Lost and abandoned underwater fishing gear can be dangerous to wildlife as well as people. Derelict nets in particular can entrap fish, sharks and marine mammals, but also divers. That’s why locals are cheering the new University of California at Davis program that scooped up nearly 10 tons of lost and abandoned fishing gear from the waters around the Channel Islands in their first year of operating. Scuba divers removed hundreds of commercial lobster traps, fishing rods, sport traps, and a huge tangle of fishing net covering 5,000 square feet of sea floor…
10 Tons of Fishing Gear Cleaned From Channel Islands Waters
14-Year-Old Becomes Youngest to Sail Solo Across the Atlantic
“A British 14-year-old has arrived in Antigua to become the youngest person to sail the Atlantic single-handed” after departing Gibralter six weeks ago. (BBC) He’s raising money for charity with his voyage and so far has raised £1,000 for BBC Children In Need and £600 for Royal Yachting Association Sailability. Read entries from his journal at the Daily Mail (thanks to William Robertson for this link) and check out Mike’s Web site here. Congrats!
Scientists Find Way to Slash Cost of Drugs
Calling for ‘ethical pharmaceuticals,’ two professors have "devised a way to invent new medicines and get them to market at a fraction of the cost charged by big drug companies," enabling use in poor countries to cure infectious diseases and potentially slashing government expenditures on medicine. By altering the molecular structure of an existing, expensive drug they turn it technically into a new medicine, not under patent control, that can be made and sold cheaply. (Guardian)
Hero Saves Teen who Fell on NYC Subway Tracks with Oncoming Train
Wow! Read this story about a NYC man whose quick-thinking saved them both as he dove down onto subway tracks to rescue a teen who’d fallen ill and landed on the tracks in the line of an oncoming train. (AP via MSNBC)
States Take the Lead on Health Care Reform
Massachusetts has accomplished the improbable: It got Democrats and Republicans to agree on how to provide nearly every resident with health insurance. And it did so without boosting taxes or pushing aside private health plans. Other states are trying to close the gap too. Vermont’s Republican Gov. Jim Douglas and the Democratic majority in the Legislature took similar action.
Farm Helps Homeless Horses
In the rolling hills of California lies a horse sanctuary where "lucky animals are given a second chance at life." Jennifer Johns has rescued more than 1,200 horses from Canada ranches since 1999 and placed them into loving homes, including many foals that otherwise might have been sold for horse meat. (Santa Maria Times) …The farm still has horses from Alberta for adoption and welcomes volunteers. Here is their Web site with photos.
Teen Drug Use Declines by 23 Percent in Five Years
Reality must be improving for young people across the U.S. Teen drug use has declined by 23 percent since 2001, with reductions in the use of nearly every drug, including alcohol and cigarettes, according to the University of Michigan’s 2006 Monitoring the Future study, released in December. This translates into approximately 840,000 fewer youth using illicit drugs in 2006 than in 2001.
The anonymous surveys were obtained from almost 50,000 public and private school students in eighth, 10th and 12th grades. In addition to fewer kids using illicit drugs comes the good news that tobacco usage is down 50 percent over the previous 10 years. Such declines are related, according to the NIH director of drug abuse, because smoking is the real “gateway drug.”
The study also shows that while marijuana continues to be the most commonly used illicit drug among teens, current use of marijuana has dropped by 25 percent over the past five years. And for the single year from 2005 to 2006, current marijuana use dropped by 7 percent among all three grades combined.
Teen use of amphetamines, particularly methamphetamine, dropped significantly. The rates for meth use, for all three grades, is either the lowest or among the lowest recorded since the question was first included in the MTF survey. Past-month use of methamphetamine among youth plummeted by 50 percent since 2001, with less than 1 percent (.7 percent) of students using meth at least once in the last 30 days before the interview.
“There has been a sea change among American teens,” said John P. Walters, director of National Drug Control Policy. “They are getting the message that dangerous drugs damage their lives and limit their futures. We know that if people don’t start using drugs during their teen years, they are very unlikely to go on to develop drug problems later in life. That’s why this sharp decline in teen drug use is such important news: It means that there will be less addiction, less suffering, less crime, lower health costs, and higher achievement for this upcoming generation of Americans.”
Monitoring the Future also noted reductions in the following drug categories between 2001 and 2006, including:
- Marijuana use is down in all categories for all grades combined. Lifetime, past year, and past 30 day use decreased 18 percent, 20 percent, and 25 percent (from 35% to 29%; 26% to 22%; and 17% to 13%, respectively)
- Use of cigarettes is down since 2001 in all four use categories (lifetime, past month, daily, and more than one-half pack per day) in all three grades
- Youth use of alcohol was also down across the board — in all five use categories (lifetime, past year, past month, daily, and more than five drinks in a row in the last two weeks) and in all three grades over five years
- The use of steroids was down 40.2 percent, 36.8 percent, and 20.6 percent for lifetime, past year, and past month use, respectively for all three grades combined
- Declines in the hallucinogens LSD and Ecstasy since 2001 have been dramatic, declining by as much as 50 percent to two-thirds.
The MTF study is the largest and most significant survey of youth drug use and measures drug, alcohol, and cigarette use and related attitudes among eighth-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students nationwide. Study participants report their drug use behaviors across three time periods: lifetime, past year, and past month. This year, 48,460 students from 410 public and private schools participated in the survey. The survey is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of HHS’s National Institutes of Health, and conducted since its inception by the University of Michigan. Information from this study helps the nation to identify potential drug problem areas and ensure that resources are targeted to areas of greatest need.
The complete MTF study results can be viewed at monitoringthefuture.org.
Happy New Year! Top 10 Good News of 2006
If you missed our Top Ten Good News of the Year, posted last week, you might want to take a look back at some of the highlights of 2006…
1) Bold Steps Reduce Global Warming
2) Billionaire Warren Buffett Leads New Wave of Generosity
3) Environmentalists Heartened by Recovery of Many Endangered
… Click below to read (4–10)….
Editor’s Note: I’ll be back from holiday January 2 to announce the winners of our registration contest and send out their books, and of course to bring you the latest good news here at GNN-i — the best and oldest positive news site on the Internet (now in its 10th year). Happy New Year and may Good bless you!
First US Cities to Require Green Building Codes
Boston and Washington DC are trying to become the first major US city with requirements that all new large buildings adhere to "green" building standards that make structures environmentally friendly and healthier to occupants. Green standards require use of recycled materials and energy-efficient heating, cooling and water systems… (Washington DC moved in early December, Boston, this week)
McDonald’s Forced Out for Lack of Business in Healthy Town
While Britain may be often maligned for its cuisine, or lack thereof, we portly Americans could learn a lesson from the good folks in Tavistock, Devon. Apparently the fresh, locally grown, healthy food available in other restaurants and in school cafeterias was so good that people stopped going to the local McDonald’s, forcing the restaurant to close up shop…
New 2007 Laws Protect Consumers from ID Theft and Citizens’ Rights
State Lawmakers have been busy and their new laws for 2007 are mostly good news for consumers, common citizens and people struggling to make ends meet. Stateline.org reports:
After the ball drops in Times Square, California public colleges no longer will be able to censor their student journalists, California will cut smokestack emissions blamed for global warming and Ohio pet owners will be able to set up trust funds for their furry and feathered friends…
Flowers – A Cure for Winter Blues?
For those who may experience the winter blues in the cold dark months ahead, a new study reveals fresh flowers can be a natural remedy to enhance moods and increase energy. The behavioral research study, conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, revealed that people feel more compassionate toward others, less depressed and anxious, and have more energy when fresh-cut flowers are present in the home…
Houston Class Donates and Wraps 400 Presents for Families in Need
The British School of Houston has a very special science teacher whose idea of a merry Christmas includes giving lots of presents to families in need so they can experience the joy too. For the fourth year in a row, she has inspired her students to raise thousands of dollars — this year, more than $7,000 — to provide a merry Christmas to less fortunate families in the Houston area.
And they don’t stop there…
This year, Miss Clark and her students set out to raise about $600 per family. Their initial efforts raised over $5,600 and helped eight families. The families received a fleece jacket for each member, a gift for every adult and two gifts for every child. Each family also received a 100-dollar food gift voucher and household supplies, including plates, glasses, cutlery, toasters, blenders, sandwich makers, blankets, sleeping bags and heaters.
Unlike so many school fund-raising activities where parents are solicited for time, resources and funds, this project was fully funded by student activities. Students also accompanied Miss Jones and Miss Clark to the stores to select the gifts and supplies for the families.
But the BSH students didn’t stop there. They raised an additional $1,200 for Fiesta and Walmart food vouchers which helped a further 12 families. As if this wasn’t enough, members of the Year 11 class raised a further $350 for homeless children living in the Salvation Army Mission. The money was used to buy infant toys and gifts for teenagers.
The students helped to wrap all of the presents in their free time — this year there were over 400 to wrap. Then a delegate from each grade accompanied Miss Clark or another member of staff, to deliver the presents. The students were able to see just how much they help and how badly help is needed by so many. “My students are so philanthropic and have done so much yet again to help those less fortunate than themselves at Christmastime,” said Miss Clark. Students are already planning new fund-raising activities for next year.
“They are an inspiration to me,” says Miss Clark of her group of students. Working with Carol Jones, another British Teacher who coordinated the fund-raising activities, the students planned hot dog sales, bake sales and car washes.
Soon after arriving at the British School in Houston in 2002, Janaquin Clark began involving her students in her volunteer work. Her church, Chapplewood, runs the Manna Project which helps families from the Springbranch Family Development Centre. The centre helps impoverished families with food, clothes, furniture, utility bills, education and childcare.
Diners Pay What They Can Afford at One World Cafe
The owners of the all-natural One World Cafe in Salt Lake City have adopted a “pay what you can” philosophy doing their part to end hunger in America. Guests are asked to pay what they feel the meal is worth and if a diner doesn’t have any money to pay for their meal, they can volunteer to wash dishes, clean or weed in the organic garden. After two years, they’ve opened a sister restaurant in Denver, called So ALL May Eat…
U.S. Admits Threat to Polar Bears from Global Warming, Moves Toward Action
(Updated 12-28) The Bush Administration has formally proposed to list the Polar Bear as “threatened with extinction” under the Endangered Species Act due to Arctic ice melt from global warming. Today’s proposal is groundbreaking for the administration because for the first time it has identified climate change as potentially causing the demise of a species. Once listed, federal agencies will be obligated to ensure that no governmental action jeopardizes the Polar Bear’s continued existence or adversely modifies its critical habitat.
Youth Worldwide Raise $40,000 to Help Orphaned Chimps
Orphaned chimpanzees in Africa will get a new place to rest their heads thanks to the remarkable efforts of hundreds of young people. Members of the Jane Goodall Institute’s Roots and Shoots program raised $40,000 in 2006 for a new care facility at the Institute’s Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center, a refuge for more than 120 orphaned chimps whose mothers and families have been killed by illegal poaching…
Third graders in Los Angeles raised $430 selling hand-crafted necklaces. Youth at a zoo in Sweden raised $1,500. Eight-year-old Brandon collected jars of “chimp change” totaling $319.26 from local students at Eastern Illinois University.
The Jane Goodall Institute Roots and Shoots program is a global network of more than 8,000 groups in 96 countries that plan and implement community service projects on behalf of animals, the environment and the human community.
In early 2006, Roots and Shoots youth leaders recognized that the Tchimpounga sanctuary in the Republic of Congo was in desperate need of a new dormitory to care for a burgeoning population of infant chimpanzees. The group’s Leadership Council launched a Tchimpounga Youth Campaign to raise the needed $50,000.
Salt Lake City, Utah, girls hosted a pet show at a local park inviting people to bring their pets and enter them to win prizes. They raised over $450 for the chimpanzees.
A Dutch insurance company contributed $1330 after solicitation from Roots and Shoots members in their country. Members at the Furuvik Zoo in Sweden raised $1672, and the Sweden Chimpanzee trust contributed $1352.
Other groups held raffles, designed and sold t-shirts and went trick-or-treating for chimpanzees.
Recognizing these outstanding youthful efforts to help the infant chimpanzees at Tchimpounga, an anonymous donor stepped in to match every dollar raised up to $17,000. To date, the Roots and Shoots campaign has raised $40,000, making their original goal of $50,000 attainable. The new orphan chimpanzee dormitory in Africa will soon become a reality thanks to these dedicated young people.
Optimists Tend to Have Longer Lives
"Researchers found that out of 7,000 adults followed since their college days in the 1960s," the pessimistic persons, on average, were 42 percent more likely to die of any cause than the most positive participants (Scientific American)
Orphans in Remote Russia Cheered by Moscow Deliveries
“Children pour out of orphanage No. 72, laughing and waving, and hurry to help unload the cars, stacked with boxes of toys, sports equipment, and coats – as well as cutlery and a new VCR with a selection of cartoons.” The donations are from Moscow adults 300 miles away who generously deliver to the orphans’ doors, stepping in where the state has failed. (CS Monitor)
GNN Contest: 4 Free Books to Registered Users
Since March 16, when the GNN Web site relaunched, 968 people have registered as GNN members. (Registered users can comment on stories, send messages to other users, and submit articles.) To encourage the goal of 1000 members, GNN is giving away free books to anyone who becomes the 1000th user, and the three people who are numbers 1001, 1002 and 1003…
Gratitude Comes Through Service
Part 5 in our series on gratitude: The I in gratitude represents involvement in our community. Involvement shows that we are grateful for what we have and we are grateful for the opportunity to make it even better. I salute people who perform public service as elected officials, on boards of charitable organizations or churches, or leaders in youth groups such as Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, cadets and children’s sports (photo – an Eagle Scout project provides school supplies to Iraqi children)..
