Both Kylie and her partner Remi Horder, 17, are of mixed race. Their mothers are both white and their fathers are black. "It doesn’t matter to us — they are just our two gorgeous little girls." …Check out this gorgeous family photo in the Daily Mail!
Black and White Twins
Afghan Rapper Wins Fans with Message of Peace
Modern music was banned in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Now one young man donning baseball cap and shades is introducing hip hop to the people and winning fans with a message of national pride and peace.
DJ Besho answers reporters’ questions in English. "My message is peace, a fight against drugs, against the people that do not try to learn something for this country, to love this country, to do something for this country. The BBC-TV has a video. Here’s a little more on him at the HipHopMusic blog.
Cameroon, France Sign Africa’s First Debt-for-Nature Swap
France and Cameroon have signed a debt-for-nature swap that aims to conserve some of the most pristine and threatened rainforest in Africa. Under the agreement, at least US$25 million will be invested over the next five years to protect parts of the Congo River Basin, the world’s second largest tropical forest after the Amazon. (ENS) … yay, France…
Blogger Freed From Prison in Egypt
After six weeks in detention, Egyptian blogger Alaa Abdel-Fatah was finally released Thursday. The Christian Science Monitor reported May 17:
Web community rallies to free Egyptian blogger:
Mr. Abdel-Fatah is one among hundreds of demonstrators detained last month while protesting the treatment of two judges who claimed that recent Egyptian parliamentary elections were rigged. Abdel-Fatah and his wife, Manal Hassan, published a widely read blog called Manalaa.
His blog serves as a meeting point for hundreds of Internet-savvy and politically active young Egyptians. It says, “We also offer free hosting and free aid in developing a website for any cause we find worthy or interesting and for any speech that is censored or prosecuted in Egypt.” In November 2005, the blog won a top award from Reporters Without Borders for promoting freedom of expression. Abdel-Fatah was also featured in the June 1 Time magazine.
Red Cross Connects Brothers Separated by War in Sudan
The American Red Cross of Alaska recently helped reconnect local Anchorage resident Tor Gach with his brother, who lives in a refugee camp in Ethiopia, through the home delivery of a Red Cross Message.
Originally from Sudan, Tor Gach lost contact with his brother more than a year ago, having received no replies to the multiple letters he sent. Solace finally came in an unexpected form when a Red Cross vehicle drove up to his home.
"Most of my family lives in areas of armed conflict, and I was fearful that the Red Cross were bringing me bad news about my family†. . .
Omega-3 Fish Oil Better ADHD Treatment
OMEGA-3 fish oil can be more effective than stimulant drugs like Ritalin commonly prescribed for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to new research. (NutraIngredients.com )
In addition to better attention and behavior, the study showed improvements in the children’s vocabulary.
“This might be attributed to enhanced reading ability, which has been found in other studies of children with learning difficulties who take fish oil,” researcher Natalie Sinnm said.
“Alternatively, it might have resulted from improvements in attention. Fish oil is believed to work via its effects on brain function. Sixty per cent of the brain is composed of fats, with the most important being polyunsaturated omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These must be obtained through diet and can be found in dark leafy vegetables, walnuts, linseeds and oily fish.” (FishUpdate.com)
‘Mind Over Matter’ No Longer Science Fiction
Typing on a keyboard now requires only the power of the mind. Brain Computer Interfaces will provide life-changing opportunities for 10 million people with paralyzed bodies. (AFP via Physorg.com)
12-Year-Old Surgeon Certain to Cure Cancer
Akrit is an incredible boy, aged 12, living in India who performed his first sugery at seven. Now he works with 76 adults on his theoretical cure for cancer. He sees his duty as stopping “all the suffering in the world.” He is sure of himself, compassionate of others, and declares that for the sake of others, “I won’t waste my talent.”
A documentary was made about his extraordinary intelligence, you can find the entire film on youtube, but here is a clip.
Ten-Yr-Old Raises Money to Save 4000 Acres of Rainforest
A Guyana news agency reports on the Lemonade Stand in Maryland, USA that raised money to save 4000 acres of Guyana rainforest. Alex Rice and his Cub Scout Troop raised $350.00 that was matched by Conservation International (CI), and CI-Guyana… Public Service at its finest!
Homeless Find Benefits in Internet World
The wired and wireless web is allowing the homeless to better communicate with the world. (Wired)
Math is Poetry for Autistic Savant
Daniel Tammet is an autistic savant. He can perform mind-boggling mathematical calculations at breakneck speeds. But unlike other savants, who can perform similar feats, Tammet can describe how he does it. Now scientists are asking whether his exceptional abilities are the key to unlock the secrets of autism.
He doesn’t calculate these math problems in his head. He is immediately shown the answer. It started at the age of three after an epileptic seizure.
Since his epileptic fit, he has been able to see numbers as shapes, colours and textures. The number two, for instance, is a motion, and five is a clap of thunder. "When I multiply numbers together, I see two shapes. The image starts to change and evolve, and a third shape emerges. That’s the answer." (Fantastic Story and Interview in the Guardian)
EPA Unveils Trucks Promising 60% Fuel Savings, Cleaner Air, Less Noise
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in partnership with UPS, will test a new hydraulic delivery truck on the city streets of Detroit this summer that offers fuel savings, cleaner air, and less noise.
The new system replaces a truck’s transmission with hydraulics and that, combined with a low-emission diesel engine, yields a 60 percent to 70 percent saving on fuel use…The delivery company, United Parcel Service partnered with the EPA; Eaton; International Truck and Engine Corp., UPS’ largest supplier; and the Army in February 2005 to develop a green fleet of low-emissions vehicles. (AP)
More Than A Game
OPINION
Washington, D.C. – “Some people believe that football is a matter of life and death. I am very disappointed with that attitude, it is much, much more important than that!”
With those words, former Liverpool football coach Bill Shankly inadvertently alluded to a new reality: football is not just a game, but is also an economic force, a model of globalization and, more importantly, a vehicle for conflict resolution.
Football and sports in general can play and have played a role in limiting the reaches of war and de-escalating violent situations. There are numerous examples from the 20th and 21st centuries showing just how large a role:
Arabs, Jews Clean Up Galilee Together
In the northern port town of Acre, Jewish and Arab high school students work together to transform rubbish into hand-crafted benches. And in the Galilee hills, Arab and Jewish women go for regular walks together alongside a pristine road that was once strewn with garbage.
Those are two of the activities of LINK, a non-profit environmental protection organization that brings together Arab and Jewish residents of the Galilee. The main goal of LINK is encouraging Galilee residents to participate in environmental protection programs. But an outgrowth of these activities has been an improvement in relations between Arabs and Jews. . .
Bald Eagle Population Recovers in Indiana, From Zero to 200
In the 1980’s Indiana wildlife officials imported 73 eagle chicks to raise in artificial nests at Lake Monroe, for eventual release into the wild.
The goal was five nesting pairs by 2000. Instead, there were 24 pairs by that time; since 2000, that number has almost tripled. (AP )
Today more than 200 eagles reside in Indiana, a number not seen in more than 100 years. The population in the nation overall is likewise booming, as Roger Marion reported here in March.
Man Finds Wife’s Ring at N.J. Garbage Dump
Sanitation workers helped a man find his wife’s wedding ring inside a truckload of garbage. Such digging in the heat of summer was easier because the man used yellow bags for his trash… (AP)
Marine Protection Announced by Indonesia
Following recent moves by the U.S. and Brazil to protect coral reefs and sensitive marine ecosystems, Indonesia has announced plans to create a marine-protected area covering more than 4.6 thousand square miles (1.2 million hectares) off the eastern coast of the Derawan Archipelago in the Sulawesi Sea.
The island chain contains some 450 species of coral and support one of the world’s largest varieties of reef fish, as well as commercial and community fisheries. In recent years, however, overfishing and destructive fishing methods, including the use of cyanide and dynamite, have destroyed large sections of coral and depleted fish populations.
Community members of more than 25 coastal villages initiated the call to protect their marine areas, following reports from local fishermen that fish catches were decreasing and revenues were being lost due to increased non-resident commercial fishing operations. . .
Dog’s Quick Dialing Saves Owner
A service Beagle named Belle is an amazing animal that has been trained to call for help if Kevin Weaver’s diabetes spirals out of control. Belle’s sense of smell is so acute that she can sense his blood sugar levels. On the day Kevin collapsed onto the floor, the Beagle pulled down the cell phone from the table where it always rests and bit into the number 9, which dialed 911.
Today, the 17-pound beagle is expected in Washington to receive the 2006 VITA Wireless Samaritan Award, given to someone — or, in this case, some dog — who used a cell phone to save a life, prevent a crime or help in an emergency. It’s the first time a dog has received the award.
Dozens of groups in the U.S. train dogs for service to humans with disability or disease. When you learn more about service dogs you may want to volunteer to raise a puppy for one of these not-for-profit organizations.
(The story of Belle by the Orlando Sentinel was also featured in Best Friends Network.)
Girl Becomes Superhero For a Day
Most days, six-year-old Aubrey Matthews spends her energy fighting a brain tumor growing behind her eyes. But the first-grader managed to foil crimes and chase an arch-nemesis through Boise on Friday, serving the city as the superhero "Star" with assistance from the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Idaho. (story here, photo here)
I hope she can use her newly experienced super powers to shrink that tumor. Some kids are using their imaginations, and video games, to blast the cancer cells on the gaming screen, and, in turn, within their own bodies.
More super tales of making wishes come true for people with disease can be read at wish.org …
Panda Numbers Doubled
A new method of counting Giant Pandas in the wild using DNA revealed there was more than double the estimated number living in one reserve and, based on the finding, as many as 3,000 of the elusive and endangered animals in the mountains of China, rather than the 1,590 previously thought.
