The Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra, which is made up of musicians who are Shia, Sunni, Armenian and Kurdish, yesterday played a concert in Baghdad to promote unity — their first significant performance in years.
Broadcast live on Iraqi television, the performance was attended by 400 people and held to commemorate the World Day for Cultural Diversity, for Dialogue and Development.
Businesses on the Tweed Coast in Australia have embarked on a new mission — protecting their seaside paradise from plastic shopping bags. The Business Association has become one of the first chambers of commerce in Australia to formally adopt a campaign to phase out plastic bags, with local stores convinced their seaside location makes it all the more important to ensure the bags don’t find their way into waterways. Some of the shopkeepers are giving away cloth bags, some are charging for the reusable sacks, but all are eager to shift public perception for the better. (Tweed Daily News )
And, in Scotland a major new poll found that over 90% of people interviewed said they thought it important to preserve wild places. More than 60% of residents said action was needed to protect Scotland’s remote and untamed mountains, moors and glens from the damage brought by modern buildings, bulldozers and mobile phone towers. (The Sunday Herald)
A Letter to the Editor in the UK caught my eye as it called for more encouragement of young people, even if their talents required frequent trips to the pub. Commented on the exploits of a young pool player he wrote, “It looks like the young lad has a talent for the game, and enjoys playing as much as possible.”
“Similar to the way a talented footballer would enjoy his soccer. It is natural then that his parents would like to see him progress as far as possible. However, you do not see pool tables on street corners, or in bus shelters. You cannot play pool in Boot’s or Tesco’s…” Being good at something results in the “bit of pride and responsible behavior” we need in young people and adults should not look down upon the skateboarder or pool player with disdain.
I know about this having been a surprisingly good pool player myself and fond of the pub scene where my talents could be displayed! Read the rest of the letter at Market Rasen Mail
Five rare amur tiger cubs have been born at the Saint Louis Zoo. The zoo says the critically endangered Amur tigers, born less than four weeks ago, are not on display yet, but they have shared this beautiful video.
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Two people from the Maasai community of Laikipia in Kenya are to be given training in documenting and archiving their cultural heritage through a new project launched yesterday by the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
The two people from the Maasai community will travel with an expert from the National Museums of Kenya to the United States for intensive, hands-on training in documentary techniques and archival skills at the American Folklife Center and the Center for Documentary Studies, which are collaborating on the project with WIPO.
Boston Red Sox pitcher and lymphoma survivor Jon Lester earned one of baseball’s highest honors last night by throwing a no-hitter, the latest achievement in a career once threatened by cancer. He was forced to end his 2006 season early and undergo chemotherapy after receiving a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Last year the lefty hurler completed his comeback clinching a victory for the Sox in game four of the World Series. ABC NEWS reports on how Jon Lester is inspiring cancer survivors around the country. Also read ABC’s Cancer Survivor Throws No Hitter Vs Royals. Thanks to Jim Corbley for passing on the news!
Here she comes into the office again to complain, “Connie Complainer.” You think to yourself: what now? … Some complaints are valid and others are annoying. One of the biggest stresses in the workplace is the squeaky wheel that never gets enough grease. If you have one of these noisy irritants, you can transform your troublemaker into a problem solver by asking three power questions…
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Welcome to “Workplace Wednesday,” where the Good News Network explores workplace issues: Marlene Chisolm offers this weekly column in the Business Section featuring topics like negativity, stress, leadership, presentation skills, career advancement and networking. Do you know a complainer? Tell us about it and get some help in our NEW discussion forum!
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For multinational companies doing business in China, the devastating earthquake offers a chance to turn around their image and the list of Western firms that have contributed cash and goods to the aid effort reads like a Who’s Who of global business, reports Reuters News in China.
When it comes to tapping energy from the ocean, off-shore oil rigs are often what comes to mind. But the ocean itself is proving to be an efficient and environmentally friendly source of energy. Wave Dragon is developing the UK’s first offshore wave farm. See their website or watch the video from AP.
The symbol for Autism, a jigsaw puzzle piece, means more, now that a Hawaii-based jigsaw puzzle company is looking for autistic artists for its new fundraiser, The Autism Puzzle Project.
The pint-sized 2008 Smart car evokes the simple question: ‘How safe is it?’ The micro car, the smallest car for sale in the U.S., offers a good level of safety, according to crash tests conducted by the insurance industry.
The anti-violence program CeaseFire is successful at stopping shootings in Chicago, a Northwestern University study has found. “Their heavily focused intervention was surprisingly effective and reflects the power of thinking of violence as a public health problem.” The 3-year study also found CeaseFire was effective in directing gang members toward jobs, education and help with severing their ties to their gangs. Let’s hope, then, that Illinois reverses the cuts the group’s state funding. (Chicago Sun-Times)
Join a Global Town Hall Meeting webcast from East Jerusalem linking Israeli and Palestinian youth leaders with young people from around the world, today, May 19, at noon Eastern time to find out what these courageous students and youth are doing to bring change. Also find out what should be our role as citizens of the world by joining Empower Peace and OneVoice today.
The three Israel and three Palestinian youth leaders you’ll be hearing from are youth leaders in the OneVoice Movement, a 640,000-person strong Israel-Palestinian conflict resolution organization.
In February 2007, these mideast youths used an amazing video to tell their leaders, ‘Enough!’ Watch it on the Good News Network here and read the report from Davos, where the activists talked to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres and demanded a new spirit for change.
The perfect screen saver, able to reduce stress with a single glance: mesmerising sardines and their choreographed movement. (Video)
Since meeting its goal in 2007 of planting 1 billion trees, a grassroots effort to green the globe has announced that it is raising its target to 7 billion new trees.
The Billion Tree Campaign, founded in 2006 by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Kenyan Green Belt Movement founder Professor Wangari Maathai and Prince Albert II of Monaco, also announced last week that in 18 months it has seen two billion trees planted, double its original target.
Burundi’s last holdout rebel group returned to the capital on Friday to begin implementing a delayed peace agreement, reported Reuters. “We thank God that we are back in Burundi. We have come to sort out all the obstacles to implementing the peace deal.” (Reuters-Africa)
Without warning Biddeford, Maine experienced a tornado of kindness on Thursday. Residents were lifted up and spirits were tossed into unfamiliar territory as Michael Chase of the Kindness Center churned up a whirlwind of “100 acts of kindness in 100 minutes.”
At ground zero, the back of his truck parked behind city hall in the small downtown area, Michael dispensed from a large board 100 kindness cards containing action items for the volunteers to complete. Young kids handed out flowers and balloons to strangers and passers-by, who, often wanted to help with the kindness challenge themselves.
“Give me #56,” demanded a new recruit. When he turned the card over, it instructed him to go collect 12 non-perishable items for the local food pantry. He dutifully returned with a bag of groceries which the Kindness Center later donated.
Two young men were just coming from a meeting with their probation officer and asked what was going on. They immediately volunteered, but added a caveat, “But first, can I tell my probation officer? Let him know we’re doing something good?”
In the small town of 30,000 Michael Chase has become known as the “Kindness guy”. It fits. Though he was a professional portrait photographer for 16 years he gave it up recently, he says, to “pursue a career in kindness”. Chase, 38, wants to get the message out to schools and businesses about the benefits of doing something good for the community, but also of being kind to yourself.
It acted like a gentle breeze, kindness card #32, which directed the volunteer to do just that: Take 30 minutes to do something good for yourself – go have a cup of coffee and read a book!
The 100 minute kindness spree started at 6:00pm and was set to end at 7:40. People were taking a card and completing the kindness, then racing back to say ‘Give me another one!”
One volunteer joined a tree planting group at the cemetery to help them beautify the landscape, another bought coffee for someone. One picked up trash, another bought ice cream.
“Some people had such a hard time stopping,” Michael told the Good News Network by phone yesterday.
“One girl was really scared. She drew a card that said, ‘Go up to 8 strangers and give them a kindness card’.” These cards were to be handed out with a flower and they ask the person who receives the kindness to ‘pass it on’.
“She was invited by a friend and I don’t think she wanted to be there,” Chase recalled. “But then, after giving out a few flowers, she became a kindness junkie. She was just glowing.”
Another guy was thrown into unfamiliar territory when he picked a card that required someone to volunteer to call out BINGO numbers at a local nursing home.
“This guy was not into it, his girlfriend made him come,” said Chase. “We never expected that he would go.”
But he did not refuse, or, ask for another assignment. He returned after playing BINGO with the seniors, and he said, “That was awesome.” He really enjoyed it.
Each month, The Kindness Center is dedicated to projects that promote a spirit of kindness throughout our community.
On April 15-16, The Kindness Center ventured out on a non-stop day of performing spontaneous acts of kindness. Joined by his kindness crew, Michael Hallahan and Tracy Chaplin, Michael Chase spent a full 24 hours on the streets of Southern Maine (without sleep) looking for anyone that could use a hug, helping hand, or a dose of kindness. Random acts included everything from buying coffee for strangers, paying for people’s movie tickets, free city bus rides, handing out balloons, flowers and cookies, visiting schools and nursing homes, working in soup kitchens, and helping the homeless. Over 200 acts of kindness were performed.
Sign up for the Living Kindness newsletter on Michael’s lovely website here, at TheKindnesCenter.com.
Without warning Biddeford, Maine experienced a tornado of kindness on Thursday. Residents were lifted up and spirits were tossed into unfamiliar territory as Michael Chase of the Kindness Center churned up a whirlwind of “100 acts of kindness in 100 minutes.”
At ground zero, the back of his truck parked behind city hall in the small downtown area, Michael dispensed from a large board 100 kindness cards containing action items for the volunteers to complete. Young kids handed out flowers and balloons to strangers and passers-by, who, often wanted to help with the kindness challenge themselves.
Delta employees are using some of their downtime between flights to create quilts for sick kids — thousands this year alone. At the end of this video, it shows all the quilts laid out together in a basketball arena, a patchwork covering the entire floor and two-thirds of the seats. Nice work!
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