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Sandy-damaged High School Wins Dream Prom From Online Shop

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May 19, 2013

prom girl by Anita Patterson-morguefile

Glamorous gowns and high heels took the place of Hurricane Sandy’s damage and destruction for teens at East Rockaway High School in New York who are getting the chance to have their dream prom after winning a contest held by internet company Rent The Runway.

Students arrived at their renovated gym for a style party and found walls of formal attire and shoes from which they got to pick a free outfit. Hair and makeup stylists were on hand to help plan their big night.

Rent The Runway co-founders Jenny Fleiss and Jenn Hyman said they created the contest as a way to continue the giving spirit that started in their office after the storm.

(WATCH the video below or READ the story from NY Daily News)

Photo by Anita Patterson via Morguefile

15 Foods That Can Be Regrown From Scraps

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May 19, 2013

onions green in a jar by Mrs. Happy Homemaker Blog

There is nothing like fresh produce from your own garden, but, did you know that there are veggies that you can grow in the kitchen from scraps?

“I always have a mason jar of green onions regrowing above my kitchen sink. The technique is quite simple,” writes the Mrs. Happy Homemaker blog.

Once you have used the original onion, simply place the root end in a jar of water & it will begin to regrow within just a few days.

US Senator Merkley Pushes ‘Monsanto Protection Act’ Repeal

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May 19, 2013

usda-switchgrass

Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) is planning to push an amendment to the upcoming farm bill that would repeal the secret provision known as the Monsanto Protection Act, a rider attached anonymously to a spending bill that sailed through Congress in March.

An outcry resulted once the public learned that the provision, inserted without debate, allowed Monsanto and other companies to continue selling genetically engineered seeds, even if a court has blocked them from doing so. Merkley will press for a floor vote on his repeal amendment when the farm bill is taken up next week, a Merkley aide told HuffPost.

Children’s Paintings Sold to Support School Arts Programs

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May 18, 2013

art by kids supports school art programs

In the hard-hit city of Philadelphia, a former art curator Barbara Chandler Allen was disgusted by cutbacks to arts funding for students, especially because it so disadvantages the poorest schools where kids are most in need of positive outlets.

Lucky for the kids, Barbara stumbled onto a big idea after enlarging some of their art and realizing it was in high demand for the walls in office buildings.

She thought she could donate the art in exchange for hundreds of dollars that could be poured into art departments across the city.

(WATCH the video below or READ the story from Jane Pauley)

Soldier in Disguise Surprises Daughter in Front of Baseball Crowd (WATCH)

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May 18, 2013

baseball catcher disguised soldier

A 9-year-old girl who was chosen to throw out the first pitch at a baseball game brought tears to every eye in the stadium when she found out the catcher was actually her father, a soldier home from Afghanistan, in disguise.

Alayna Adams, who thought she was being honored because her father was serving overseas, walked to the mound after seeing a taped message from her father on the big screen at the Tampa Bay field.

Marching to Their Own Beat: Brass Band Keeps Youngsters From Gang Life

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May 17, 2013

trombone player Austin

Every Friday morning 17-year-old Sarel Ramphele puts on his gold-trimmed suit, grabs his trumpet and walks the 6 kilometers to the neighboring village. Under a makeshift iron roof in the yard of an unused house he meets with scores of other young people to rehearse for what has become an improbable musical success story in one of South Africa’s poorest regions, according to The Good News, South Africa website.

Based in Limpopo, Bezzi’s Youth Brass Band is one local woman’s answer to a distinct lack of youth engagement in the area.

“There are absolutely no entertainment facilities for young people around here,” says Janet Bezuidenhout, 42, who set up the band just under three years ago. “The teenagers are just idling around.”

High School Produces Less Waste Than Most Households, Led By Students

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May 17, 2013

Bobbie Gottschalk

A Cincinnati high school’s waste has been cut dramatically thanks to the teens who have picked up the reins of a nascent recycling program there.

“It’s awesome – it just keeps unfolding and growing,” said the teacher who offered the students a chance to lead. “I had no idea this would blossom and grow the life of its own that it has.”

Loveland High School is now only producing two bags of trash and the goal is to one day be a zero-waste school.

Friday Is Bike to Work Day: Ten Best Biking Cities in America

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May 17, 2013

bixi-bike-montreal

12,000 people have signed up to ride their bicycle to work Friday in the Washington, D.C. area in celebration of the 57th annual Bike To Work Day. The nation’s capitol ranks sixth on a new list of the Ten Most Bikable Cities.

America is way behind much of the rest of the world in urban cycling opportunities. In fact, Montreal is the only city in North America to make a list of top 20 biking cities globally, but there are some bright spots.

First Graders’ Acts of Kindness Catch On

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May 16, 2013

sticky notes of kindness-NBCvideo

The group’s name may not catch on, but the idea certainly has.

SPPRAK (Special People Performing Random Acts of Kindness) began in an Indiana school district as a way to get students, teachers and staff to show more kindness to each other.

To help change the culture in the schools they began urging everyone to jot down the acts of kindness they experienced or performed throughout their day on colorful sticky notes.

DiCaprio’s Wildlife Charity Auction Raises $38 Million

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May 16, 2013

Leonardo-DiCaprio-Colin-Chou-CC

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio and Christie’s auction house raised $38.8 million through a charity art auction, Christie’s said on Tuesday, with proceeds to benefit environmental and conservation causes.

The sale of 33 art works that DiCaprio had persuaded artists to donate or create especially for the 11th Hour Action raised $31.7 million on the night, blowing away all the pre-sale estimates and setting 13 new price records for artists at auction.

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University of Southern California Receives $70mil Donation to Help Young Innovators

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May 16, 2013

Jimmy Iovine Dr Dre-USCphoto

Music industry icons Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre (Andre Young), already known as forward-thinking entrepreneurs, are giving $70 million to USC to foster innovation among under graduates.

The duo’s gift will establish the Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation for students whose interests span fields such as marketing, business, computer science, audio/visual design, and the arts. The program will prepare them to become a new generation of inspired visionaries.

Parking Meter ‘Robin Hoods’ Save Motorists From Tickets

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May 16, 2013

parking ticket by jzlomek via Morguefile

James Cleaveland decided to devote himself to helping drivers in the city of Keene, New Hampshire, avoid the disgust of finding a parking ticket on their car.

Cleaveland and a group of friends took to the streets with pocketfuls of change and began shadowing the city’s three parking enforcement officers, stuffing coins in expired meters before they could issue $5 tickets.

They call their practice “Robin Hooding,” and in just over four months, the group claims to have spared motorists more than 2,000 tickets in the city of some 23,000.

(READ the Reuters story in the International Herald Tribune)

Photo credit: jzlomek, via Morguefile

Standing Ovation: Wheelchair-bound University Student Walks Across Stage at Graduation

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May 15, 2013

Impossible is Nothing-UniversityofPortland

The University of Portland gave a standing ovation this month to one of their own, Sam Bridgman, a finance major who was forced into a wheelchair by a condition known as Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), a rare, degenerative disorder that causes progressive loss of muscle strength.

It was graduation day and Sam was determined to walk across the stage to get his diploma. When he did, the entire arena lifted him up with prolonged cheers.

“You’ve never met anyone that smiles bigger and more often,” Laurie C. Kelley, associate vice president of university relations and chief marketing officer, told The Oregonian. “His smile just lights up your day.”

(WATCH the inspiring clip below)

USDA Says More Review Needed for New Monsanto, Dow GMO Crops

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May 15, 2013

crops-planted-kconnors-morguefile

The Department of Agriculture said Friday it will extend its scrutiny of controversial proposed biotech crops developed by Dow Chemical and Monsanto after receiving an onslaught of opposition to the companies’ plans.

USDA said it will conduct two separate environmental impact statements ‘to better inform decision-making’ on the approvals sought by Dow and Monsanto for new seed products that are genetically altered to tolerate treatments of their latest herbicide mixture.

Crime and Punishment: Juvenile Offenders Study Russian Literature

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May 15, 2013

Something strange is happening at Beaumont Juvenile Correctional Center. Residents are so eager to get into a Russian literature class led by the University of Virginia that prison officials use it as a reward.

The youths are clamoring to read thick books like “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy, a moral thinker and non-violent pacifist who was said to have had a profound impact on Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Staff members at Beaumont see a marked change in students’ behavior,” according to the Washington Post article.

(READ the story in the Washington Post)

Son Surprises His Mom With A House For Mother’s Day

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May 14, 2013

Working mom and adult son on YouTube

“I am the man I am today because of you,” he said at the start of a video. “So I just want to thank you.”

For years, she worked every day, seven days a week, starting at 5 or 6 in the morning preparing food for her neighborhood market. And in 2002 she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Through much pain and suffering, she persevered to eventually become a ten-year survivor.

But something she worked so hard for was lost with so many medical bills in the midst of an economic downturn. Living in Las Vegas, one of the worst hit areas, she ended up losing her home.

400 Lb. Husband Loses 280 Pounds, Is Example for Others

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May 14, 2013

Before and after-Dale Buettner

44-year-old Dale Buettner shed nearly half his body weight — 280 pounds. He had been overweight since the first grade, where his mom had to custom-make Little League uniforms for him.

In 2010, at more than 400 pounds, he joined Weight Watchers with his wife and started dealing with the underlying emotional issues that caused him to overeat.

One year later he had lost 100 pounds and with renewed hope started walking regularly.

Laws of Physics Can’t Trump the Bonds of Love

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May 14, 2013

Photo from Wrights Law student film

A high school physics teach became well known in Louisville, Ky., for his exploding antics in the classroom and letting kids ride hover boards they make in class.

But Jeffrey Wright’s most influential lecture comes annually without the use of props. The talk teaches about the life-lessons learned via Mr. Wright’s son, who has a developmental disorder. Through this story, he explains the reason why things work, and the purpose of life.

The story has been documented in an award-winning short film called “Wright’s Law” by Zack Conkle

(WATCH the video below)

Wright’s Law from Zack Conkle on Vimeo.

Scotland Achieves Fair Trade Nation Status

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May 14, 2013

Scotland has become a Fair Trade Nation after achieving its target of having all six cities and 18 of its 32 councils garnering fair trade status.

It follows Wales in becoming one of the first nations to earn the accolade.

Fair Trade products are about knowing where the products are produced and offering a better deal to workers who produce those goods in developing countries.

– WATCH the video below

– READ the story from the BBC (Feb. 25)

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