"Two of Spain’s regional governments and its capital city plan to plant millions of trees to help offset the impact of the country’s spiraling greenhouse gas emissions, environment officials said. Madrid, despite its snarling traffic, already claims to be one of the cities with most parks and gardens in the world." (Reuters)
Colombia to Destroy Almost 14,000 Firearms Today
Nearly 14,000 firearms will be melted down today in Colombia in a ceremonial action highlighting the danger of illegal arms proliferation and to mark International Gun Destruction Day. The molten metal will be used to make school chairs and build a monument in memory of the victims of violence and kidnapping in Colombia, said the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in a press release.
Arab League To Make Historic Visit To Israel
"For the first time ever, the 22-nation Arab League is set to send a delegation to Israel. Its mission: to discuss a sweeping peace initiative with the Jewish state, as well as the threat posed by Hamas and other Islamic extremist movements." (RadioFreeEurope)
Sun-Scorched Phoenix Takes More Heart for its Homeless
"After 30 homeless people died during a hot streak in 2005, officials and faith-based groups in Phoenix redoubled efforts to serve the homeless, adding hydration stations and large, cooled rooms with cots or mats on the floor to temporarily house people." (CS Monitor)
Live Earth Concert Series (Video Review)
The ‘Live Earth’ concerts wrapped up at Giants Stadium in New Jersey, part of a world-wide music marathon raising awareness about global warming for two billion listeners. Here’s a TV review of the music and the message from CBS and AP.
World’s Biggest Solar Farm Planned for California
Bill Barnes, CEO of Cleantech wants to create a tipping point for renewable energy by building the world’s largest solar farm. "We think the impact will be similar to the impact of the computer chip, once (it was) made on a large scale," Barnes said. "So too will the farm drive down the cost of solar." (Reuters)
Teenagers Use Internet to Raise $300K for Darfur
“In a campaign to raise money for the people of Darfur, two high school students, using social networking sites Facebook and MySpace, have raised more than $300,000 from students at 2,000 high schools, showing the strength of banding together over the Internet.” (USA Today)
Students Feed Homeless Despite City Warnings
“For nearly two years, students, parents and staff at the Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School have handed out food and supplies to the homeless once a week on the sidewalk near JFK Plaza in Philadelphia.” But last Thursday the new city manager asked them to stop and sent police to the scene. The school refuses to give up their program which has sparked discussions on the best way to help the homeless… (Inquirer)
Encouraging Girls to Pursue IT Careers
Girls are gathering at Microsoft offices this summer to attend DigiGirlz High Tech Camp, day-long events designed to dispel stereotypes of the high-tech industry and encourage girls to pursue IT careers. DigiGirlz gives young people a chance to experience firsthand what it is like to work in a company on the cutting-edge of technology. One participant came away saying, "I thought you had to be a geek to work here, but this camp changed my mind."
4 Baby White Tigers Make Debut in Mexico Zoo (Video)
A litter of 5 Bengal tiger cubs – 4 of them white – have made their debut at Mexico’s Guadalajara Zoo. Watch this AP video feed showing the cubs romping around mother. (1:06)
Major League Star Helps Return Baseball to Inner Cities
(Minneapolis) Twins outfielder Torii Hunter worries there will be no African-Americans playing baseball in the next 10 years because black kids aren’t playing it. In Minnesota he is encouraged by a unique program, Return Baseball to Inner Cities, which also teaches life lessons to inner city kids thanks to the Twins Community Fund. Click for Video (4:14)
Study: Men Talk Just as Much as Women
One goal of the Good News Network is to break stereotypes of society that no longer serve. "An article in this week’s issue of Science blasts the popular myth that women are more talkative than men." After listening to the daily chatter of almost 400 college students, a new study that claims to be the first of its kind found the rate of talking was nearly equal. "The stereotype of the ‘female chatterbox and silent male’ needs to be debunked. Not only because women are harmed by it, but because men are disadvantaged by it, too," said University researcher, Matthias Mehl…
Autistic Savant Draws Rome After Viewing it Once
Autistic artist Stephen Wiltshire is a “star among savants.” In the film Beautiful Minds, A Voyage into the Brain, he is introduced as “The Living Camera.” As a child, Stephen was mute and did not relate to other human beings. When he was 11 he sketched the entire city of London in detail after viewing it only once from an airplane. The film tests his ability to draw the city of Rome in panorama after seeing it for the first time in a helicopter. He is given three days to complete the drawing and succeeds brilliantly in rendering exactly the number of columns and archways. (Video 5:15)
Steven lives in London. After studying architectural drawing, he opened his own gallery. His published works are in print and touring the world on exhibit. His website is full of his art : www.stephenwiltshire.co.uk
Other films have been produced about Steven, which he lists here on his site. This film was made by Colourfield Productions, Dortmund, Germany.
Live Earth Concerts on 07/7/7 Tune in Worldwide Climate Message and Music
Plan this Saturday, 7/7/07, to check in with Live Earth, a 24-hour concert taking place on 7 continents that will bring together more than 100 musical artists and 2 billion people raising awareness for global warming. TV, radio, and Internet channels will carry the music and messages of Bon Jovi, Shakira, Madonna, The Police, Chili Peppers, Dave Matthews and dozens more top acts, no matter your taste in tunes…
McDonald’s to Recycle Cooking Oil to Power its Vehicles
“By converting the cooking oil from its 1,200 restaurants in Britain into biodiesel fuel, McDonald’s said it would save 1.5 million gallons of gasoline.” The new fueling program began this week with a conversion of 20 company trucks and next year promises to convert all 155 of the delivery fleet to biodiesel. (Reuters News)
Subaru Factory Sends Nothing to the Dump for 3 Years
The Subaru assembly plant in Indiana celebrates three years of operation without taking out the trash. It sends nothing to a landfill. Raw materials go in, cars – and little else – come out. Subaru says it has recycled or reused 97 percent of its excess or leftover materials like steel, plastic, wood, paper and glass. The other 3 percent supplies electricity for the Indianapolis area through the steam generated and captured during incineration.
Ode to the Founding Fathers on the Fourth of July
Editor's Blog –
Happy Independence Day to all Americans!
Do you remember the French newspaper headline the day after 9/11: We Are All Americans Now... I hope we can rekindle that feeling of community around the world, because Americans deserve to be thought of with warmth. Despite our government's dreadful mistakes over the years, the torch still burns faintly, the reminder that we can lead wisely, we can bring hope, we can embrace the world. I thank our lucky stars for the confluence of brave and thoughtful farmers and craftsmen who landed in Boston and Philadelphia and Jamestown as settlers, who spoke out for religious rights, freedom of speech and independence of thought…
Your Guide to Never Feeling Tired Again
WebMD has a neat list of 22 energy boosters to bring more lift to your life. The likely suspects are listed, like drink plenty of water and eat breakfast, but there are others, like playing some tunes, giving up the sweat suits for clothes that make you feel successful, and decluttering a corner, that you may not think of. Science backs up the notion that what you feel in your body has a lot more to do with what’s in your MIND than we used to believe. Thanks Andrew, for the link!
Good Golf Raises 400K to Replace New Orleans Books
A $390,000 donation to the Gulf Coast School Library Recovery Initiative will go a long way toward putting books on the shelves and hope back in the hearts of kids and their teachers in the hurricane-devastated region, thanks to a unique PGA contest called Birdies for Books. For every birdie hole played at the April 2007 New Orleans PGA pro golf tournament, $100 was pledged to the Laura Bush Foundation library effort by tour sponsor, Zurich Financial Services.
China Closes Ozone Depleting Chemical Plants
China, the world’s largest producer of ozone depleting chemicals, chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) and halon, has shut down five of its six remaining plants and banned their wide use. The facilities were closed during a symbolic ceremony on Sunday organized by Chinese authorities and chemical companies that agreed to stop manufacturing chemicals harmful to the ozone layer.
