
With so many people concerned about saving money on gas, the usefulness of this web site, www.gasbuddy.com, is incomparable. Give them your U.S. zip code or Canadian province, and see a list of the lowest gas prices found in your area. In my Virginia suburb, Costco indeed has the best prices, which is why there is always a crowd at their pumps.
Elsewhere on the web is this list of 18 Tips for Raising Your Fuel Efficiency. Most you may be familiar with, but it serves as a reminder to check your tire pressure! I know loads of people who don’t check this vital sign, who may be using more gas than would be needed otherwise. A good list to have.
I’m Back from England and Rome!
I am back from two wonderful weeks touring Rome and England. Thanks to my summer intern, Cristina Frick, we were able to pre-publish 4 stories for each day I was gone. Many of you received customer support via my laptop, thanks to free wifi in hotels and cafes.
This photo shows the cobble stones and ochre buildings surrounding the Campo di’ Fiori piazza in Rome. Our hotel was steps away and we enjoyed lovely meals in the evenings when these piazzas would come alive with outdoor dining, musicians, and locals gathering for biers and friendship.
Iraqi Confidence is Encouraging
“The fact that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is calling on the United States to commit to a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops is an indication of his newfound confidence in the ability of Iraq forces to eventually take over the task of providing security for the Iraqi people. It is a welcome sign that the Iraqi government is beginning to stand on its own feet and is looking forward to the day when full sovereignty will be returned to that nation.” (Read the full Opinion column at Charleston.com)
Quest for Renewable Energy is New ‘Green Gold Rush’
“Investment in clean energy hit record highs in 2007, creating a “green energy gold rush” and powering a fundamental transformation of the world’s energy infrastructure.”
“Just as thousands were drawn to California and the Klondike in the late 1800s, the green energy gold rush is attracting legions of modern day prospectors in all parts of the globe,” said Achim Steiner, head of the United Nations Environment Program, which released the report las month. (Read about the most profitable companies in the ‘green rush’ at Forbes.com)
High School Students Leading a 48 State Voting Drive
Run to Vote combines the sport of track and field with your pledge to vote in 2008. A nonpartisan voting drive led by students and teachers from Granville Central High School in Stem, North Carolina, the Run to Vote team is traveling through 48 states to register people to vote, and collecting pledges to participate in the election this November. For every person that registers to vote or pledges to vote, one of the teachers, or volunteers from the team, will run the equivalent lap on a quarter mile track.
Through July 5, the team has run 814 laps, registered 153 people in 18 states and collected more than a thousand citizen pledges to vote. (More info on their website, Run To Vote)
Whole Foods Help Women to Live Longer
A new study suggests that whole foods such as vegetables, fruits, and legumes are helping women to live longer by preventing diseases such as heart disease and stroke.
(read the full story at WebMD)
Lower Blood Pressure Through On-Line Support
A new study shows that home blood pressure monitoring and on-line pharmacy care can be an effective treatment for high blood pressure, possibly even more effective than clinic visits.
(read the full story at WebMD)
Refugee Doctor ‘Making a Difference’ for Thousands in Burma
Thousands of people flee Burma each year, escaping poverty, oppression, and civil war.The nearest escape for most is Thailand, where they experience both despair and hope. Burmese refugee, Dr. Cynthia Maung, runs a small, modest public health clinic near the border in Thailand, and is making a difference in her community by providing essential services not available to most residents of the poor region.
Mothers line up with children, waiting for immunizations. In another line, couples with newborns wait for documents certifying their children were born in Thailand. The documents take the place of birth certificates Thailand refuses to issue.These people are refugees, and in the eyes of Thailand’s authorities, they do not exist.
But to Dr. Cynthia Maung, they do matter. Dr. Cynthia is a Burmese physician and a refugee herself. She makes a difference for thousands of her fellow refugees in Thailand and for many more inside Burma. For example, the Burmese physician founded the Mae Tao Clinic, a safe haven where miracles happen every day.
Dr. Cynthia fled Burma in 1988 following an army crackdown on those who demonstrated for democracy and justice.
“I joined with the demonstration group and then when the military seized power, people started disappearing, or missing, or fled to the border. I myself also decided to come to the border to continue struggling or working for political change,” she says.
In a two-room shack, she started doing amputations and delivering babies using instruments sterilized in a rice cooker. Young volunteer medics trained by Dr. Cynthia treat everything from landmine injuries to gastroenteritis.With donations from NGO’s and foreign governments, including the United States, Dr. Cynthia’s work has a reputation for a making a little money go a long way.One hundred 50 thousand people come here for treatment each year. Those who can, pay under a dollar.
Dr. Cynthia lives in modest quarters next to the clinic. She could have immigrated to the West and be making a huge salary. But for Dr. Cynthia, this is a greater calling.
“When we live here, we are not only treating illnesses, we can also educate young people who can go back and work in their community and who are very willing to promote the health activities in their village. So it is a very good opportunity for young people to give education and to give more hope,” she says.
The clinic trains volunteer medics who fan out into the ethnic Karen and other isolated areas of Burma. Some of the volunteers are former patients who, once desperate for help, are now the ones helping. It is they who embody Dr. Cynthia’s vision.
The Burmese physician says young people should be taught “not to feel as victims.” Instead, she says, they should see themselves as “people who can change or improve the situation.”
Dr. Cynthia is reviled by Burma’s military government. To the generals, she is a terrorist and an insurgent. To the thousands she treats and trains, she is a saint.
Part of VOA’s new Making a Difference series. Each week, VOA introduces a different individual – famous or lesser-known – working to help others. See the video to this story on VOA’s website.
93-Year-Old Man Gets High School Diploma
Harold Pugh, a 93-year-old man from Minnesota, has finally received his high school degree. Pugh completed 2 1/2 years of high school before dropping out to join the Merchant Marines earlier in his life.
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234,060 Stop Smoking After the Ban
“Record numbers have given up smoking because of the ban on lighting up in pubs, clubs and restaurants. A report shows 234,060 people quit cigarettes in the months before and after the law introduced in England a year ago – a figure up 22 per cent on the previous year.” (The UK Mirror)
Energy-Saving Technology Inspired By Humpback Whales’ Flippers
A new energy-saving wind turbine has been modeled after the flippers of humpback whales. The bumps on the whales’ flippers allow water to flow over them more smoothly, saving energy. The principle has now been adapted to capture wind energy.
Overfished Species Recover Fast
Swedish Radio & Swedish Science Radio reported on June 24th, 2008, that overfished species are able recover fast in marine reservations where no fishing is allowed. The results were published by Australian scientists who had done research in the world’s largest marine reservation, the Great Barrier Reef, outside the northeastern Australian coast.
