A man from Holladay, Utah has made it his passion to give away books, almost a half a million so far, to school children who have no libraries. Ken Deyhle has been shipping text and storybooks to 28 countries around the world with his Deyhle Foundation ever since he retired from the insurance business eight years ago. Kids now have brand new books — in Spanish and English — thanks to Ken’s contribution, with its retail value of over $5 million. (video for Windows users at KSL.com)
Utah Man Spreads Gift of Books Around the World
Stunning Finds of Fish and Coral
Scientists have discovered hugely diverse fish and coral populations thriving off Indonesia’s Papua coastlines including dozens of new species like the “walking” shark that travels on its fins. The expeditions led by Conservation International (CI) to the heart of Asia’s “Coral Triangle” confirmed the region as the Earth’s richest seascape. (“Walking” shark photo, right, by Gerry Allen)
The unmatched marine biodiversity of the Bird’s Head Seascape, named for the shape of the distinctive peninsula on the northwestern end of Indonesia’s Papua province, includes more than 1,200 species of fish and almost 600 species of reef-building (scleractinian) coral, or 75 percent of the world’s known total.
Researchers described an underwater world of visual wonders, such as the small epaulette shark that “walks” on its fins and colorful schools of reef fish populating abundant and healthy corals of all shapes and sizes.
“These Papuan reefs are literally ‘species factories’ that require special attention to protect them from (expanding commercial fishing),” said Mark Erdmann, senior adviser of CI’s Indonesian Marine Program, who led the surveys. “Six of our survey sites, which are areas the size of two football fields, had over 250 species of reef-building coral each — that’s more than four times the number of coral species of the entire Caribbean Sea.”
Researchers found more than 50 species of fish, coral and mantis shrimp previously unknown to science in the Bird’s Head Seascape that covers 18 million hectares (44.4 mil acres) including 2,500 islands and submerged reefs. The seascape also includes the largest Pacific leatherback turtle nesting area in the world, and migratory populations of sperm and Bryde’s whales, orcas and several dolphin species.
Evangelical Christian Opposes School anctioned Prayer
An evangelical Christian wrote a letter to the editor of WorldNetDaily.com describing exactly why prayer at a high school football game is a bad idea. His opinion of religious beliefs contrary to his own is not a generous or charitable one, but he now understands the alienation that can occur when one is subjected to the beliefs of others in a public environment where the community’s welfare should be the top concern…
Five Former Soviet Republics Swear Off Nuclear Weapons
Last week, five former Soviet republics committed themselves to never acquiring, manufacturing, possessing, or testing nuclear weapons by signing a treaty to create a Central Asian nuclear-weapon-free zone. The nonpartisan, independent Arms Control Association (ACA) welcomed the move as a positive step forward in reinforcing a beleaguered nuclear nonproliferation regime and advancing the goal of nuclear disarmament…
Central Asia used to house part of the sprawling Soviet nuclear weapons complex. But now Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan have broken with this nuclear past by signing the free zone pact at a former Soviet nuclear testing site, Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan. Negotiations on the agreement started in 1997.
Despite being surrounded by nuclear-armed neighbors, these five states have courageously and correctly concluded that nuclear weapons are not necessary for their future security, declared ACA Executive Director Daryl Kimball. All states clinging or aspiring to nuclear weapons should heed this principled example and take their own steps to revive the lackluster nuclear disarmament process, which is the only sure way of protecting all countries against nuclear terror, he urged.
The Central Asian zone will be the fifth such arrangement. Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty of Tlatelolco), the South Pacific (Treaty of Rarotonga), Southeast Asia (Treaty of Bangkok), and Africa (Treaty of Pelindaba) have also banded together to create nuclear-weapon-free zones. Mongolia has also outlawed nuclear weapons on its territory and all countries are prohibited from stationing nuclear weapons in Antarctica, on the seabed, and in outer space.
(Thanks to my Italian friend Sergio Tripi and his Good News Agency for all the great news in this month’s newsletter)
Gates, Rockefeller Charities Take Aim at African Hunger
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation have teamed up to tackle hunger in Africa, starting with a $150 million endowment. The alliance will focus on efforts to “improve the productivity of small farms in a bid to move tens of millions of people out of extreme poverty and to significantly reduce hunger”.
(The Seattle Times)
Soros Invests $50M to Lift African Villages From Poverty
US financier George Soros is to invest $50 million in a development project that aims to show how targeted investment can end extreme poverty in African villages. His donation is being matched by other donors to bring in $100 million for The Millennium Villages program which involves small, focused investment in community-driven projects in the health, education and agriculture sectors…
Wetlands Funding Approved by U.S. House
The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday approved legislation to reauthorize the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. The bill, which was passed by lawmakers without debate, authorizes $375 million to fund wetlands conservation programs over the next five years. (ENS)
Branson Investing $400m in Eco-Friendly Fuel Research
Richard Branson went green today when his Virgin Group launched an investment fund for environmentally friendly fuels. Branson said the new Virgin Fuels business will invest up to $400m (€315.6m) in renewable energy initiatives over the next three years. The most exciting news is that Branson said…
Crafting Guns into Guitars
Polished rosewood, guitar frets and strings are added to the shotguns and AK-47s reclaimed through Colombia’s peace process “turning tools of death into symbols of hope… As part of a United Nations program to promote peace, Luis Alberto Paredes receives the decommissioned rifles with the working parts wielded together for safety… Now, his distinctive instruments are sought by musicians worldwide.” Carlos Santana and Paul McCartney are on the long waiting list… (Sapa-AP or Reuters)
Just-a-Minute Can Transform Your Life
A new campaign to create personal peace in an ever-intensifying global climate of chaos and change is being launched this Sunday at London’s Wembley Arena and around the world with an internet simulcast. Entitled just-a-minute (j-a-m), the initiative introduces regular one-minute periods of silence into peoples lives, whether stressed out executives, social activists or busy moms, and includes multi-media tools such as one minute spoken meditations to download onto computers or podcast…
Organized by the Brahma Kumaris, a global women-led spiritual organization, the just-a-minute campaign emphasizes the positive effects of meditation on our health and well-being. Its purpose is to help people incorporate a short period of meditation into their busy schedules.
Join people around the world for a virtual one minute wave of peace this Sunday, September 17, via the Internet. Register on the just-a-minute website and your locations will light up on a vast world map visible in the Wembley stadium.
The Benefits of Meditation
Meditation is now offered in schools, hospitals, offices, government buildings and prisons to help people relax and refresh the mind making it more focussed and effective. Increasingly aware of the well documented benefits, doctors are recommending meditation for patients with chronic problems such as heart conditions, AIDS and cancer, as well as depression, hyperactivity and ADD.
- Meditation can be an active rather than passive process. Brain areas dealing with input from the senses become less active, but other parts “light up†and the heart rate increases.
- People who believe in and practice connecting with a transcendent being suffer less from symptoms of depression than those who don’t.
- Scientists used to believe connections among brain cells were fixed early in life and did not change in adulthood. But recent studies using brain imaging have shown that meditation can enhance brain circuitry. It can improves mental activity by increasing coordination between different brain areas.
The Web cast begins at 3:30pm London time, 10:30am New York time. The global link up segment starts at 4:00 pm in London (11:00am NY) with 100 countries tuning in and lighting up the world map. At 4:25pm (11:25am in New York) the one-minute of silence will commence spreading a wave of peace across the world.
The just-a-minute launch event is dedicated to the United Nations International Day of Peace (September 21) and celebrates 70 years of Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University.
The Wembley event is free to the public but very few tickets remain. To reserve your seat, or for more information, visit www.just-a-minute.org or call 020 8902 4141 (in England).
Four Exchange Kidneys In Remarkable Swap
A new program allows healthy family members to donate their kidneys to strangers in exchange for receiving an organ for their loved one. In Chicago, the second such swap ever brought together two families from very different backgrounds and united them in a bond of lasting friendship. Instead of Doug’s wife only helping her husband, she is helping someone else in the process. Watch the video or read the story at CBS2Chicago.
Clean Up the World Weekend Mobilizes Millions
Some 35 million volunteers from 122 countries are expected take part this weekend in rubbish-clearing efforts along coastlines and waterways across the globe as part of the annual Clean Up the World Weekend. Volunteers will pick up trash on beaches, in villages and at various other sites around the world, among them Australia’s Sydney Harbour, the Nile River in Egypt, and Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach.
U.S. Muslim Scholars Issue Edict Against Terrorism
I missed this at the end of July, but thanks to Columbine who submitted the link this week, we learn about Muslims who are taking sensible action… Muslim scholars from the United States and Canada have issued a "fatwa" against terrorism. While many American Muslim groups have repeatedly condemned acts of religious extremism, the new edict carries the weight of an official judicial ruling. (full story at NPR)
9-11 After the Hype: GNN Recalls the Good News of the Day
If you are tired of reliving the fear or sadness or the calls for returning fire on that day in 2001, download a copy of our 8-page newsletter published in the weeks following 9/11. Called Some Good News! — but no longer in print — it is a great reminder of some of the positive feelings that followed the crisis. Download the PDF file here, and feel the peace.
9-11 Special: Healing the Soldiers’ Wounds
Thousands of U.S. veterans have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan maimed and disfigured, their lives forever changed. The National Theatre Workshop of the Handicapped worked with two dozen veterans of U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan this summer, in hopes of helping them work through their emotions and feelings of loss…
Brother Rick Curry, a Jesuit, founded the theater workshop in New York nearly 30 years ago to help people with disabilities learn communication skills necessary for careers in theater and to enhance workplace opportunities.
One soldier, who joined the military after the 9-11 attacks, is determined to overcome his injuries through writing fiction with the help of the theatre company. His full story at Vermont Times Argus.
Brother Rick persevered over his own disabilities (he was born without a forearm) to dedicate his life to helping people all over the world to find their independence and creativity as he found his. Rick’s efforts include opening a bakery to offer job opportunities and teach business skills to those physically challenged, empowering others while raising funds for his theatre program.
On this Date (9-11) Gandhi’s Truth-Force Movement Born
As we commemorate the attacks of 9/11, there is a reason to celebrate the day.
One hundred years ago today, on September 11, 1906, Mohandas Gandhi convened a meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, to mobilize his community to oppose racially degrading legislation. On that September 11th, more than 3,000 people solemnly pledged to disobey the proposed law. So began the “Satyagraha” (or truth-force) movement of organized nonviolent action, and the unfolding history of people-power movements.
10 Most Innovative Biodegradable Products
Take a look at some of the world’s most amazing biodegradable products, from baby wipes to kitchen bowls and cell phones. (EcoFriend) And, also check out the Web site’s "top 10 green accessories and gadgets that will surely turn your kitchen green," like wheat-based cutlery, instead of plastic, which is also biodegradable.
Microbes Can Clean Up Toxic Waste Dumps
Microbes found in old waste sites in Australia not only tolerate lethal soil and water cocktails created by waste petroleum and chlorine, but can break them down so they no longer threaten humans, the scientist said on Friday. (Reuters)
Rate of Deforestation in Amazon Slowing
Deforestation rates in the Amazon are declining, according to data released by the Brazilian government. Rates of deforestation from 1 August 2005 to 1 August 2006 dropped an estimated 11 percent.
Christian Group Encourages Recycling
Tending to your soul at the Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Boise, Idaho, involves recycling old cell phones and printer cartridges in the church lobby, pulling noxious weeds in the backcountry and fixing worn-out hiking trails in the mountains. This is part of the ministry of Tri Robinson, a former biology teacher whose rereading of the Bible led him to the belief that Christians focused on Scripture need to combat global warming and save the Earth. (AP)
