CNN talks to Sir Richard Branson, who manages his philanthropy like one of his businesses. Whether in the realm of disease, global warming, or conflict, his philanthropic foundation Virgin Unites treats risk the same: “Screw it, Let’s Do It.”
Watch the CNN video below, or at the website…
The Social Entrepreneurship blog published its list of the top moments in social entrepreneurship of the decade. Some of the highlights:
Read the rest online…
With the number of homeless pets nearly doubling compared to last year, a nine-year-old boy decided to take action. Thanks to his Central Florida Animal Pantry, the only one of its kind in the state, a lot of pets are no longer in need.
The response has been overwhelming, with pet stores, schools and people in the community all donating food. During a recent week in December Zach Wilson gave away 1,800 pounds of food in bags and cans.
In the future, he wants to open a sanctuary for disabled pets and abandoned animals.
Watch the Making a Difference video below, or at MSNBC…
1000 at-risk kids from the streets of Miami are given an alternative to drugs and gangs, with free musical training in The American Children’s Orchestra for Peace. Like a second family, the orchestra program offers support and friendship along with free musical instruments.
Watch the Making a Difference video below, or at MSNBC…
Jake Shaffer was 11 years old when he asked his parents if, instead of Christmas gifts for him, he could bring 100 bagged lunches to the homeless veterans living under the bridge in his hometown of Houston.
Today, four years later, he expands his mission every Christmas, still giving up his own gifts for the chance to deliver hundreds of gifts and thousands of dollars he has collected for the DeGeorge House for homeless vets on the occasion of their annual holiday dinner.
Watch the Making a Difference video below, or at MSNBC…
The wrapping on Cassy Rivera’s Christmas present was totally non traditional this year: white gauze, layered over a sterile eye patch.
After the bandage came off, the Brooklyn woman blinded two years ago by a rare disease was thrilled by the gift of a lifetime – the sight of her two daughters’ beaming faces.
(Read more, or watch video at NY Daily News)
Despite what may be your immediate impression of 2009, overall it was a great year. Looking back, one can be grateful that the economy has begun to turn around, at least for businesses, real estate and the stock market. Looking ahead, it is easy to be hopeful about 2010. With the New Year upon us, this Top 10 list of Good News is just what we need to kick off a new decade.
Here, then, is my annual countdown of the Top Ten Good News Stories for 2009. Happy Holidays to everyone!
Even more heartening than the 6,000 rare dolphins discovered in South Asia (prior to this, the largest known populations of Irrawaddy dolphins numbered in the low hundreds or less), or the discovery this year of a new population of orangutans in a remote, mountainous corner of Indonesia – perhaps as many as 2,000, or the “spectacular” finding that rare mountain gorilla populations have grown by 13 percent over the last 16 months in the Congo, is the news that humpback whales may soon be graduating from the endangered species list. Despite almost hunting these beautiful creatures to extinction, conservation efforts have led to steady population growth of 4-7 percent annually, to an estimated 19,000 animals, from fewer than 1,400 before the 1960’s ban on whaling. (physorg.com)
Dr. Zamboni’s studies began when his beloved wife developed MS in 1995 at the age of 37. He undertook a massive in-depth review of the literature, and modern imaging techniques such as ultrasound and MRI. His findings led him to believe that Multiple Sclerosis is not an autoimmune issue, but a vascular disease, a radical departure from current thinking. He performed experimental surgery on his wife using a simple catheter / angioplasty / balloon operation, getting blood flowing normally again. Many of her MS symptoms disappeared. She had the surgery three years ago and has not had an attack since. In Italy where the doctor works, 65 patients have since had the MS surgery, and in the two years since the operation, 73 percent of subjects are symptom-free. Get link to read more here.
Child mortality rates have dropped 28% worldwide since 1990, UNICEF reported Friday. Death rates of children aged five and under have even dropped by 60% since 1960. “UNICEF cited “particularly good progress” in reducing child mortality in Laos, Bangladesh, Bolivia and Nepal. These countries are on target to reach the U.N. Millennium Development Goal of reducing the under-five child mortality rate by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015, UNICEF said.” (USA Today)
When a hospital CEO was faced with having to lay-off hundreds of people from their jobs, he walked through the corridors and saw that no one deserved it. When he reported his feelings to the auditorium filled with 6,300 employees, he received thunderous, sustained applause. The staff at Beth Israel Medical Center didn’t want any of the 8,000 workers to get laid off — and were willing to give up their pay and benefits to make sure no one does. The 13 department heads took pay cuts totaling $350,000, doctors donated money, 401-K matching funds were turned down. Now, thanks to the compassionate CEO who wanted to do the right thing—and the employees who agreed with him—most of the cooks, janitors and cashiers’ jobs have been saved. (Boston.com; Follow-up from CBS)
6) 12 Banks Have Repayed $113B in Bailout Money- With InterestTop financial institutions, like Bank of America, J.P. Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs,Capital One, Citi, Wells Fargo, American Express and Morgan-Stanley, have repaid more than $113 billion of the $199 billion in taxpayer money, loaned to financial institutions last year. TARP, the Troubled Asset Relief Program, was introduced when a financial crisis put the economy at risk of falling into a depression. Now the nation’s four largest banks have paid back their loans — with billions of dollars in interest going to the US treasury — as have several large regional banks.
Staff Sgt. Bartek Bachleda spotted a fuel leak during take-off and possibly saved the lives of more than 300 airline passengers in route to Japan last week. After alerting the aircrew, the ranking pilot made a decision to divert the flight to San Francisco. The captain said they would have never made it to Japan if it wasn’t for the passenger’s insistence that an emergency situation was developing. (Japan Today)
From Oregon to Vermont, states across the country are tallying lower crime rates over the past few years, but even in 2009, amidst economic downturn, cities like Los Angeles, Dallas and New York have seen a dramatic reduction in violent crime. Even Chicago and Detroit are seeing murder rates dropping and property crime decreasing, mystifying sociologists and criminologists. READ more on GNN.
The arrival of a new American president triggered joy and jubilation in a world made weary by warfare, recession and fear. Even for Republicans, whether you agree or disagree with Obama’s policies, the ascendance of the first African-American to the presidency of the United States marked a new era of tolerance and possibility.
After selling a majority stake in his Miami bank, Leonard Abess Jr. took $60 million of the proceeds — $60 million out of his own pocket — and gave it to his tellers, bookkeepers, clerks, everyone on the payroll. All 399 workers on the staff received bonuses, and he even tracked down 72 former employees so they could share in the windfall. For longtime employees, the bonus — based on years of service — amounted to tens of thousands of dollars, and in some cases, more than $100,000. (The Guardian – photo, copyright 2008, Daniel Portnoy)
The passengers of Flight 1549 were soaked and freezing, but they were still alive. With both engines out, a cool-headed pilot maneuvered his crowded jetliner over New York City, avoiding buildings, landing it safely into the frigid Hudson River. All 155 on board were pulled to safety as the plane slowly sank.
Captain “Sully” Sullenberger was surprised by all the accolades that he received, but, he wrote, “I realize how this event had touched people’s lives, how ready they were for good news, how much they wanted to feel hopeful again… We’ve had a worldwide economic downturn, and people are confused, fearful and just so ready for good news. They want to feel reassured that all the things we value, all our ideals, still exist.”
If you are a regular viewer of the Good News Network, you are already assured, every day, that good DOES still exist — even through all the troubles witnessed over the last decade.
Happy New Year and may Good bless!
Despite what may be your immediate impression of 2009, overall it was a great year. Looking back, one can be grateful that the economy has begun to turn around, at least for businesses, real estate and the stock market. Looking ahead, it is easy to be hopeful about 2010. With the New Year upon us, this Top 10 list of Good News is just what we need to kick off a new decade.
Here, then, is my annual countdown of the Top Ten Good News Stories for 2009. Happy Holidays to everyone!
Even more heartening than the 6,000 rare dolphins discovered in South Asia (prior to this, the largest known populations of Irrawaddy dolphins numbered in the low hundreds or less), or the discovery this year of a new population of orangutans in a remote, mountainous corner of Indonesia – perhaps as many as 2,000, or the “spectacular” finding that rare mountain gorilla populations have grown by 13 percent over the last 16 months in the Congo, is the news that humpback whales may soon be graduating from the endangered species list. Despite almost hunting these beautiful creatures to extinction, conservation efforts have led to steady population growth of 4-7 percent annually, to an estimated 19,000 animals, from fewer than 1,400 before the 1960’s ban on whaling. (physorg.com)
Dr. Zamboni’s studies began when his beloved wife developed MS in 1995 at the age of 37. He undertook a massive in-depth review of the literature, and modern imaging techniques such as ultrasound and MRI. His findings led him to believe that Multiple Sclerosis is not an autoimmune issue, but a vascular disease, a radical departure from current thinking. He performed experimental surgery on his wife using a simple catheter / angioplasty / balloon operation, getting blood flowing normally again. Many of her MS symptoms disappeared. She had the surgery three years ago and has not had an attack since. In Italy where the doctor works, 65 patients have since had the MS surgery, and in the two years since the operation, 73 percent of subjects are symptom-free.
Child mortality rates have dropped 28% worldwide since 1990, UNICEF reported Friday. Death rates of children aged five and under have even dropped by 60% since 1960. “UNICEF cited “particularly good progress” in reducing child mortality in Laos, Bangladesh, Bolivia and Nepal. These countries are on target to reach the U.N. Millennium Development Goal of reducing the under-five child mortality rate by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015, UNICEF said.” (USA Today)
When a hospital CEO was faced with having to lay-off hundreds of people from their jobs, he walked through the corridors and saw that no one deserved it. When he reported his feelings to the auditorium filled with 6,300 employees, he received thunderous, sustained applause. The staff at Beth Israel Medical Center didn’t want any of the 8,000 workers to get laid off — and were willing to give up their pay and benefits to make sure no one does. The 13 department heads took pay cuts totaling $350,000, doctors donated money, 401-K matching funds were turned down. Now, most of the cooks, janitors and cashiers have been rescued, thanks to the compassionate CEO who wanted to do the right thing and the workers who agreed with him. (Boston.com; Follow-up from CBS)
6) 12 Banks Have Repayed $113B in Bailout Money- With InterestTop financial institutions, like Bank of America, J.P. Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs,Capital One, Citi, Wells Fargo, American Express and Morgan-Stanley, have repaid more than $113 billion of the $199 billion in taxpayer money, loaned to financial institutions last year. TARP, the Troubled Asset Relief Program, was introduced when a financial crisis put the economy at risk of falling into a depression. Now the nation’s four largest banks have paid back their loans — with billions of dollars in interest going to the US treasury — as have several large regional banks.
Staff Sgt. Bartek Bachleda spotted a fuel leak during take-off and possibly saved the lives of more than 300 airline passengers in route to Japan last week. After alerting the aircrew, the ranking pilot made a decision to divert the flight to San Francisco. The captain said they would have never made it to Japan if it wasn’t for the passenger’s insistence that an emergency situation was developing. (Japan Today)
From Oregon to Vermont, states across the country are tallying lower crime rates over the past few years, but even in 2009, amidst economic downturn, cities like Los Angeles, Dallas and New York have seen a dramatic reduction in violent crime. Even Chicago and Detroit are seeing murder rates dropping and property crime decreasing, mystifying sociologists and criminologists.
The arrival of a new American president triggered joy and jubilation in a world made weary by warfare, recession and fear. Even for Republicans, whether you agree or disagree with Obama’s policies, the ascendance of the first African-American to the presidency of the United States marked a new era of tolerance and possibility.
After selling a majority stake in his Miami bank, Leonard Abess Jr. took $60 million of the proceeds — $60 million out of his own pocket — and gave it to his tellers, bookkeepers, clerks, everyone on the payroll. All 399 workers on the staff received bonuses, and he even tracked down 72 former employees so they could share in the windfall. For longtime employees, the bonus — based on years of service — amounted to tens of thousands of dollars, and in some cases, more than $100,000. (The Guardian – photo, copyright 2008, Daniel Portnoy)
The passengers of Flight 1549 were soaked and freezing, but they were still alive. With both engines out, a cool-headed pilot maneuvered his crowded jetliner over New York City, avoiding buildings, landing it safely into the frigid Hudson River. All 155 on board were pulled to safety as the plane slowly sank.
Captain “Sully” Sullenberger was surprised by all the accolades that he received, but, he wrote, “I realize how this event had touched people’s lives, how ready they were for good news, how much they wanted to feel hopeful again… We’ve had a worldwide economic downturn, and people are confused, fearful and just so ready for good news. They want to feel reassured that all the things we value, all our ideals, still exist.”
If you are a regular viewer of the Good News Network, you are already assured, every day, that good DOES still exist — even through all the troubles witnessed over the last decade.
Happy New Year and may Good bless!
It’s Christmas morning, and I found this funny Christmas prank in the news that made me laugh out loud!!
Hope this tickles your funny bone! (Yahoo News, Canada)
Geri, Thanks for all your efforts with this great website. Wishing you a fabulous Merry Christmas and a wonder-filled New year with every blessing finding its way to you!
Time magazine named this “The Decade From Hell”. The sensationalist headline ignores all the good things that happened, so we, at the Good News Network, shall remind them. Tomorrow we will publish the Top 10 Good News Stories of 2009, and if that list is any indication, we have much more to celebrate about the decade, than to complain about…
First is what didn’t happen in 2000. People were concerned that Y2K would shut down the world. It never happened and the new millenium dawned without incident.
Second, in countries like India, Venezuela, and Brazil, anti-poverty moves are lifting thousands of people into a better life.
Diseases like measles, Hansens Disease (leprosy), Guinea Worm, and polio may be on the brink of extinction, thanks to new efforts by the UN and the Carter Center. Plans were made this decade to wipe out malaria in Africa and the Caribbean by 2012, with huge progress tracked in the last two years.
Time magazine named this “The Decade From Hell”. The sensationalist headline ignores all the good things that happened, so we, at the Good News Network, shall remind them. Tomorrow we will publish the Top 10 Good News Stories of 2009, and if that list is any indication, we have much more to celebrate about the decade, than to complain about…
First is what didn’t happen in 2000. People were concerned that Y2K would shut down the world. It never happened and the new millenium dawned without incident.
Second, in countries like India, Venezuela, and Brazil, anti-poverty moves are lifting thousands of people into a better life.
Diseases like measles, Hansens Disease (leprosy), Guinea Worm, and polio may be on the brink of extinction, thanks to new efforts by the UN and the Carter Center. Plans were made this decade to wipe out malaria in Africa and the Caribbean by 2012, with huge progress tracked in the last two years.
First Lady Michelle Obama, along with daughters Malia and Sasha, delivered some Christmas cheer along with Bo, the family dog, to children in a local hospital. Bo barked at Santa, while the three answered questions, like “What did you get the president for Christmas?”
Watch the AP video below, or at Clip Syndicate.
NV Energy signed an agreement today to use Crescent Dunes in Nye County, NV, near Tonopah, as a source for alternative power driven by the sun, sand and salt!
When completed, Tonopah Solar Energy’s facility will supply approximately 480,000 megawatt hours annually of clean, renewable electricity – enough to power up to 75,000 homes during peak electricity periods utilizing its innovative energy storage capabilities.
The project will utilize an advanced molten salt system technology from United Technologies Corp. of Connecticut that features efficient energy storage that can provide electricity reliably whether the sun is shining or not.
Sunlight heats the molten salt to a high temperature, which is then piped away, stored, and used when needed to produce steam to drive a turbine/generator that produces electricity. The system is capable of operating smoothly through intermittent clouds and can continue generating electricity long into the night.
Expected to break ground by the end of 2010, the 100-megawatt project will create as many as 450 construction jobs for Nevada during the two-year construction period. It will employ 45 permanent operations staff and will have an annual operating budget of more than $5.0 million, with the majority of that budget spent in the region. In addition, up to 4,000 indirect jobs would be created through the use of locally based suppliers and service providers. The project also supports more than 100 engineers working to further U.S. developed solar energy technology for potential export around the world.
Benin’s cotton farmers are embracing the benfits of organic farming. By ditching pesticides and only using natural fertilizers, not only is their health improving, but the damage they’re causing to the environment is decreasing.
Another benefit is that farmers no longer need to buy expensive fertilizers.
Watch the AFP video below, or at Clip Syndicate.
A five year court battle to retrieve his son appears to be over for a New York man. Brazil’s chief justice on Tuesday ruled in favor of David Goldman who has pursued a grueling international battle to gain custody after his ex-wife died in Brazil.
Watch the video below, or at Clip Syndicate…
A team of Toronto Star reporters fanned out across the city to document a most wonderful human behavior: people being kind to each other. We started at midnight and we continued around the clock. We found kindness everywhere we looked, and it left all of us deeply moved.
Follow the timeline at thestar.com
Photo courtesy of Sun Star
I grew up hearing that moods were a “gift” that you needed to go through in order to become a better person. I’m not sure how anyone came to that conclusion but that was what was passed down to me. Even heavy or dark moods were a gift.
Turns out it was simply and excuse for bad behavior. I was in my mid-twenties before I figured that out. I was going through one of those times where I felt completely ill-equipped to deal with whatever was going on in my life. It had only happened a few times before, but when this kind of depression descended I felt no other desire but to lock myself away from everyone and everything. I did so by shutting the drapes and unplugging the phone. I just allowed my self to disappear for awhile.
I didn’t want people to see me this way. I slept a lot, thought a lot and did a fair bit of feeling sorry for myself.
As I looked out of my window at the blizzard moving in – I felt the words “you’re choosing this, you can choose something else” come into my consciousness.
Responding to horror stories of stranded travelers, the Obama Administration yesterday established a 3-hour time limit for airline passengers to be delayed on the tarmac before lifting-off.
The new rule prohibits U.S. airlines operating domestic flights from permitting an aircraft to remain on the tarmac for more than three hours without bringing passengers back to the gate. Carriers are also now required to provide adequate food and drinking water for passengers within two hours of the aircraft being delayed on the tarmac and to maintain operable lavatories and medical attention if necessary.
“Airline passengers have rights, and these new rules will require airlines to live up to their obligation to treat their customers fairly,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
In her loft near Union Square in Manhattan, the abstract painter Carmen Herrera, 94, nursed a flute of Champagne last week. Now, at a small ceremony in her honor, she was basking in the realization that her career had finally, undeniably, taken off.
After six decades of very private painting, Ms. Herrera sold her first artwork five years ago, at 89…
(Continue reading in the NY Times)
New site tracking from StatCounter Global Statistics shows that Firefox 3.5 is now the most used browser in the world, surpassing Internet Explorer 7.
In March, Firefox became the most popular browser in Germany, the first time is has beaten all versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer in a major country.
Continue reading and see the chart at TheNextWeb.com)
If you haven’t tried Firefox, you are missing out on the best, safest and fastest browser for surfing the web. Here are the top five reasons for downloading the FREE software, Firefox.
