Throughout the world “people power” is gaining momentum — even in the vegetable stands. The Women’s Institute issued an ultimatum to grocers in the UK to reduce the overabundance of plastic packaging. Now, ‘Naked’ cucumbers have been approved for display in the Co-op stores and been judged by customers to last “just as long” as shrink-wrapped fruit.
There’s a moral to this story and a pithy way to phrase it… Share your ideas below.
Gordon is legendary in his hometown as the tramp who can accurately predict the time even though he never wears a watch. A local college student paid homage to him on Facebook and now thousands round the world share photos and memories of him asking, “What’s The Time, Gordon?” (Meridian News TV on YouTube)
Every year hundreds of salamanders are killed by cars on a Canadian highway that stretches between their home in the woods and a lake where they breed. Now the government plans to build four tunnels under the road in a hopeful attempt to protect the local amphibians. (Reuters) Thanks to Lynn J. for the link!
A retired Serbian physics professor has built a house with plastic bottles in the place of bricks, using 14,000 containers his students collected as litter from the countryside. The plastic bottles offer great insulation!
Leukemia patient and former broadcast engineer, John Kanzius, has developed a new cancer-fighting technique that uses radio waves to destroy cancer-causing agents. He’s not a doctor but scientists are thrilled with his idea and are two years away from human trials. (Video)
A historical epic is to be filmed about the life and teachings of the Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, a South Asian production team said today.
Steve Hartman tells the tale of a New Orleans boy determined to help his community rebuild, even if it means doing it one blade of grass at a time, mowing and weeding land untouched since the hurricane… (Video)
For text of the full story (a report that brought tears to my eyes, this boy is so inspiring) visit CBS News.
Donate to Jack and his non-profit group, called the Mow-Rons at their website.
Or watch, the video below (YouTube):
Fifty-nine volunteer graduates from 22 Chinese colleges and universities set out on Sunday for 29 rural primary schools on a one-year teaching mission to help educate the poor. Read about Project Hope and the 13,285 rural schools built over 15 years. (Thanks, Andrew!)
Florida’s Broward County is exploring the use of crushed recycled glass to bolster its eroding beaches — a sensible addition to the beach because the main ingredient in sand is glass. (AP) Thanks, Andrew.
Twelve Afghan women arrived in Michigan last week to attend business classes. After five weeks, they’ll return to Afghanistan and help other women learn business skills, despite the naysayers who will try to stop them from pursuing their dreams. (Detroit Free Press)
Imagine the thrill. You’re an American teen, planting your toes into the sands of Brazil for the first time. Imagine total immersion into a culture unlike your own. Imagine returning home still holding someone’s hand across 9,000 miles.
The age-old tradition of pen pals has long sparked international friendships, but now it has become an avenue for providing aid to poor families overseas, with the added byproduct of lasting friendships.
Cameron Boyle, of New Jersey, co-founded the life-changing alliance for American and Brazilian children called CRIANSA Connection. CRIANSA not only means “child” in Portuguese, but also is the acronym for Children Realizing International Alliances Now, Socially and Academically. Since 2004, the CRIANSA pen pal program has taught middle class American youth that there is a larger world of children out there who live without material blessings, who nonetheless can offer the riches of kindness, friendship and adventure.
One hundred such alliances have been sparked and fueled by the CRIANSA Connection. Shelley Siller, from Northern Virginia, has been writing to her pen pal, Maycia, for one and a half years. Her letters are all translated through CRIANSA interpreters. What doesn’t need translating is the money that accompanies the letters.
Maycia’s family, along with the other CRIANSA households, face harsh daily economic realities living in Cumbuco Beach in the Northeast, one of the poorest regions of Brazil. American families sponsor a child with $365 to help the family with material needs, and to provide daily bus fare to a distant school for education beyond the seventh grade.
Grateful for the Siller family donation last year, Maycia, 14, wrote in a letter, “Many thanks to your family for their generosity! With the money you sent, my mother bought a new stove, blender, sofa, and used TV. I WILL be able to go to school next year! My dream is to be a model someday.”
But her biggest hope was that her friend, Shelley, would visit one day.
Shelley, 15, jumped at the invitation, and boarded a plane with her uncle in early August to leave the United States for the first time. A totally different world awaited her.
“We couldn’t believe her house,” Shelley reported. “Her family of eight shares a space the size of our living and dining room. They sleep on hammocks, with no air conditioning, yet they are so optimistic.”
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________________________________ Teaching Self-Reliance Through Sales of Homemade Crafts
CRIANSA helps the older children in the community of Cumbuco to raise money by creating handicrafts from recycled materials. CRIANSA’s catalog of homemade merchandise includes purses, jewelry and other crafts.
“These craft cooperatives create sustainable economic opportunities and an alternative to crime or begging,” Boyle explained. ________________________________
For corporate sponsorship opportunities, to make a personal donation, or for more information, visit www.criansa.org or write to Cameron Boyle and CRIANSA:
94 South Fullerton Ave. Montclair, NJ 07042. |
“Each evening, her dad would come in with a bag of whatever he just caught. Everyone would open it to see what dinner would be. They always fed us first, and her dad shimmied up a palm tree to get us coconuts for the coconut milk to drink.”
Siller is the first American involved in the organization to actually travel to Brazil to meet her pen pal.
During their week’s stay, Shelley’s uncle, Chris Cloud, treated Maycia’s family to things they’d never experienced, like meals out, dune buggy riding and a trip to the water park to ride the “Insano,” the world’s tallest waterslide.
“They are incredibly fun people,” remembers Shelley. “We had a blast.”
The friendships formed through CRIANSA are cherished. What if there were enough corporate donations for all the American pen pals to visit, or for these Brazilian children to travel to the U.S.? This is CRIANSA’s vision, children sharing what we all have in common universally.
Responding to a groundswell of protests from politicians and the public, BP and Indiana regulators agreed Wednesday to reconsider a permit that allows the Midwest’s largest oil refinery to significantly increase the amount of toxic waste dumped into Lake Michigan.
During International Rocket Week, enthusiasts are chasing their dream to launch the most powerful craft ever fired by amateurs in Britain. At 500 miles per hour, it is set to reach 1,829 metres (6,000 ft.). (BBC) Submitted by Andrew.
EDITOR’S BLOG – The second Good News Podcast has been recorded and is ready for a listen (or a download) on my radio page at BlogTalkRadio.com/goodnewspodcast
It will play automatically when you visit the page. And, you can subscribe to the podcast for your iPod on the same page…
We hear it, we read it, and indeed, we often say it: “This city has the most inconsiderate drivers on the planet.” But, after unending weeks of navigating the highways of Wichita, with their orange-striped cones and barrels, I’ve discovered we also have some very kind and courteous drivers. I also discovered that being thoughtful under such trying conditions raises my spirits. So, I started giving myself “Halo Points” whenever I paused for a couple of seconds to let someone enter a stream of traffic. My friend, Tracy, recently related an incident where one driver earned “Halo Points” big time.
Gaza’s only power plant went back online on Wednesday, receiving three trucks of fuel, after the European Union resumed paying for fuel supplies, ending days of blackouts after moves to ensure Hamas would not benefit from the aid.
"A clothesline — or ‘Right to Dry’ — movement is growing. Some states have introduced legislation to override clothesline bans, which are often instituted by community associations." (CS Monitor)
The hybrid car show in Madison, Wisconsin, highlights the growing trend of hybrid car ownership and is the largest convention for people with vehicles that are half gasoline and half electric. (Video)
Innovative programs in some states are requiring parents seeking separation to keep the focus on what is good for the children. A Bill of Rights for kids prohibits involving the children directly in the conflicts of the parents. (CBS Early Show link was lost)
Check out this resource, a free 28-page special report that features four secrets to successful parenting after divorce, at ThriveAfterDivorce.com.
Even with the recent drought, the grounds of the North Carolina State Legislative Building are lush and green. A water-collection system funnels rain water off the roof into underground tanks where it’s sent to decorative fountains and used for irrigation. Not a drop is wasted — not even the condensation from the building’s air conditioners. (WRAL.com) Thanks to new GNN-i member, Ed, for the link!
