The number of whales migrating off Australia’s Queensland coast is predicted to hit a 50-year high this season, said the species conservation manager for the reef.
Solar Discovery Sets New Record
Solar engineers have developed an innovative method to dramatically improve the electrical efficiency of solar panels while also reducing the cost.
The team at University of New South Wales has discovered a mechanism to control the deficiencies in any lower grade silicon, which is by far the most expensive component in solar cells.
“The process makes lower-quality silicon outperform solar cells made from better-quality materials,” says Professor Stuart Wenham from the School of Photovoltaics and Renewable Energy Engineering at UNSW, the school which still holds the world-record for silicon cell efficiency at 25%.
Laughter is Contagious – Even in the Israeli Knesset
While making a speech in front of the Israeli parliament, the education minister burst into a laughing fit that went viral on Tuesday on Israeli websites.
Hearing the opening sentence for the first time, Shai Piron, who is also a rabbi, could not get past the words dealing with a proposed law against smuggling cell phones into Israel’s prisons: “Mr. Chairman, distinguished Parliament, the aim of this legislation is to deal with a serious phenomenon – the penetration of prohibited objects into prisons.”
The giggling began to spread in the chamber, with other members wiping their eyes and grinning.
Grassroots Movement Forces GMO Labeling at State Level in US
Connecticut is set to become the first state to require labeling of foods that contain genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.
With a bill requiring the labeling of genetically engineered foods, Connecticut’s legislative leaders Saturday acknowledged a movement that has muscled its way from the scientific fringe to political mainstream.
Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning: Know What to Look for
In many child drownings, adults are nearby but have no idea the victim is dying. There is very little splashing, no waving, and no yelling or calls for help of any kind. Such reactions are only seen on TV.
To get an idea of just how quiet and undramatic from the surface drowning can be, consider this: It is the No. 2 cause of accidental death in children, ages 15 and under (just behind vehicle accidents)—of the approximately 750 children who will drown next year, about 375 of them will do so within 25 yards of a parent or other adult. In some of those drownings, the adult will actually watch the child do it, having no idea it is happening.
With a Shrimp on the Barbie: Australia Named Happiest Nation – Again!
For the third year in a row Australia has been named the happiest place to live among developed nations, according to the latest ranking issued by the Organization for Economic Cooperation. The US placed 6th, after Sweden (2nd), Canada (3rd), Norway (4th) and Switzerland.
Brilliant Ad Agency Enlists Superman to Rebrand Chemo Drug as ‘Superformula’
The first step in overcoming disease might be believing in the cure. But how can such a positive mindset be nurtured in scared children and families who are facing chemotherapy treatment?
Big applause to global advertising giant JWT for enlisting the world’s top super heroes to help kids believe in the power of healing medicine.
JWT paired two of its clients, a Brazilian cancer center with Warner Bros., who enlisted their Justice League comic book illustrators to create superhero stories that transform chemotherapy into a “Superformula.”
Interfaith Churches Convince Banks to Give $30 Million to Help Foreclosed Families
An interfaith group in Virginia has shown what a grassroots group can do when working together for positive change — in this case, helping some of the 20,000 families who lost homes in the 2008 foreclosure crisis.
VOICE (Virginians Organized For Interfaith Community Engagement) managed to get pledges of $30 million from Bank of America, General Electric and the Virginia Housing Development Authority to help such families in Manassas and Prince William County.
Everybody Loves the Kid Who Dropped His Cymbal
Andrew Pawelczyk barely missed a beat when his cymbals broke during the Star Spangled Banner in the middle of a public assembly. Now, online viewers and the news media are hailing his patriotic response as the YouTube video goes viral.
By the time the bombs should have been “bursting in air”, Andrew’s cymbal was already on the ground, the handle left in his hand. He looked down in amazement, slowly placed the other cymbal on the ground and stood up, slowly, and turned toward the flag and solemnly saluted.
Hungarian Dancers Tell Amazing Story With Just Shadows
There won’t be a dry eye in your house after watching the Hungarian shadow theatre company “Attraction” perform on Britain’s Got Talent. Stunning dance dramatics feature only the shadows of their bodies.
(WATCH the video below)
Facebook Timelines Turned into Personalized, Keepsake Books
Even with the popularity of digital media, people are still captivated by flipping through words and pictures in a tangible, physical book — especially when it’s personalized. School yearbooks, for instance, may never go out of style.
Enter Likebooks for the digital age. Apple for years has been offering a publishing service for making books and cards from user’s iPhoto libraries with captions. Now, Facebook users have the option of placing their social network activity into a book. The Likebook service allows users to create personalized, physical books based on status updates, pictures, and the comments from friends.
Wal-Mart Aims to Freshen Produce, Buying Direct From Local Growers
The nation’s largest retailer announced Monday that it will be delivering produce from farms to stores faster by buying fruits and vegetables directly from growers.
The plan is to source about 80 percent of fresh produce directly, explained Jack Sinclair, executive vice president of the food business in the U.S. for Wal-Mart.
First Major Hemp Crop in 60 Years is Planted in Colorado
A crop of Hemp, the non-psychoactive cannabis used to produce wax, rope, cloth, oil and more, has been planted in Southeast Colorado — for the first time in the United States in almost six decades.
The selling of hemp products is perfectly legal (about $500 million worth are imported from other countries every year), according to Real Farmacy.com. But the growing of it is against federal law because it is a cousin of marijuana, even though it does not have the same THC.
GNN’s Most Popular Section is Now Inactive – But You Can Still Get Free News
Hello, all you RSS subscribers and bloggers who have been using my Most Popular (FREE) News Section for content curation or headline scanning.
You have probably noticed already that only one new story has been added to Most Popular in the past two months – and it’s not because there were no popular stories!
Here is the reason: the Good News Network is under major redevelopment. In preparation for the new website’s launch in the next 4 weeks, we have taken down the paywall to our content, which makes Most Popular no longer useful as a social sharing tool.
Please grab the RSS feed for All Content, or one of our other News Sections, because now ALL our stories are accessible to everyone — not just to those who are members or subscribers.
Stay tuned for further details as the site launches. I wanted to let you know that we didn’t shut down, just because that one RSS feed is not being populated.
May good bless,
Geri Weis Corbley, founder and managing editor
1300 Hero-Ride Cyclists Pose for Spectacular London Photo
In a beautiful sea of red, yellow, navy and light blue, more than 1,300 cyclists took to central London’s streets on Sunday in aid of the UK military charity Help for Heroes.
They stood on the famous Mall for an extraordinary photography to mark out the colors of the iconic medal logo used by the Armed Forces charity.
The event was expected to raise around £1million for Help for Heroes, which will provide support for those who have suffered injuries in recent conflicts, as well as their families.
Bumblebees Instead of Pesticides Save Berry Crop from Mold
Squadrons of bumblebees are being deployed in the UK in a novel attempt to prevent grey mold from ruining the crop of summer strawberries.
The bees are routed via a one-way system in their hive through a tray of harmless fungus spores which, when delivered to flowers, ensure that the grey mold cannot take hold as the fruit grows. New flowers on a strawberry crop open every day, which means that spraying with pesticides only protects those that are open at the time.
Tesla to Triple Supercharger Network to Allow LA to NY Roadtrips
Tesla plans a massive expansion of its supercharger network, making a coast-to-coast trip in a Tesla all-electric plug-in luxury car possible in the near future.
Tesla will be tripling the number of its supercharger stations by the end of June, and by the end of the year, its expansion program will allow Tesla drivers to go from Los Angeles to New York, with each free charge requiring only an hour, with stations located in most major metropolitan areas in the US and Southern Canada. (See the map at CNN.)
The Tesla Model S, which comes standard with the capability of extra fast charges — and won Motor Trend’s Car of the Year honors — can seat seven with a pair of rear-facing children’s seats in the hatchback cargo area.
Motor Trend admired the speediness of the $63,000 car, calling it “as effortless as a Rolls-Royce”, but also its cargo and passenger capacity which it likened to an SUV.
(READ the story in CNN Money)
Jockey’s New Bra Sizing System Claims to End Ill-fitting Worries
Instead of relying on an antiquated notion of A, B, C and D cups, Jockey has invested years of research in creating a better system.
Its new Volumetric Fit kits measure the volume and shape of a woman’s breast plus an under-bust measurement, with the volumetric sizes running from 1 through to 10. The new system has 55 size combinations, and promises to address the long-bemoaned problem of ill-fitting bras.
Claiming it to be the closest thing to made-to-measure bras, Jockey is offering the self-measuring kits for $19.95 online, which can be used to order any of the five different styles, including wire-free models.
Paraplegic Mum Duct-taped to a Friend Gets to Go Surfing (WATCH)
50 year-old Pascal Honore became paraplegic after a car accident 18 years ago but has recently experienced surfing for the first time by being taped to the back of a young Australian surfer, Ty Swan.
It all starts on the beach and a backpack – “just a Kmart special”, she says – with leg holes cut into the bottom. She’s then lifted on to Ty’s back before duct tape is wound around the pair’s shoulders, waists and legs.
Dream Comes True After Coded Message Sent 60 Years Later
It starts with intrigue and ends with a dream coming true.
The story began on Martha’s Vineyard where an 81-year-old mystery writer received a coded message in the mail.
There was no key for breaking the code — and no return address.
Cynthia wondered if it wasn’t from the same man who sixty years earlier passed coded notes to her in a biology lab.